Kicking off the week, Monday’s schedule of games features an eight-game slate, all of which tip-off at 7:00 p.m. EST as the main slate. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Wizards are the only teams operating on a back-to-back.

Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel

Point Guard

Kendrick Nunn (PG – MIA): $4,700 @ CLE
The Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers played against each other just the other day, and Nunn had himself quite a fantastic performance as he totaled 46.4 FanDuel points. Luckily for Nunn and the remainder of his teammates, starting SG Jimmy Butler has once again been ruled out of today’s contest. Expect to see a greater usage rate for Nunn with Butler sidelined, and that’s a major positive against the 29^th-ranked defense in the Cavaliers.

Elfrid Payton (PG – NYK): $7,200 @ HOU
Payton is the first player you’ll need to monitor as we near tip-off tonight, as he missed the first game post-all-star break and is listed as questionable for tonight’s contest. Payton has been a revelation since joining the New York Knicks, becoming a solid asset in the DFS landscape while also solidifying a role as the starting point guard. The Houston Rockets are actually a decent defensive team that ranks 15^th in defensive rating, but they operate with the 2^nd quickest pace in the league, resulting in a major pace-up spot for Knicks players.

Shooting Guard

Josh Richardson (SG – PHI): $5,100 vs. ATL
This season probably hasn’t gone as Richardson has expected, though he has flashed a lot of solid play coupled with a bunch of inconsistent performances. With both PG Ben Simmons and SF Tobias Harris expected to miss tonight’s game, Richardson – and many of his teammates – are immediately vaulted to the top of the potential options on this slate. Coming in at a discounted price, Richardson put together two great performances in his past three games, and has a fantastic matchup against the Atlanta Hawks which rank 28^th in defensive rating and 6^th in pace. Richardson is in a great position to crush value tonight.

R.J. Barrett (SG – NYK): $4,600 @ HOU
A rookie with high expectations, Barrett is finally healthy and back to playing a relatively steady dose of minutes. Barrett has become an interesting DFS option with his re-insertion back into the starting lineup. Not only is Barrett very affordable which leads to an easier shot at reaching value, but the major pace-up spot for the Knicks tonight is intriguing for DFS purposes. If Payton does miss the contest due to injury (currently listed as questionable), Barrett’s ceiling increases that much further.

Small Forward

Jae Crowder (SF – MIA): $4,800 @ CLE
This season has been a tale of two halves for Crowder. A middling and aging veteran in the backgrounds in Memphis, to a very solid and consistent contributor post-trade in Miami. Like I mentioned above, Jimmy Butler will miss the game tonight, furthering the intrigue surrounding Crowder. In his last game – which was also against the Cavaliers – Crowder managed a 34.8-point performance and hasn’t scored less than 22.1 FanDuel points in his last five games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (SF – MIL): $11,800 @ WAS
There has yet to be anybody out there that’s effectively shut down Giannis this season, and I wouldn’t expect the Washington Wizards to be the first. Giannis is a man amongst boys, though the issue of a potential blowout and a lot of fourth-quarter rest could definitely become an issue tonight. Even then, the Wizards are absolutely putrid defensively, ranking 30^th in defensive rating and 4^th in pace, presenting the Milwaukee Bucks with a dream matchup. This game is easily the paciest of the night and obviously leads the night in implied totals.

Power Forward

Robert Covington (PF – HOU): $6,300 vs. NY
RoCo is exactly what the Houston Rockets were missing, which is exactly why they were smart to acquire the veteran two-way wing at the trade deadline. Since joining the Rockets, RoCo has had no issues immediately transitioning into a solid contributor and has arguably taken his game (and DFS performances) to the next level. His last three contests all resulted in performances greater than 34+ FanDuel points, proving just how versatile he is. RoCo is a machine on the defensive end, securing 11 blocks and three steals those same three contests. The defensive potential is exactly why RoCo is a dangerous weapon on any given night on FanDuel, even if his shot isn’t dropping.

Brandon Clarke (PF – MEM): $5,200 @ LAC
In what seems to be becoming a theme on this slate, Jaren Jackson Jr. is going to miss tonight’s contest, which is likely going to result in Clarke sliding into the starting lineup to take his place at the four-spot. Clarke has been highly productive in his past four games, totaling 40+ FanDuel points once and 37+ FanDuel points three times. Clarke’s matchup is going to be a tough one as the Los Angeles Clippers are very good defensively, but they do operate at a great pace (8^th), as do the Memphis Grizzlies, ensuring plenty of offensive opportunities for both sides.

Center

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $10,000 vs. ATL
With both Simmons and Harris sidelined for tonight, and a dream matchup in the Hawks, expect Embiid to be a chalky option, with good reason. Embiid is coming off a stinker against the Bucks in his latest contest but had an explosion just one game prior against another team which is weak at defending opposing big men (Brooklyn Nets). Embiid already ranks 9^th in the NBA in usage rate. Expect that figure to increase after tonight.

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