FanDuel DFS NBA Strategy Advice: Monday (12/28)

The first week of the NBA season is behind us already. We’ll kick off Week 2 with a five-game slate that tips off at 7:30pm with Memphis/Brooklyn and concludes with Portland/Los Angeles at 10:00pm. As always, we’ll name values, studs, and fades for the day’s DFS festivities. Let’s get right to it!

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Value Plays

Point Guard

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• Conley has averaged 31 minutes across his first two games, and while he’s scored less than 1.0 FD point per minute thus far, he’s got the opportunity and an excellent matchup to make his $6.3K price a value on tonight’s slate.
• Hayes has averaged just over 8.0 FD points in his first two NBA games, but he’s worth a look tonight with a potential boost in usage. Hayes has seen the court for 40 total minutes, but with Derrick Rose (rest) out against Atlanta, Hayes could be more involved and pay off his $3.8K price tag.

Shooting Guard

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• Brooks at just $3.7K is an unbelievable pricing exploitation. Across his first two games, Brooks has scored at least 28.4 FD points and logged at least 30 minutes in each contest. This one is a head-scratcher, but take the value where you can get it. Brooks is a no-brainer on tonight’s slate.
• Huerter heated up in Saturday’s matchup with Memphis, scoring 21 points in 26 minutes of action. He’s scored better than 22 FD points and logged at least 26 minutes in both of his games so far, and tonight’s matchup with Detroit offers a great chance to provide value at his affordable price tag.

Small Forward

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• Grant is coming off his best game of the season, after he posted 28 points, 10 boards, and three blocks in Saturday’s loss to Cleveland. He’ll look to keep up that positive play in a favorable matchup with Atlanta which sports one of the evening’s highest over/unders (226.5).
• Memphis’ players are undervalued across the board on tonight’s slate, and Anderson comes in at just $4.6K. He’s averaged 32.2 FD points across 32 minutes per contest, including a 20/14 showing against Atlanta on Saturday. He’s got a good matchup and an affordable price tag.

Power Forward

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• It’s unclear if Anthony Davis or LeBron James or both will be out for Monday’s matchup with Portland, but if either misses the contest, Kuz could be in line for another start. In Sunday’s win over Minnesota, he scored 36.1 FD points in the starting lineup and would be in for a similar workload Monday with continued absences. His price tag makes him a huge bargain at just $4.2K.
• I’ll follow the minutes and usage with Bazley, who went 15/10 in 33 minutes in the Thunder’s opener. He’s expected to play a big role for the rebuilding Thunder this season, and I’ll take a chance on him for just $5.8K.

Center

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• Through two games, Plumlee has averaged 10.0, 8.5 boards, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals across 32.5 minutes. He’s firmly cemented as Detroit’s starting center, and it looks like he’ll get plenty of minutes on this rebuilding team.

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $10,000: He’s averaged a triple-double through his first two games and faces a vastly undermanned Rockets squad. Jokic is well worth the five-figure price tag.
• Christian Wood (HOU) $8,100: Houston is a two-man show at the moment, with James Harden and Wood anchoring the shorthanded Rockets. He scored 51.1 FD points in Houston’s opener.
• Trae Young (ATL) $9,800: Young has scored better than 50 FD points in each of the Hawks’ first two games, and he gets a great matchup with Detroit.
• Kyrie Irving (BKN) $9,400: Irving has averaged 43.5 FD points across his first three games, and there’s a chance Kevin Durant is rested tonight.
• James Harden (HOU) $11,000: Harden is one of the last men standing in Houston’s starting lineup, and he scored 73.3 FD points in his first game of the season. He could easily hit value, even at $11K.

Notable Players to Fade

• LeBron James (LAL) $10,500: He continues to be a fade at this price tag, as James has averaged just 37.0 FD points, including 35.3 points Sunday against Minnesota with Anthony Davis out.
• John Collins (ATL) $7,000: Collins has averaged fewer than 30 FD points though two games, as his role has declined in Atlanta’s revamped offense.
• Donovan Mitchell (UTA) $7,900: Mitchell has played solid basketball thus far, but he’s averaged just 37.5 FD points, which doesn’t make him an attractive option, especially against a strong Thunder backcourt defense.

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Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. From our Lineup Optimizer – which allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.