This article is part of our Daily Games Cheat Sheet series.
TEAM ANALYSIS
Defenses to Avoid
Houston Rockets at Brooklyn Nets: Over their last five games, Nets' offense has been absolutely brutal. Their offensive efficiency is the second-lowest in the league with a 90.7 mark, and the club is currently playing at the second-slowest pace in the league over that same span with 92.05 possessions per 48 minutes. In the Rockets' last five games? They can claim the fourth-best defensive rating in the league, and that is one of the many reasons to avoid this mismatch.
Offenses to Use
Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors: Since the rebirth of the Pistons after waiving Josh Smith, they've clearly been better in every facet of the game. In the last five games, they have the eighth-best offensive rating in the league, and will get to take on a Raptors squad that has been struggling defensively over that same time frame. This projects to be a pretty tight game, and you should be able to invest in the Pistons' key guys with confidence.
First game of a back-to-back: None
Second game of a back-to-back: None
DraftKings.com DAILY PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS
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Point Guard
Patrick Beverley, PG, HOU ($5,100): Beverley is fairly priced considering his season average is 26.3 DraftKings points, but he will get a plus matchup against the Nets who rank 24th against the position. He's not a big scorer, but his ability to accumulate defensive statistics should come in handy against a bad offensive club.
Other suggestions: Aaron Brooks (vs. ORL) if Derrick Rose sits, Brandon Jennings (at TOR)
Shooting Guard
Avery Bradley, SG, BOS ($4,600): If you are looking for alternatives to the higher-end options at the shooting guard position Monday, you could probably do worse than Bradley. His value is highly dependant on putting up a solid point total, but he should be playing heavy minutes for a team that has a ton of shots to go around.
Other suggestions: Lou Williams (vs. DET), Jason Terry (at BKN)
Small Forward
Donatas Motiejunas, SF, HOU ($5,000): Motiejunas is the starting power forward for the Rockets, and the Nets are a favorable matchup for opposing fours. He has played fairly well no matter the matchups and is worth a dice roll for his mid-tier price tag in this one. Motiejunas has averaged 24 DraftKings points over his last six contests.
Other suggestions: James Johnson (vs. DET), Evan Turner (vs. NO)
Power Forward
Anthony Davis, PF, NO ($11,000): If you take a stars-and-scrubs approach to daily fantasy sports, it's easy to consider Davis despite his massive salary. The Celtics are dead-last in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage over their last five games, and while Davis has cooled off a bit since his crazy start the season, he could be in line for a very nice game Monday.
Other suggestions: Pau Gasol (vs. ORL), Greg Monroe (at TOR)
Center
Omer Asik, C, NO ($4,000): If the $11,000 mark is a bit too high for you on Anthony Davis, consider taking Asik as a player who could certainly make value at a mere $4,000. He doesn't play heavy minutes (24.1 average over his last six games), but he'll have the same opportunities to snatch rebounds against a struggling Celtics squad.
Other suggestions: Nikola Vucevic (at CHI), Andre Drummond (at TOR)
INJURY REPORT
Out
Deron Williams (rib)
Terrence Jones (leg)
Aaron Gordon (foot)
Doug McDermott (knee)
Game-Time Decision
Derrick Rose (hip) is questionable.
DeMar DeRozan (groin) hopes to return sometime this week.
Evan Fournier (knee) is questionable.
Tobias Harris (ankle) is questionable.
Mike Dunleavy (ankle) is questionable.
Dwight Howard (knee) is probable.
