This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
We've reached a point that looked highly unlikely to transpire as recently as three months ago – the start of the NBA playoffs. We're fortunate to have a regular playoff format despite all of the unique circumstances surrounding this season, beginning with Monday's quartet of first-round games.
The postseason always brings us, as DFS players, a certain degree of welcome certainty with regards to roles and minutes. However, that doesn't mean there won't still be viable value plays to help you round out your lineup.
Before delving into the slate, a reminder that FanDuel has reverted to its previous format of NOT dropping the lowest scoring in lineups after a one-year experiment with that feature. Therefore, it will be important to be prudent with each selection, as each player's total will count toward your final score.
Slate Overview
Here's a look at the games with the highest-projected totals on Monday's slate:
Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors (Projected total: 222.0 points)
The Raptors dominated the regular-season series, winning three out of four from the Nets by an average margin of 9.3 points, although their last victory was by only a single point. Brooklyn did win the most recent encounter between the two by a 101-91 score Feb. 12. Of course, the Nets did have Spencer Dinwiddie for that game and are now without him, and Toronto was excellent in the bubble with a 7-1 mark. Both teams will come in relatively healthy in terms of short-term injuries to key players, with the notable exception of Serge Ibaka, who's likely to carry a questionable tag with a knee injury.
Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Clippers (Projected total: 230.0 points)
The Clippers swept the three-game regular-season series from the Mavericks with an average margin of victory of 11 points. That includes a pair of 15-point wins, including one in the bubble Aug. 6. The first two games between the teams notably finished with totals considerably below Monday's projected number – 213 and 220 points. However, considering how much higher scoring was overall during seeding games and the fact Los Angeles should has Montrezl Harrell back in the fold, this projects as a wire-to-wire affair that should keep the scoreboard operator busy.
Positional Breakdown
PG: You'll be able to fill your two point guard spots cheaply Monday, as Kyle Lowry is the most expensive option at just $7.3K. Mike Conley's (personal) absence and a possible one for Patrick Beverley (calf) does thin things out a bit, but Kemba Walker and Jamal Murray are good pivots off Lowry that can provide similar production if they play sufficient minutes.
SG: This is one of the higher-upside positions of the night, as Luka Doncic, Caris LeVert, Paul George and Donovan Mitchell make for quite the potent quartet up top. Fred VanVleet, Marcus Smart and Lou Williams make for excellent cost-savings choices that can be had for $7K and under.
SF: With the exception of Will Barton (knee), we essentially have a clean bill of health at small forward. Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Tobias Harris, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward line up as the top choices, arguably in that order. Tim Hardaway, Joe Ingles and Joe Harris are all starters at value prices as well.
PF: Kristaps Porzingis is expected to play through his heel issue and heads up the pool, while Jayson Tatum, and Michael Porter are fine options below him. If Serge Ibaka is forced to sit due to his knee issue, Daniel Theis, Al Horford and Jerami Grant can all be turned to as value alternatives.
C: You'll be able to roster a solid center without having to break the bank, and Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert and Jarrett Allen all boast plenty of upside and secure roles. Meanwhile, the position will be bolstered further if Montrezl Harrell is cleared to play, and both Ivica Zubac and Chris Boucher could be rewarding value plays, the latter particularly if Ibaka sits.
Injury Situations to Monitor
NOTE: Injury reporting is especially fluid in the NBA, where the status of multiple players can change during the course of a day. Therefore, although the following serves as a foundation for the latest injury report as of the time the article is written (usually late morning Eastern time), check back throughout the course of the day with RotoWire for the latest news regarding the status of all players on that night's slate.
Mike Conley, UTA (personal)
Conley will not play against the Nuggets, as he has left the Orlando bubble for the birth of his son.
Kristaps Porzingis, DAL (heel)
Porzingis is considered probable for Monday after sitting out Dallas' final seeding game versus the Suns on Thursday.
Montrezl Harrell, LAC (personal)
Harrell is considered questionable for Monday's game after having returned to the Orlando bubble recently from a long absence. His conditioning will be something to monitor if he plays, however, as Harrell was out for all of the Clippers' seeding games and hasn't seen game action since March 10.
Gary Harris, DEN (hip)
Harris is likely to be listed as no better than questionable due to the hip injury that prevented him from playing in any of the Nuggets' seeding games.
Will Barton, DEN (knee)
Barton is likely to be listed as no better than questionable due to the knee injury that prevented him from playing in any of the Nuggets' seeding games.
