Monday’s schedule of games contains a seven-game slate, all of which are included in the main tip-off at 7:00 p.m. EST. Only the Charlotte Hornets are operating on a back-to-back, with the remaining 13 teams playing off at least one day’s rest.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Derrick Rose (PG – DET): $6,900 vs. NO
With the bevy of recent injuries for the Detroit Pistons, Rose has begun to play some of the best ball of his season. Even though he continues to come off the bench in a sixth-man role, Rose has provided an effective scoring and playmaking punch off the bench. His matchup in the New Orleans Pelicans is a very good one as they rank 26th in defensive rating and 7th in pace. Not only are those marks good, but the individual matchup against PG Jeff Teague is a great one, with Teague proving to be a lackluster defender. This contest currently leads the night in implied totals, so make sure to target it in some fashion.
Monday’s schedule of games contains a seven-game slate, all of which are included in the main tip-off at 7:00 p.m. EST. Only the Charlotte Hornets are operating on a back-to-back, with the remaining 13 teams playing off at least one day’s rest.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Derrick Rose (PG – DET): $6,900 vs. NO
With the bevy of recent injuries for the Detroit Pistons, Rose has begun to play some of the best ball of his season. Even though he continues to come off the bench in a sixth-man role, Rose has provided an effective scoring and playmaking punch off the bench. His matchup in the New Orleans Pelicans is a very good one as they rank 26th in defensive rating and 7th in pace. Not only are those marks good, but the individual matchup against PG Jeff Teague is a great one, with Teague proving to be a lackluster defender. This contest currently leads the night in implied totals, so make sure to target it in some fashion.
Ben Simmons (PG – PHI): $8,200 @ IND
With starting C Joel Embiid sidelined, more of the offensive onus has fallen on Simmons’ shoulders, and he’s responded with some solid performances in his last four contests. Not only is Simmons shouldering a larger load, but his playing time has been exceedingly high as he’s played 37+ minutes in eight of his last nine contests. The matchup is a tough one with the Indiana Pacers ranking 10th in defensive rating and 23rd in pace, but the individual matchup is easier for Simmons if PG Malcolm Brodgon misses the contest due to an illness. Keep an eye on the injury report.
Shooting Guard
Andrew Wiggins (SG – MIN): $6,700 vs. OKC
Since returning from a four-game absence, Wiggins has struggled, but his minutes in recent contests are not doing him any favors. Wiggins registered only 26 and 25 minutes in his last two contests, with the most recent contest ending in a blowout loss to the Houston Rockets. Now that the playing field is more evened out against the Oklahoma City Thunder, expect Wiggins to return to his 32-ish minute average, hopefully paying off dividends. Starting C Karl Anthony-Towns is listed as questionable tonight, which would provide a significant boost to Wiggins’ value for the contest.
Evan Fournier (SG – ORL): $5,600 @ SAC
Fournier is coming off two of his best performances in quite a long while, scoring 31.9 and 39.1 FanDuel points in those respective games. With SF Johnathan Isaac sidelined, Fournier has received more scoring opportunities, though like always, he offers a high-floor and low-ceiling option. Fournier is best-suited as a cash game option, though you can squeeze him in as a GPP option if you lack any other options. The matchup is an average one as the Sacramento Kings rank 18th in defensive rating, but only 27th in pace.
Small Forward
Miles Bridges (SF – CHA): $5,000 @ POR
Quietly, Bridges has been very productive and has reached value in four of his past five games. Playing a good number of minutes and providing a solid scoring punch, Bridges has improved his DFS output as he struggled through most of December. The Portland Trail Blazers are not good defensively, ranking 24th in defensive rating and 11th in pace, furthering Bridge’s case as a solid option on tonight’s slate.
Trevor Ariza (SF – SAC): $4,700 vs. ORL
Ariza’s potential is going to be purely based on the injury report for the Kings. Marvin Bagley III, Nemanja Bjelica, and Cory Joseph are all listed as questionable for the contest, with Harrison Barnes just recently being removed from the injury report with a quad ailment. There’s a chance all could go, which would severely dampen the intrigue with Ariza, though the potential for them to sit – in addition to Richaun Holmes – could lead to Ariza being one of the biggest steals on the slate. Ariza has played 30+ minutes in four straight games, eclipsing 31.4+ FanDuel points in his last three.
Power Forward
Al Horford (PF – PHI): $6,200 @ IND
This contest between the Philadelphia 76ers and Pacers isn’t an ideal matchup as it will harbor an incredibly slow environment, but Horford presents a great buy-low opportunity with Embiid sidelined. In his last two contests, Horford registered 42.6 and 38.7 FanDuel points, proving just how relevant he becomes without Embiid present. The matchup isn’t a great one, but Horford has the potential to fill up a stat sheet across the board, and for his current price tag, he provides enough upside.
Robert Covington (PF – MIN): $6,000 vs. OKC
Make sure to pay attention to the injury report for the Timberwolves tonight, because RoCo’s performance is dependant on the availability – or lack thereof – of KAT. If sidelined (which could be the case), RoCo becomes a solid and consistent play. In his past six contests, RoCo has eclipsed 30+ FanDuel points five times, with the only remaining contest totaling 27.2 points. RoCo is a great defender who offers an ability to chip in offensively, proving to be one of the more consistent weapons in DFS and basketball.
Center
Andre Drummond (C – DET): $10,500 vs. NO
Drummond is coming off an absolute stinker of a performance, though that typically happens when you get ejected for throwing a basketball at an opponent’s head. Outside of that anomaly, Drummond has proven to be a dominant option, throughout the entirety of the season. A rebounding machine that dominates the paint, Drummond has a chance to go off against the Pelicans tonight. The Pelicans don’t start a real big-man, electing to go with Derrick Favors instead. The pace of this contest provides the Pistons – and Drummond – with plenty of opportunities to fill up the stat sheet, and quickly.
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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.