After a small five-game slate on Sunday, we’re back to a full ledger here. Eight games make up this Monday slate, and there’s a ton of superstars available. That makes lineup construction critical because there’s inevitably going to be some huge scores out there. We have a lot to talk about, so let’s go ahead and get into it!

If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel

Check out today’s NBA Tip-Off from DraftKings

Most Value Per Dollar 

Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.

It should be another high-scoring night in the NBA. Every total that I’ve seen is above 220, and every game has a spread within 10 points. That’s all we can ask for as NBA fans, and hopefully, we can avoid some blowouts for the first time in forever!

If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.

DeMarcus Cousins (HOU) $7,100:
Cousins has recaptured starting center duties, with Christian Wood going down with an ankle injury. In his five starts this season, Cuz is averaging 43 DraftKings points per game. Obviously, that makes him the best value on the board.

Patrick Williams (CHI) $5,100:
With Lauri Markkanen, Wendell Carter Jr., and Otto Porter Jr. all out, Williams should be looking at 30-35 minutes again. That was the case on Saturday, with Williams collecting 16 points and 10 rebounds across 33 minutes of action. We obviously love that against the fastest-paced team in the NBA at just $5,100.

Chris Boucher (TOR) $5,400:
Boucher was a $7K player early on, and he appears to be re-capturing that form. Over his last two games, Bouched is averaging 23 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. We love that with Memphis surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Coby White (CHI) $6,400:
White has actually been slumping the last few weeks, but it’s lowered his price way too much. This is still a guy averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game and gets to face the worst defense in the NBA. He’s proven that in their two matchups this season, averaging 33.1 fantasy points per game against them.

Jakob Poeltl (CHI) $5,900:
Poeltl is now the starter for LaMarcus Aldridge and has always produced when given the minutes. He averaged nearly 30 fantasy points per game as a starter last season and is averaging 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in his two starts since the injury this year.

Juan Toscano-Anderson (GSW) $4,500:
JTA has established a solid role in this Warriors rotation. He’s averaging 34 minutes played over his last three fixtures and has a 28-point DK average in that span. That’s way too good for someone this cheap.

Josh Richardson (DAL) $5,000:
Richardson was terrible in the first month, but he’s starting to play better recently. In fact, he’s averaging 28 DK points per game across his last four outings. We obviously can’t overlook that against a 25th-ranked Timberwolves defense.

Darius Garland (CLE) $6,200:
Garland is in this section seemingly every night. It’s easy to see why when you see that he’s averaging 34 DK points per game across 34 minutes as a starter this season. That means he’s still too cheap.

Maxi Kleber (DAL) $4,500:
Kleber just played 32 minutes and dropped 30 DK points on Saturday. That’s a ridiculous total from a player this cheap, and we can’t overlook the fact that he has an even better matchup here.

Zach LaVine (CHI) $8,900:
LaVine is easily my favorite stud out there, and he’ll find his way into the next section.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $11,100: This guy is absurd. He just provided 50 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, and three blocks on Saturday, which is not hard to believe when you see his season averages. We love him here because he plays the fifth-fastest paced team in the NBA, opening up even more opportunities for Jokic.
• Luka Doncic (DAL) $11,000: Doncic had a gem himself on Saturday, collecting 42 points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists. That brings his season average just shy of 60 DK points per game, and we can’t overlook that against such a bad Minnesota defense.
• Stephen Curry (GSW) $10,300: If you guys think Doncic and Jokic had good games on Saturday, wait until you see this line. Curry dropped 57 points, two rebounds, five assists, and two steals and has now averaged 47 DK points per game across his last 12 outings.
• Zach LaVine (CHI) $8,900: LaVine has been one of the league’s best players since the opening week. In fact, he’s averaging 28.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.1 steals over his last 16 games played. That makes him tough to fade against a 29th-ranked Wizards defense that plays the fastest pace in the league.

Notable Players to Fade

• Collin Sexton (CLE) $7,100: Ever since Sexton went crazy against the Nets a few weeks back, he’s regressed a bit. Part of the reason is Garland’s resurgence, with Sexton averaging just 28 DK points per game across his last nine outings. That makes him really hard to trust against a Top-5 Suns defense.
• Hamidou Diallo (OKC) $6,000: Diallo was in everyone’s lineups over the weekend, and rightfully so. Everyone used him because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Theo Maledon were all out. They’re all back now, though, and it makes Diallo a touch pick coming off the bench.
• Jarrett Allen (CLE) $5,900: With Allen being stuck behind Andre Drummond in the rotation, we don’t trust him. While we love the talent, it’s hard to trust a guy who’s scored 17 or fewer fantasy points in four of his last eight games.
• Dillon Brooks (MEM) $5,300: With Ja Morant and Jonas Valanciunas back and fully healthy, Brooks is no longer the man. He’s actually scored 25 or fewer fantasy points in seven of his last eight games, averaging just 20.7 DK points per game in that span.

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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.

Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.