The Final Four is set for college hoops and with the MLB Opening Day still three days away, we have a nice gap early this week to focus our attention on NBA DFS. Monday features a small five-game slate of action with all five games coming in with a Vegas total of at least 210 points. There is not a ton of value on the short slate so pinching every penny is essential.

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Point Guard

Terry Rozier (BOS): $7,100 @ PHO
Terry Rozier continues to see big minutes with Kyrie Irving out and he has been producing including a career-high 33 points in his last outing. Next up for Rozier and the Celtics is a very favorable matchup against a Suns’ defense that has allowed the most FanDuel points to opposing PGs this season. I do have interest in Lonzo Ball ($8,300) and Jamaal Murray ($7,500) but with Rozier as a cheaper option in a better matchup, he gets the nod.

Trey Burke (NY): $4,900 @ CHA
Trey Burke drew the start on Sunday and responded with 19 points. He has played at least 25 minutes in each of his last three games while averaging over 30 FD points in those games. Another 30 FD point night would allow Burke to reach 6x his current salary. I would love to roster a Pistons PG against the Lakers but with Ish Smith and Reggie Jackson splitting time, neither is worth considering in Cash games but could be worth a dart throw in GPPs as a pivot off Burke.

Shooting Guard

Will Barton (DET): $7,100 @ PHI
At SG, you can either go for solid, consistent value with Andrew Wiggins ($7,000) or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($6,000) or you can look for upside with some risk by using Will Barton and Tim Hardaway Jr. Give me the upside on a short slate with Barton who gets extra playing time with Gary Harris out and has shown the ability to fill up stat sheet with 46 or more FD points in two of his last three games.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (NY): $6,100 @ CHA
Hardaway’s fantasy outcomes can be summed up by his last two games. Two games ago he put up 39 points on his way to 52.9 FD points. In his last outing, he only managed 11 points while finishing with 27.3 FD points. The upside is there for Hardaway in a matchup against the Hornets who he has averaged 22.0 points against in two previous meeting this season. He should be able to reach 5x his salary (30 FD points) which is his average against the Hornets with the potential for much, much more.

Small Forward

Wilson Chandler (DEN): $6,000 @ PHI
Monday’s sample lineup might be a little heavy on Nuggets with three but given the short slate and the competitive, high-scoring game environment with the playoffs in question if there is a team to load up on it is the Nuggets. The playing time is not the issue for Wilson Chandler as he often plays 40-plus minutes, however, what he does in those minutes is like riding a fantasy roller coaster. His secondary stats (assist, rebounds, steals, and blocks) are steady which give him a decent floor, so it comes down to if he put the ball in the basket to determine if he can put up a high upside effort which makes him more of a GPP option. In Cash game, look to pivot to Nemanja Bjelica.

Robert Covington (PHI): $5,900 vs DEN
Robert Covington has strung together some solid outings over his last 10 games averaging 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks a game on his way to 30.6 FD points a night. His matchup with the Nuggets on Monday is a favorable one as the Nuggets have given up the most FD points to opposing SFs over the last 30 days. If you can’t tell yet, I really like the Nuggets/Sixers matchup, so I’m getting more exposure to it with Covington.

Power Forward

Blake Griffin (DET): $8,800 vs LAL
The Lakers have been lit up by opposing PFs lately allowing the most FD points per game to the position over the last 15 days. Meanwhile, Griffin has been hot topping 49 FD points in three of his last four games with the one game he fell short was a blowout win over the Bulls where Griffin only played 26 minutes. Monday’s matchup between the Pistons and Lakers has the tightest Vegas spread at just 4.5 points so lack of minutes shouldn’t be an issue for Griffin to return to his 50 FD point production.

Marquese Chriss (PHO): $4,400 vs BOS
In order to fit in higher priced studs like Griffin and Jokic, we need to find value somewhere. Marquese Chriss is a roll of the dice that you just have to hope comes up a winner. He has played at least 24 minutes in each of his last two games and with the various injuries including Tyson Chandler, hopefully, Chriss will continue to get at least 24 minutes going forward. His matchup against the Celtics isn’t great but he has scored in double-digits in four straight games including a big game with 19 points and 10 rebounds for 43.5 FD points.

Center

Nikola Jokic (DEN): $9,500 @ PHI
Nikola Jokic put up 53.6 FD points against the Sixers in an earlier meeting this season with 19 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. The Nuggets/Sixers matchup features the highest Vegas total on the slate while the Nuggets need wins to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jokic has 60 FD point upside and should log heavy minutes and usage that could allow him to get there. While I have plenty of interest in Joel Embiid ($10,300) and Andre Drummond ($10,200), salary saving is at a premium on this slate, so the Joker it is.

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Brad Richter is a correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay and GoingFor2. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.