Welcome to the Monday DFS slate. I am once again back to cover the NBA this year from a DFS perspective, providing strategy and player advice for every Thursday and Monday slate. It was a great season last year, and we’ve already hit the ground running this year. Let’s get to it, shall we?
If you’re going to play NBA DFS, you have to keep in mind lineup announcements and stay tuned for late swapping. That is going to be the easiest way to stay ahead of the field and in the money. We have a seven or nine-game slate tonight, depending on your preferred site, and I will focus on the seven overlapping games. In the end, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN)
- DraftKings: $12,000
- FanDuel: $12,200
He’s real and he’s spectacular. Is there really anything I need to say about Nikola Jokic? Given the number of center options tonight, I actually might love him even more. His rostership on smaller slates usually forces you to play him to not risk missing out, but now you can really go over the field on Jokic if you want some leverage.
Jokic has gone over 70 fantasy points once already this season, and Sacramento is playing banged up. He’s expensive, and there are a lot of mid-priced options I like, so he’s more of a GPP play, but still one of my favorite plays across the slate. Obviously, I like Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight, too, but if it’s between him and Jokic, I’m going with Jokic.
Karl-Anthony Towns (PF – NYK)
- DraftKings: $8,500
- FanDuel: $8,400
Karl Anthony-Towns may only be power forward eligible, but Towns is going to be a highly rostered play that should smash tonight. Of course, it’s fickle to predict the daily success of players, but with no Mitchell Robinson in the lineup, Towns will have to play the four and five against a Wizards team that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing frontcourts already this season.
We’ve already seen Towns go over 50 fantasy points, and you can pencil him in for 40 given the matchup tonight. There’s risk for blowout, but if that happens, Towns likely gets there already. The Knicks are a popular team, and I can’t find much reason to oppose that.
Cade Cunningham (PG – DET)
- DraftKings: $10,000
- FanDuel: $10,100
Cade Cunningham is usually a GPP-only play, but he’s only had one sub-40 point fantasy game this year and is coming off consecutive 60-plus DraftKings outings. The total sits around 236, and rostership is spread out across the Detroit options, so I like Cunningham as a GPP or cash option tonight.
Early on this year, Memphis has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points among NBA teams, so it makes sense, but the Oklahoma State product dominates the usage rate at around 30% per game. He has the capacity to go over 60 fantasy points again tonight and still has room for additional playing time, given how the last three games have gone. What’s better than that?
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
Ryan Rollins (PG – MIL)
- DraftKings: $5,800
- FanDuel: $6,700
This is more of a DraftKings play with the pricetag discount, but I could see it play out on either slate. I don’t know if it’s me, but I’m quite drawn to this Milwaukee-Indiana game tonight and will likely be overweight on the slate compared to the field.
I was tempted to go with Pascal Siakam, given Indiana’s injuries, but Ryan Rollins’ price tag has simply been inflated too high and will get all of the defensive attention. Rollins has gone over 35 fantasy points in four straight games, which is obviously a nice floor, but even projecting him a little over 30 points, where I have him, would be a great return on your investment.
Derrick White (PG – BOS)
- DraftKings: $7,200
- FanDuel: $7,200
It’s a toss-up between Derrick White and Payton Pritchard in this slot, and they are both great plays. Pritchard is obviously cheaper, but I trust White a bit more as a floor option.
White has had a near 25% usage rate all year, and Utah’s defense is once again one of the worst in the league. Boston is a massive favorite at home, and we could really see these Celtics go off. White will be highly rostered, but there’s a good reason for it.
Jalen Duren (C – DET)
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $6,700
There are a lot of centers on tonight’s slate, but if you are trying to have a more even approach across the board for a high floor, Jalen Duren is an option. Consistency hasn’t exactly been his M.O., but the Pistons center will likely play around 30 minutes tonight as a 5-point favorite with a total of 236, the highest of the slate on some books.
