Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Boston’s Jayson Tatum are two players to watch on Monday night’s slate.
While there are only four games on Monday night, we can still enjoy covering small slates because it helps zone in on fewer teams. It’s always easier to evaluate when we have fewer teams to break down and the picks stuck out like sore thumbs on this short card.
Injury Report
As of 10:30 a.m. ET:
- Kyle Lowry (knee) OUT
- Kevin Love (knee) Probable
- Cade Cunningham (hip) OUT
- Jalen Duren (ankle) OUT
- Isaiah Stewart (hip) Questionable
- PJ Washington (foot) Doubtful
- Zion Williamson (hamstring) OUT
- Jaylen Brown (personal) OUT
- Tyler Herro (rib) Questionable
- Bojan Bogdanovic (achilles) Questionable
Core Plays
Joel Embiid (PF/C – PHI): $11,000 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
How crazy was that ending on Saturday? Embiid was about 0.3 seconds late on making one of the best shots in NBA history, but it shouldn’t overshadow an otherwise sparkling performance. The MVP candidate dropped 70 DraftKings points in that masterpiece, giving him at least 61 DK points in five of his last six outings. That makes him impossible to fade on a three-game slate, especially since he scored at least 47 DK points in all three meetings with Miami last year.
Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $10,200 DraftKings, $11,000 FanDuel
Tatum was the hero in that game on Saturday, despite having one of his worst shooting nights of the season. The perennial All-Star still scored 46 DK points in a “down” game and is now averaging 52 DK points per game for the year. You know this guy will be motivated in a place like Madison Square Garden, averaging 55 DK points per game in his two matchups with the Knicks this year.
Markelle Fultz (PG – ORL): $6,200 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
It’s hard to understand why Fultz remains so affordable. This former top pick is amid the best stretch of his career right now, scoring at least 27 DraftKings points in nine straight games. He’s also posting a 35-point average in that span, stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. The matchup with New Orleans is not scary either, allowing nearly 120 points per game in their current 9-17 stretch.
Cash Game Considerations
LaMelo Ball (PG – CHA): $10,300 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
Ball is climbing towards the top in terms of DFS options. This young guard is flirting with triple-doubles on a nightly basis, scoring at least 41 DK points in every game he’s finished this year. He’s been even better recently, averaging 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists, and 1.8 steals across his last 11 outings. That’s no surprise since he’s got a usage rate well above 30% while playing nearly 40 minutes a night. Facing the Pistons is phenomenal, too, with Detroit ranked 29th in both points allowed and defensive efficiency.
Brandon Ingram (SF – NOP): $8,000 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel
With Zion out for the foreseeable future, this is Ingram’s show in New Orleans. Ingram has a team-leading 34% usage rate with Zion off the floor, averaging 1.3 DK points per minute in those circumstances. That’s led to him scoring at least 35 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games, generating a 39-point average in that span. Facing Orlando is outstanding for Ingram, with the Magic allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this year.
James Wiseman (C – DET): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
The Pistons made a big splash when they acquired Wiseman at the trade deadline, and it looks like they will give him every chance to succeed. The big man has double-digit rebounds in back-to-back games but should be in for a big night here since Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren are both injured. That means Wiseman could be in line for his most considerable workload of the season, which is awesome since Wiseman is averaging 14 DK points per game across 14 minutes a night for the year. Both of those could double here, and we didn’t even mention that Charlotte surrenders the most fantasy points to opposing centers.
GPP Targets
Tyrese Maxey (PG/SG – PHI): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
Maxey struggled Saturday, but that will happen in a reserve role. This guy was playing at a $7K level before moving to a reserve spot, and he can play like that on any given night. That alone makes him a good value at this diminished price tag, especially since he averaged 31 DK points per game across his previous five fixtures before Saturday.
Killian Hayes (PG – DET): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
Hayes has been two different players this season. He’s struggled when coming off the bench but has been great when starting. That’s what we have now, with Hayes averaging nearly 30 DraftKings points per game as a starter this year. That’s a tantalizing total from such an affordable player, and we certainly don’t want to fade him against a Hornets team that ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency and 28th in points allowed. That was evident when Hayes had a season-high 47 DK points in a matchup earlier in the year.
Robert Williams (PF/C – BOS): $5,100 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
Williams has been one of the best per-minute producers throughout his career, and it makes him an exciting option since he’s finally playing a full allotment of minutes. The big man has played at least 27 minutes in 15 of his last 18 games, averaging 27 DK points per game across 27 minutes a night. We’ve seen this guy average 1.5 DK points per minute in the past, and we expect him to get better as the season progresses. Facing New York could get him rolling, with Williams scoring at least 30 DK points in all five meetings with the Knicks since the start of last year.
Value Plays
Gordon Hayward (SG/SF – CHA): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
Hayward has been dealing with injuries for years, but he looks fully healthy right now. The former All-Star has scored at least 27 DraftKings points in five straight games, generating a 39-point average in that span. That’s the best stretch this guy has had in years, and it means he’s due for a $1,000 price bump. It should be easy to keep it going against Detroit, who allow the third-most fantasy points to opposing wings.
Gabe Vincent (PG/SG – MIA): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
Vincent has been starting at point guard for Kyle Lowry, and it’s hard to understand why he’s still so cheap. In his first 11 starts this year, Vincent averaged 28 DK points per game across 36 minutes a night. He’s really struggled in his last two starts, but we’ll trust the larger sample size, especially since Vincent remains this cheap.
Mark Williams (C – CHA): $5,900 DraftKings, $6,600 FanDuel
Williams had 18 points and 20 rebounds on Saturday and is thriving in this newfound role. Charlotte has handed Williams the starting center job after trading away Mason Plumlee, and it looks like he’s guaranteed 30 minutes a night from here on out. That’s incredible with his elite per-minute averages, and he shouldn’t have any issues with a Detroit team that’s missing two starting frontcourt players.
Advantageous Pricing
- Joel Embiid (PF/C – PHI): $11,000 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
- James Wiseman (C – DET): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
- Tyrese Maxey (PG/SG – PHI): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
- Hamidou Diallo (SG – DET): $3,600 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
- Jimmy Butler (SF – MIA): $8,800 DraftKings, $9,800 FanDuel
- Caleb Martin (SF – MIA): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
- Derrick White (PG/SG- BOS): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
- Mitchell Robinson (C – NYK): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
- Isaiah Hartenstein (PF/C – NYK): $3,700 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
- Cole Anthony (PG – ORL): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
- Jalen Suggs (PG – ORL): $4,000 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
- Naji Marshall (SF – NOP): $3,300 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
