Just a mini four-game NBA slate on tap for Monday night. With so few teams in action, the injury news is also at a minimum. According to Vegas all of the games should finish with roughly the same total points so there is not a lot to distinguish between the games other than to focus on which players have the best individual matchups. Let’s dig in!
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool 
One Stud
Paul George (SF/PF – OKC): $9,600 @ MEM
Your one stud options consist of the Thunder duo, Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard. I’m going to give Paul George the nod. He is the cheapest option of the group and has a high floor with at least 49 DraftKings points in five of his last six games. George put up 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists for 48.3 DK points in a previous meeting with the Grizzlies this season.
Just a mini four-game NBA slate on tap for Monday night. With so few teams in action, the injury news is also at a minimum. According to Vegas all of the games should finish with roughly the same total points so there is not a lot to distinguish between the games other than to focus on which players have the best individual matchups. Let’s dig in!
Note that some of the stats referenced in this article are my custom defense versus position (DvP) calculations that combine both season and last five games data along with blending similar positions production allowed together.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
One Stud
Paul George (SF/PF – OKC): $9,600 @ MEM
Your one stud options consist of the Thunder duo, Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard. I’m going to give Paul George the nod. He is the cheapest option of the group and has a high floor with at least 49 DraftKings points in five of his last six games. George put up 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists for 48.3 DK points in a previous meeting with the Grizzlies this season.
Core Plays
Rudy Gobert (C – UTH): $8,000 vs. PHO
The Jazz have plenty of motivation to play well and win down the stretch as they battle for playoff positioning. They should pile up the points on Monday in a favorable matchup against the Suns who have allowed increased production to big men this season in points (+9.0%) and rebounds (+7.2%). So, it should come as no surprise that Rudy Gobert has put up 17.0 points and 16.0 rebounds for 47.3 DK points per game against the Suns in two previous meetings this season.
Jonas Valanciunas (C – MEM): $7,100 vs. OKC
It feels like it is a two-center night when construction your DFS lineups on Monday. Jonas Valanciunas has been playing great for the Grizzlies including putting up at least 20 points in four straight outings while compiling a double-double in three straight games. He scored 39.75 DK points earlier this month against the Thunder when he went for 16 points and 13 rebounds in 32 minutes.
Aaron Gordon (SF/PF – ORL): $7,000 vs. PHI
Gordon is coming off a dud game against the Grizzlies, but prior to that outing, he had topped 39 DK points in three straight games while scoring at least 20 points in each game. He has fared well against the Sixers this season averaging 20.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists for 42.1 DK points in three previous matchups. The Sixer have allowed small increases in production to PFs this season in points, rebounds, assists, and a steals.
JJ Redick (SG/SF – PHI): $5,600 @ ORL
You will want to get some kind of exposure to the Sixers in their matchup against the Magic. J.J. Redick offers an inexpensive way to get that exposure while offering some positional flexibility. He has lit up the Magic in three games this year averaging 26.3 points while making 18 three-pointers in those games for 39.8 DK points. Redick has scored at least 14 points in six straight games while making 4.2 threes per game during that stretch.
Value Plays
Ricky Rubio (PG – UTH): $5,400 vs. PHO
The value tier on Monday’s short slate is a little limited so we’ll need to push up into the low $5,000 range get players that are worth rostering. Ricky Rubio serves as a nice pairing with Gobert in a plus matchup against the Suns. He has averaged 27.5 DK points in two previous meetings with the Suns and has put up at least 26 DK points in five of his last six outings. Rubio’s floor on Monday should be about five times his salary and the upside is there for more.
Dennis Schroder (PG/SG – OKC): $5,300 @ MEM
Schroder is coming off a big 47 DK point effort where he put up 26 points, six rebounds, and seven assists against the Raptors. He’ll get a more favorable matchup on Monday against the Grizzlies who have allowed increased points (+8.3%), rebounds (+2.6%), and assists (+2.4%) to SGs this season. Schroder has played well against Memphis in his two previous meetings with 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for 37.4 DK points.
Evan Fournier (SG/SF – ORL): $5,100 vs. PHI
Fournier is on a hot streak for the Magic over his last two games. In those outings, he has put up 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while topping 34 DK points in each game. He has shot 18-for-30 in those games while knocking down six three-pointers. In three meetings with the Sixers this season, Fournier has averaged 21.7 points and 30.5 DK points per game.
Tyler Dorsey (PG/SG – MEM): $3,800 vs. OKC
Even with Mike Conley back in the last game, Tyler Dorsey remained in the starting lineup for the Grizzlies while playing 26 minutes. The shots were there for Dorsey, but he was only able to connect on 3-of-13 which limited his overall production to just 17.75 DK points. Assuming that Dorsey gets another start on Monday against the Thunder look for him to knock down a few more of those shots to help him pay off his low salary.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Brad Richter is a Featured Writer and Correspondent at FantasyPros and a contributor at DailyOverlay. For more from Brad, you can view his archive or follow him @RotoPilot.