Tobias Harris is questionable tonight as well, and if he’s out, that will only open some additional value and minutes for Duren. As cash game options go, he’s not exactly a lock, but given his price point and usage rate, Duren makes for a great play in Memphis tonight.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
Russell Westbrook (PG, SG – SAC)
- DraftKings: $6,000
- FanDuel: $5,800
It’s crazy that I’m writing about Russell Westbrook in the year 2025, but here we are. Revenge narrative? Sure. Boost because of injuries to the team? Yup. High floor? Not really, but that’s not what we’re after. In Westbrook’s last four games, he’s averaged nearly 35 DraftKings points a game.
Dennis Schroder, Zach LaVine and Malik Monk are all out or questionable tonight, but even if they play, Westbrook should start with around 34 minutes of play and over a 21% usage rate. That’s not too shabby, not even taking into account a little extra motivation against his favorite team. Westbrook is getting a little love right now, and that may change throughout the day, but it’s not enough.
Ja Morant (PG – MEM)
- DraftKings: $9,400
- FanDuel: $8,100
For someone getting nearly zero rostership tonight, we have Ja Morant. He’s coming off a one-game suspension, and the sites still list him as out, so I have to imagine his rostership will go up, but I’d be shocked if it gets out of single digits.
Morant may have trouble with off-court issues, but when he’s on the court, there’s an obvious ceiling. He’s seen a usage rate of 33% this year and has played a minimum of 31 minutes in three straight games. I’d project a little bit more tonight after a game off. As a pure leverage play, given projected rostership, Morant is a solid play.
Rudy Gobert (C – MIN)
- DraftKings: $6,600
- FanDuel: $5,400
For an absolute smash play on FanDuel, we have Rudy Gobert. He’s coming off a 50 fantasy point outing, and his price is still below $6,000. That obviously sets up for fantastic value against a Brooklyn defense leading the pack for worst defense in the league early this season.
We’ve also seen 13 fantasy point games out of Gobert, so there really is quite the range of outcomes. Still, Brooklyn has been friendly to opposing centers this season. With the low rostership on Gobert, he’s worth playing in GPPs.
NBA DFS Value Plays
Quenton Jackson (PG, SG – IND)
- DraftKings: $4,700
- FanDuel: $5,000
With no Andrew Nembhard and no Bennedict Mathurin today, you’re going to be hearing Quenton Jackson’s name a lot. It’s not like this is a new situation, but Jackson’s price still hasn’t come up enough after a 56.5 DraftKings point effort on Saturday.
I don’t think you can really bank on that again, but there is a clear ceiling. The total is pretty high at 235 with Milwaukee’s top-half of league pace and bottom-half of league defense. The minutes alone are promising, with Jackson playing 31 minutes last time out. He’s seen a near 24% usage rate in two straight games. Projecting that with 26-28 minutes makes him a stellar value option.
Jusuf Nurkic (C – UTA)
- DraftKings: $4,800
- FanDuel: $5,400
I’d say this is more of a GPP play because we aren’t even sure Jusuf Nurkic is a starter tonight. Monitor the news. He started the last game and played 22 minutes, but didn’t return much value. He’s priced a little high, but when he’s seen the court this year, his usage has been around 25%, which is promising without Walker Kessler.
I may be a bit bullish, but I project Nurkic for around 25 minutes as a price-saving option with risk baked in. There’s a chance Utah never gets off the ground as double-digit underdogs, but Boston has been friendly to opposing centers so far this year. Nurkic can get going against Neemias Queta and company.
Miles McBride (PG, SG – NYK)
- DraftKings: $4,500
- FanDuel: $4,100
I wonder how long the “facing the Wizards bump” will work until something drastic changes. I’m not gonna change my strategy much. The Wizards are the second-fastest-paced team in the league with a bottom-three defense.
Sure, they’ve played six games, but do we really think that’s going to change? Assuming there’s no Mitchell Robinson tonight, you will see a big boost in rostership before lock on Miles McBride. I have him starting and slotted around for 30 minutes. That’s plenty to return over 5X value against the Wizards.
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