FanDuel NBA Lineup Advice: Monday (1/20)

Monday’s schedule is rich in contests with a 14 game slate for the day, three of which tip-off on the all-day/early slate at 2:00 p.m. EST and the remaining 11 on the main slate which tip-off at 5:00 p.m. EST. Ensure you’re aware of the injury reports and the time change with the main slate tipping off two hours earlier than usual. The Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers are operating on a back-to-back.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $8,800 vs. GS
With starting SG C.J. McCollum sidelined and nursing an injury, Lillard’s already massive ceiling continues to rise. In his past four contests, Lillard has topped 42+ FanDuel points in each game, eclipsing 50+ in one of them. The matchup against the Golden State Warriors is a good one to boot, with the Warriors ranking 20^th in defensive rating and 13^th in pace. Expect a lot of the scoring and playmaking onus to fall on Lillard’s shoulders.

Monte Morris (PG – DEN): $4,000 @ MIN
The Nuggets have a strong shot at providing a ton of value tonight, depending on how their injury report shakes out. If Jamal Murray is sidelined for this contest (he missed the game on Sunday), Morris becomes a playable and pay-down option at the point guard spot. His ceiling is non-existent, but he’s a good bet for 25 minutes and can certainly return value with that much playing time.

Shooting Guard

D’Angelo Russell (SG – GS): $7,600 @ POR
The Warriors have been a disaster all season, but Russell is certainly one of the bright spots. He’s coming off an incredibly productive game in which he totaled 51.4 FanDuel points. Not only that, but Russell has topped 42+ points in three of his last four games. The matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers is a good one, with the Blazers ranking 24^th in defensive rating and 11^th in pace.

Damion Lee (SG – GS): $4,900 @ POR
Double-dipping at the same position on the same team is usually a weird endeavor, but I think the Warriors offer decent value tonight, and Lee is one of the prospects. Like I mentioned above, the Blazers are a good matchup as they play a relatively quick brand of ball and are not good defensively. Not only is the matchup strong, but Lee is fairly priced and has scored 39 and 22.7 points in his last two contests.

Small Forward

Brandon Ingram (SF – NO): $9,000 @ MEM
There are multiple intriguing options at the three-spot on tonight’s slate, though I elected to go with the young and budding superstar in Ingram. The injury report for the New Orleans Pelicans is one of note, particularly the statuses of Jrue Holiday, Zion Williamson, and Derrick Favors. Ingram is coming off a disappointing 37-point performance but had a dominating one that totaled 67 points just one game prior. Ingram is a talented scorer that gets a nice matchup in the Memphis Grizzlies, which rank 22^nd in defensive rating and 4^th in pace.

Will Barton (SF – DEN): $6,600 @ MIN
Barton is one of the best players you’ve maybe never heard of, particularly on the DFS landscape. In his past five games, Barton has eclipsed 30+ FanDuel points four times, also topping 40+ points twice in that same span. Not only is he a capable contributor all across the stat sheet, but he’s playing a bevy of minutes in recent games, with his two most recent contests resulting in 43 and 35 minutes of playing time. With the Nuggets currently banged up, Barton feels like a shoo-in for a strong performance.

Power Forward

Michael Porter Jr. (PF – DEN): $5,300 @ MIN
As I mentioned earlier, the Nuggets are a real threat to provide a lot of value on tonight’s slate. Porter has finally begun his NBA career and it’s been a wonderful start for the incredibly talented young player. Coming off the bench, Porter has totaled 22.8, 39.1, 46.5, and 25.6 points in his last four contests, with his playing time beginning to become steady in the mid-20’s. The matchup tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves is a decent one as the Timberwolves rank 15^th in defensive rating and 5^th in pace.

Kevin Love (PF – CLE): $6,900 vs. NY
Love is coming off a monster 48-point performance against the Chicago Bulls, and luckily for him, he gets to oppose the New York Knicks tonight. The Knicks are among the worst defenses in the league with their 25^th ranked defense, though they do play at an incredibly slow pace. Still, if the Cleveland Cavaliers stand any chance at winning games, they need to operate through Love early-and-often.

Center

Jonas Valanciunas (C – MEM)1: $6,500 vs. NO
JV has always been an incredibly strong per-minute producer, and that is what makes his ceiling so drastic even when the playing time isn’t there. In his last four games, Valanciunas has topped 31+ points in every contest and has hit 45.6 and 61.3-point totals in that same span. With JV’s minutes hovering around the 28-30-minute mark, Lithuanian Lightning has more than enough time to wreak havoc. The matchup for the Memphis Grizzlies is a great one as the Pelicans rank 26^th in defensive rating and 6^th in pace.

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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.