Jamal Crawford, BKN (hamstring)
Crawford is likely to be listed as no better than questionable due to the hamstring injury that limited him to just one appearance during the Nets' seeding games.
OG Anunoby, TOR (knee)
Anunoby is likely to be listed as no better than questionable due to the knee injury that caused him to miss the Raptors' last two seeding games.
Serge Ibaka, TOR (knee)
Ibaka is likely to be listed as no better than questionable due to the knee injury that cost him the Raptors' last three seeding games.
Patrick McCaw, TOR (knee)
McCaw is expected to remain out for the playoff opener against the Nets.
Glenn Robinson, PHI (oblique)
Robinson is out for the next 7-to-10 days.
Patrick Beverley, LAC (calf)
Beverley is likely to be listed as questionable at best due to the calf injury that cost him the Clippers' last five seeding games.
Landry Shamet, LAC (foot)
Shamet is likely to be listed as questionable at best due to the foot injury that cost him the Clippers' last two seeding games.
Other injuries to monitor:
Romeo Langford, BOS (wrist)- Questionable
Emmanuel Mudiay, UTA (knee)- Questionable
Nigel Williams-Goss, UTA (ankle)- Questionable
Long-term injuries of note: Ben Simmons, PHI; Bojan Bogdanovic, UTA
Elite Players
There's only one five-figure salary on the slate, and it belongs to Luka Doncic ($10.2K). Doncic averaged 29.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steal across 35.0 minutes in his three games versus the Clippers this season, so he's certainly in play if you've got enough cap room to accommodate him.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard ($9.3K), Nikola Jokic ($8.6K), Kristaps Porzingis ($8.6K) and Joel Embiid ($8.5K) all offer a discount off Doncic and are capable of elite-level production in their own right. Embiid played sparingly in the last few seeding games while managing his ankle injury, but he has a pair of double-doubles versus the Celtics this season.
Finally, Caris LeVert, priced at $8.3K, is certainly worthy of consideration as the driving force of the Nets and coming off averages of 25.0 points, 6.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals over 33 minutes in seeding games.
Expected Chalk
All of the names mentioned in the Elite Players section are naturally going to be very popular, as will other big names such as Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker. With Mike Conley out for Utah, Mitchell and Gobert should be rostered at an even more elevated clip than normal.
There aren't too many big-name injuries on Monday's slate, but there will still be handful of players carrying bargain salaries that will benefit from some expected absences who are likely to be popular options as well.
Key Values
Tyler Johnson, BKN vs. TOR ($4,000)
Johnson comes into the postseason with some momentum, having posted four straight double-digit scoring efforts on his way to tallies of between 23.2 and 26.3 FanDuel points. What's particularly encouraging is how locked in Johnson has been with his shooting, as he's drained 53.5 percent of his attempts, including 52.4 percent from three-point range. The veteran is also averaging over 20 minutes per contest since play started in Orlando and should certainly have a solid role in the backcourt rotation during this series while splitting point guard duties with Chris Chiozza.
Mike Scott, PHI vs. BOS ($3,600)
Scott also finished up the seeding game schedule in strong form, scoring between 21.0 to 25.3 FanDuel points over the last three games while playing at least 20 minutes in each contest. Scott also furnished a solid 16.9 FanDuel points in 16 minutes against the Blazers in the game prior to that stretch, and his role as the primary backup power forward is essentially locked in with Al Horford now in the starting five. With his ability to stretch the floor, he should be able to work around Boston's typically stingy frontcourt defense and has a strong chance to offer at least a 5x return on his very affordable salary, something he's done on 16 occasions this season (including 19.8 FD points versus the Celtics on Dec. 12).
Other under-the-radar value plays to consider: Garrett Temple, BKN ($3,800); Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, TOR ($3,800); Rayjon Tucker, UTA ($3,700); Raul Neto, PHI ($3,600)
Popular value plays to consider: Montrezl Harrell, LAC ($5,800); Marcus Smart, BOS ($5,600); Lou Williams, LAC ($5,300); Al Horford, PHI ($5,300); Ivica Zubac, LAC ($5,100); Chris Boucher, TOR ($5,000); Joe Ingles, UTA ($5,000); Jerami Grant, DEN ($4,800); Jordan Clarkson, UTA ($4,400); Marcus Morris, LAC ($4,300); Maxi Kleber, DAL ($4,300); PJ Dozier, DEN ($3,900); Alec Burks, PHI ($3,900)
