Welcome to a six-game Monday slate with one of the later start times for the entire season. Lineups don’t lock until 8:00 p.m. eastern time, so you will have plenty of time to get your lineups in. A six-game slate is one of my favorites, as it provides just the right combination of value and pay-up options. Grizzlies’ injury news could open up some value, and I expect to have a fair share of Mavericks with their expected high point total. Also, make sure to be on the lookout for if Al Horford will play in the back-to-back. If he is out, be sure to fire up Isaiah Roby. With that being said, let’s get into my favorite plays for the day. 

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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. 

Kristaps Porzingis (PF – DAL) $7,800 vs. MEM
I project Porzingis not only to be the highest scoring power forward of tonight’s slate but to return the best value from the position as well. As I mentioned in the introduction, I like a lot of Mavericks players tonight, as I think their brief break should bring them back fresh. The Unicorn appears to be returning to his old self, averaging 1.4 fantasy points per minute over his last five games. I only see his current price tag rising, so hop on now.  

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SG – OKC) $7,500 vs. MIA
The Thunder offense basically runs through Gilgeous-Alexander. After coming back from injury, SGA hit the ground running, playing around 35 minutes with a usage rate just shy of 30% last time out. That is a sweet combination that should lead him well north of 5X vs. the Heat, who have allowed the 29th most fantasy points to shooting guards this season.

DeMarcus Cousins (C – HOU) $6,400 vs. CHI
Trade rumors have been swirling around Cousins, and he is questionable, which means there are all sorts of risks in plugging Boogie into your lineups tonight. What this means, however, is that his ownership should be very low as people will be skittish to play him. There’s a solid chance tomorrow is a showcase game for him before the Rockets try to shop him. Cousins is coming off a 45.6 fantasy point outing vs. Philadelphia, so he absolutely has the ability to run it back in a better matchup vs. Chicago.  

Kyle Kuzma (PF – LAL) $5,700 vs. WAS
Kuzma has become a popular play since Anthony Davis went down, and I don’t see that changing tonight. In his last two games, he’s played 34 minutes and tallied 29.8 and 27.8 fantasy points. The Wizards offer a much-improved matchup, so I see Kuzma as a reliable GPP and cash play. He is on the injury report, so keep an eye out for that, but he is currently expected to play.

Kendrick Nunn (PG – MIA) $5,600 @ OKC
We saw a ceiling game from Nuun last game when he went for 27 points, five boards, and three assists against the Lakers on Saturday. What I really liked about that outing is how Nunn played 39 minutes. Goran Dragic should still be out, and Tyler Herro is now questionable. Herro being ruled out would be the icing on the cake, but as it stands, Nunn is a valid GPP and cash play. His high minutes alone should give him a floor of 25 fantasy points, and we have witnessed his ceiling.  

Mike Conley (PG – UTA) $5,600 vs. CHA
After missing six games, Conley returned to action Friday, recording 22 fantasy points across 25 minutes. Charlotte offers a bit better matchup than the Clippers, and I expect his minutes to see an uptick. While Conley doesn’t offer too high of a ceiling, I see him finishing with about 30 fantasy points, making him better as a cash option. 

Eric Gordon (SG – HOU) $5,300 vs. CHI
Obviously, this play is dependent on Victor Oladipo remaining out. Assuming Oladipo is sidelined, Eric Gordon should stay in the starting lineup and reach 30+ minutes. His last two games played have been against the Knicks and the 76ers, so facing the Bulls will give Gordon a nice boost. Gordon is a solid GPP and cash play as he has shown his ability to reach 35+ fantasy points.

Garrett Temple (SF – CHI) $4,600 @ HOU
Temple has been playing solid of late, scoring 25+ fantasy points in three of his last four games. Monitor the starting lineup, but I expect Temple to earn the start tomorrow and reach 30 minutes or more, which he has been consistently doing in his last six games. I like the pay-up options at small forward today, so I see Temple as more of a contrarian GPP play against a tougher Houston Rockets matchup.  

Derrick Jones (SF – POR) $4,600 @ PHO
In his past three games, Jones has posted north of 25 fantasy points. Granted, those performances were against easier matchups than Phoenix, but he has still been playing well of late and should remain in the starting lineup for tonight. He should see the floor for 30 minutes again tonight, and at $4,600, even if the 24-year-old tallies 25 fantasy points, Jones offers 5X+ value while being a contrarian option.   

Maxi Kleber (PF – DAL) $3,900 vs. MEM
As a starter on a top-10 efficient offense, $3,900 is simply too cheap for Kleber. Most of the Mavs usage goes to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but Kleber will still see the floor for right around 27 minutes. He’s been a 0.78 fantasy points per minute player this year, so he should reach right around 5X value at 20+ points tonight. 

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

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Damian Lillard (POR) $10,500: Dame has been tearing it up recently, averaging more than 60 FanDuel points across his last four games. I see Lillard and Doncic both scoring just shy of 60 points tonight, plus both have similar ceilings. With Lillard being $700 cheaper, I prefer him to save some room in my lineup.
• LeBron James (LAL) $10,400: This is what I call a “don’t overthink it” pick. It’s LeBron James, against a bad defense, in a pace-up spot, with Anthony Davis out. James has landed just shy of a triple-double in each of his last five games. I expect him to get over the hump tonight with a solid outing. 
• Zach LaVine (CHI): $9,800: If you are in need of consistent production, LaVine hasn’t scored fewer than 40 FanDuel points in his last nine games. Whether it’s motivation to prove he’s All-Star worthy or simply because he’s a stud, I’m happy to have plenty of exposure to LaVine tonight.  

Notable Players to Fade

• Kyle Anderson (MEM) $7,200: I can’t say I ever expected Kyle Anderson to end up as the third most expensive small forward on a slate, but here we are. It is difficult for me to go to Anderson at such a higher price tag when he is only seeing the floor for 25 minutes. The Grizzlies do have a lot of pending injuries, but it appears that most players should be back, and I will be avoiding Anderson as a result.
• Robert Covington (POR) $7,000: As another example of a sell-high player, there’s no way Covington can retain the level of production he has experienced over his last three games. The Suns should bring him back down to Earth, and I can’t imagine he even reaches 5X value at a $7k tag. 
• Thaddeus Young (CHI) $6,600: Beyond Zach LaVine, it’s really hard to trust anyone on this Bulls team. I know I wrote about Garrett Temple, but he’s $2,000 cheaper with the potential for similar fantasy output. In his last three games, Young has failed to play more than 25 minutes. That kind of inconsistent playing time means I am fading him until further notice.   

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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.

Ryan Coleman is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Ryan, check out his archive and follow him @ryancoleman_98.