Welcome to a nine-game Monday slate! The NBA has been exciting over the last few weeks, and the energy is picking up with the playoffs just over a month away. Be sure to always monitor injuries, and don’t be afraid to utilize late-swap.

Early on, I like the value that the Jazz players hold, and I expect there to be a lot of points in the Pelicans/Kings game.

Most Value Per Dollar

Below is a list of the top players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. 

Andre Drummond (C – LAL) $6,500
In his two games back from injury, Drummond has been playing quite efficiently, tallying 36.9 FanDuel points and 36.2, respectively. Both performances came with the new Lakers center playing 26 minutes and 22 minutes, but I only see his minutes increasing. Even if he repeats his previous performances, he’ll reach 5.5X value, but today I see him playing around 28-30 minutes and tallying 40+ FanDuel points, making him a solid GPP and cash value.

Royce O’Neale (PF – UTA) $4,200
As a consistent starter who plays 30+ minutes, $4,200 is too cheap for O’Neale. The Jazz power forward gets to play one of the worst defenses in the league in a pace-up spot after coming off a solid outing vs. the Kings. I expect O’Neale to garner roughly 25 fantasy points with a ceiling of 33. I prefer him in GPP lineups, but he makes a fine cash play as well.   

Ish Smith (PG – WAS) $3,900
On the other side of the ball, you have Ish Smith as a riskier option for GPP lineups only. Monitor injury news, but with Beal dealing with a back injury, Smith could see a boost in playing time. He has a good chance to reach 20 minutes and can return some serious value as a lower-owned player in a tougher matchup. 

Shake Milton (PG – PHI) $4,400
With George Hill out, Milton will see a boost in minutes, and he has been playing well of late. He is a more risky play, but he is capable of posting 30+ FanDuel points. The 76ers point guard should see the floor for around 24 minutes and has been close to 1.0 FPPM all season, giving him a solid base to reach 5X value.

Tyrese Haliburton (SG – SAC) $5,700
Mr. Valuable himself, it’s another week of me writing about how Haliburton is a great value play. The Kings rookie hasn’t started either of his last two games, but he is still too talented to pass up at his price. Haliburton has been a 0.94 FPPM guy this season, and he has shown off his ability to have ceiling games. I love this matchup vs. the Pelicans in a pace-up spot. Haliburton is fine as a GPP or cash play.  

Christian Wood (PF – HOU) $7,400
As the main contributor for this Houston Rockets team, Christian Wood is a great play tonight for GPP or cash lineups, even with his price of $7,400. His usage rate has sat around 25% in his last ten games, and he’s been a 1.19 FPPM producer this season. The Suns present a tougher matchup, but that means some DFS contestants might be scared of him, making him a great leverage play. Despite the tougher opponent, I see Wood playing 35+ minutes and scoring 40+ FanDuel points.

Joe Ingles (SG – UTA) $5,500
Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson should both be out tonight, meaning Ingles should step up to a starter role with extended minutes. The Jazz shooting guard always holds the potential to score 30+ fantasy points, a benchmark he has reached in each of his last two games. Now, with him expected to start and play more in a fantastic matchup, I see his ceiling at 40 FanDuel points, making him an excellent GPP and cash play. 

Hassan Whiteside (C – SAC) $3,700
If you’re looking for a price-saving option in the center spot, Whiteside is an easy go-to. Marvin Bagley III remains out, and while the Kings center is pretty inconsistent, he can sometimes illuminate and reach 6X-7X value. In a beautiful matchup tonight, I can easily see him get to 6X value, even if he only sees the court for 20 minutes. 

Bojan Bogdanovic (SF – UTA) $5,200
The small forward position will be tough to figure out tonight, but Bogdanovic has great potential to return the best value at his position. Similar to why I like Ingles tonight, Bojan is in a wonderful spot to reach his ceiling. I see the Jazz small forward playing around 30 minutes and returning a little over 5X value. 

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

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Steph Curry (GS) $10,100: Despite playing against one of the tougher matchups fantasy-wise, Steph hasn’t missed a beat in his return from injury, posting three-straight 50+ FanDuel point games. I see Steph as a likely candidate to be the highest scorer on the slate, and he makes a great play in any lineup you’re building.
• Donovan Mitchell (UTA) $9,000: I’ve covered nearly the entire Jazz starting lineup, but honestly, you might as well throw them all in there. Mitchell is no exception, as I can easily see the Jazz point guard reaching 5X value in a game that Utah should dominate from the tip-off.
• Joel Embiid (PHI): $10,400: In the “pay-up for center” department, Embiid should be your first choice. The 76ers center returned to form last time out vs. OKC, tallying 53.8 FanDuel points. I expect his leash to be a bit longer tonight and to earn more time on the floor, giving him the highest ceiling of any player on the slate. 

Notable Players to Fade

• Kevin Durant (BKN) $9,400: I understand that it’s tempting to play the Nets All-Star after returning from injury, but I still expect Durant to remain on a minutes restriction, taking away any ceiling he may reach. The small forward position is tough tonight, but I prefer an option like Rui Hachimura over KD, as it gives you way more leeway to spend up elsewhere.   
• Luka Doncic (DAL) $10,200: Against a notoriously difficult defense, there are better spend-up options for you out there than Doncic. This is quite rare of me to recommend leaving Doncic out of your lineups, but he is too pricey for my liking, and the opportunity cost is too high.   

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.