This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Here we go with a healthy seven-game NBA slate on Monday, November 26.
Looking within this slate, the Milwaukee/Charlotte matchup really jumps off the screen. We have plenty of star power in what should be an entertaining back-and-forth affair between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kemba Walker. As a result, the Bucks check in as five-point road favorites with a whopping 235 point over/under. You better believe I'll be looking for several DFS pieces within this game.
Per usual, we have several injuries to monitor with potential for more while moving closer to tip-off. You'll want to stay in the loop with RotoWire's NBA News Feed before setting your final lineups.
As of Monday morning, these are the situations we're monitoring:
Victor Oladipo is OUT and Domantas Sabonis will play: Tyreke Evans, Cory Joseph and Aaron Holiday have been picking up the slack with Oladipo out. Thaddeus Young would jump into DFS consideration if Sabonis is out.
Chris Paul is questionable: Eric Gordon stepped in nicely with 39 FP in 39 minutes last game with Paul sidelined. James Harden would be ready to soak up more usage as well.
With that, I'll be breaking down the best fantasy choices on DraftKings for Monday. The following write-ups contain a blend of cash game staples, bargain fillers, and tournament pivots.
GUARDS
Zach LaVine, CHI vs SA ($7,700): The Bulls aren't playing well as a team at the moment, but LaVine has been putting up some strong fantasy numbers. The UCLA product has posted 40+ fantasy points in each of his past three games. You have to love that he has shot nine or more free throws in two of those, also piling up at least six assists in two of those past three games. That's a great indicator moving forward, as LaVine is playing aggressively instead of just chucking up three-pointers. Tonight's matchup looks good in a competitive draw versus a San Antonio team that ranks 20th in defensive efficiency vs. opposing backcourts.
Kemba Walker, CHA vs MIL ($9,400): I touched on this Charlotte-Milwaukee game in the introduction. Not only will it likely be one of the most entertaining matchups of the night, but it also has plenty to offer in the fantasy department. Kemba Walker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jeremy Lamb, and Khris Middleton are all firmly on my DFS short list for DraftKings. The matchup looks mediocre on paper for Walker, but his heavy usage combined with a promising 235 over/under should lead to another strong fantasy outing. Walker dropped 41 points on 15-29 shooting the last time these two teams met. It also helps that Milwaukee plays at the fifth-fastest pace in the league.
Marcus Smart, BOS at NO ($4,100): If you take a quick glance at the game log, you'll see that Marcus Smart has been a serviceable punt play with 23+ fantasy points in three of his past four. That's good news when considering he could see more minutes and usage with Jaylen Brown out for tonight's game. Playing up in pace against a New Orleans team that ranks 27th in defensive efficiency vs. opposing backcourts doesn't hurt either. I really like Smart as a value filler to help provide enough salary relief to roster the big names in this article.
Other guards to consider:DeMar DeRozan, SA at CHI ($8,600), Collin Sexton, CLE vs MIN ($5,800, Ryan Arcidiacono, CHI vs SA ($3,600), Jeremy Lamb, CHA vs MIL ($5,600)
FORWARDS
Jabari Parker, CHI vs SA ($6,300): Parker's role has seemingly stabilized for Chicago, and he's seeing a ton of playing time, averaging 39 minutes over his past three. As a result, he has notched 41+ fantasy points in each of those outings. The matchup doesn't look great against the Spurs, but Parker is tough to ignore for a reasonable mid-range salary when seeing close to 40 minutes. I'm easily locking him into majority of my lineups on Monday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at CHA ($11,600): There should be enough value to make Antetokounmpo work in your lineups tonight. I highly recommend that strategy in cash games and tournaments alike. As mentioned earlier, this game has a healthy 235 over/under, and Charlotte ranks 27th in defensive efficiency vs opposing small forwards. The Hornets also rank 20th in overall team defensive efficiency
Andrew Wiggins, MIN at CLE ($5,800): I'm not going to sugarcoat it: Wiggins has been pretty bad over his last two games. He has gone 4-26 through that stretch, clearly working through some issues with his shot. On the other hand, his salary has fallen due to those recent mishaps. This is an interesting bounce-back spot against a Cleveland team that struggles on defense overall and ranks 22nd vs. opposing shooting guards. Wiggins will likely have a low ownership rate due to those head-scratching troubles, but he'll still see plenty of minutes and opportunities for fantasy success if the shot happens to be falling.
Other forwards to consider:Nikola Mirotic, NO vs BOS ($6,900), Rudy Gay, SA at CHI ($6,200), Thaddeus Young, IND at UTA ($4,100)
CENTERS
Wendell Carter Jr, CHI vs SA ($5,200): Carter has been too cheap on DraftKings for seemingly the past month. Foul trouble has been an issue for him in recent games, but I believe you can look toward the Chicago big man through all formats. The salary is low enough to take that risk even if the playing time isn't as strong as we'd like. There's certainly upside here if Carter's minutes get extended closer to the 27-30ish rank. Either way, Carter is too cheap on DraftKings while being worthy of a value filler look in the center or utility position.
Clint Capela, HOU at WAS ($7,900): Washington has been pretty bad across the board on defense, and that extends to the center position as well. The Wizards rank 27th in defensive efficiency vs that position, and they will continue to struggle vs opposing big men as long as Dwight Howard keeps missing games (he missed shootaround and is questionable tonight). Meanwhile, Capela has been a beast with 55+ fantasy points in three of his past four. After the Rockets limited his minutes last season, it's amazing that he's seeing 36+ minutes routinely, which really helps the floor/ceiling combination on his already-lofty, fantasy-point-per-minute rate.
Other centers to consider: Rudy Gobert, UTA vs IND ($7,100), Cody Zeller, CHA vs MIL ($4,000), Julius Randle, NO vs BOS ($7,600)
