MLK Day is always one of the best slates of the season. The one issue is that almost everyone played and it leaves us with just two games here. That means the pickings are slim but it’s still fun to play NBA DFS. The four teams in action include the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz. Those are some interesting Western Conference teams, so, let’s get into it!
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Most Value Per Dollar
Players expected to generate the most value relative to salary.
Point Guard
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | at DEN | $8,700 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Jamal Murray (DEN) | vs. OKC | $7,300 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Mike Conley (UTH) | vs. NOR | $6,800 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- SGA has been a beast recently and we love him against a dreadful Denver defense. We’ll tell you why in the studs section.
- Murray has gotten off to a slow start this season but he’s starting to turn things around. In fact, he’s scored at least 40 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, attempting 65 shots over his last three games.
- Conley has really found his role in Utah, averaging 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
Shooting Guard
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Donovan Mitchell (UTH) | vs. NOR | $8,200 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Eric Bledsoe (NOR) | at UTH | $6,000 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| J.J. Redick (NOR) | at UTH | $4,000 | ⭐⭐⭐ | High |
- Mitchell has been a bit disappointing this season but he’s still leading the Jazz in scoring and can go off any given night.
- Bledsoe had two terrible games because of an injury but has scored at least 25 DK points in his other five games over the last two weeks.
- Redick is possibly the best pure shooter on this slate and if he gets hot, he could be one of the best values out there at $4K.
Small Forward
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Brandon Ingram (NOR) | at UTH | $9,100 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Bojan Bogdanovic (UTH) | vs. NOR | $5,300 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Luguentz Dort (OKC) | at DEN | $5,100 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Ingram has taken over this Pelicans offense and he’ll find his way into the studs section later on.
- Bojan is also coming off one of his best games of the season and it’s just a matter of time before he gets back to the $6K we’re accustomed to with him.
- Dort regularly plays 30 minutes a night for OKC and is coming off a season-best 51 DK points in his most recent outing.
Power Forward
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Zion Williamson (NOR) | at UTH | $7,900 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Royce O’Neale (UTH) | vs. NOR | $5,200 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
| Isaiah Roby (OKC) | at DEN | $4,100 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Zion just dropped 31 points on 13-of-15 from the field on Sunday and is clearly one of the best options on the slate.
- O’Neale has been really good for Utah recently, averaging 25 DraftKings points per game across 32 minutes of action in his last eight games played.
- Roby will likely receive another start for Al Horford. He’s played at least 24 minutes in both of those starts while providing at least 20 fantasy points in each.
Center
| NAME (TEAM) | OPPONENT | PRICE | MATCHUP | RISK |
| Nikola Jokic (DEN) | vs. OKC | $11,000 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Rudy Gobert (UTH) | vs. NOR | $7,600 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Low |
| Steven Adams (NOR) | at UTH | $6,100 | ⭐⭐⭐ | Medium |
- Jokic has been the best fantasy producer in the NBA this season, so, he’ll obviously be in the next section.
- Gobert is also one of the best plays on the board, recording double-doubles on a nightly basis.
- Adams provided 12 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists on Sunday and should be used heavily to oppose Gobert.
3 Studs Worth Their Salary
- Nikola Jokic (DEN) $11,000: To say this guy has been fantastic would be an understatement. The big man has actually flirted with a triple-double in every game this season, averaging 25 points, 11.4 rebounds, 10.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. What adds to his intrigue is the fact that Oklahoma City is expected to be without Horford, leaving them with nobody to cover Joker.
- Brandon Ingram (NOR) $9,100: Ingram has established an incredible floor as the Pelicans go-to player, scoring at least 30 DK points in every game this year. That has led to a 41-point average and he’ll likely continue his success with guys like Zion, Lonzo, Adams, and Bledsoe taking some of the defense off of him.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) $8,700: SGA has become the man in OKC and it’s incredible what this kid has done over the last two weeks. In fact, he’s scored at least 51 DK points in four of his last six games and should continue to thrive against a 24th-ranked Denver defense.
3 Notable Players to Fade
- Will Barton (DEN) $5,700: Barton has a really ugly floor, scoring 18 or fewer fantasy points in five of his last 11 games. With Murray playing better and Jokic dominating touches, it’s hard to imagine Barton doing big things.
- Darius Bazley (OKC) $5,600: Bazley got off to an incredible start but regression appears to be hitting him hard. He’s now failed to crack 25 DK points in five-straight games, averaging just 18 fantasy points per game in that span.
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (NOR) $5,400: People were really impressed with NAW in the game that Bledsoe, Williamson, and Ball missed last week but his role is not the same with those guys back. In the two games since, he’s averaging just 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. It looks even worse when you consider that Lonzo practiced in full on Monday and seems likely to suit up here.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
