This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
For this Monday slate, we have a modest eight-game schedule with some great teams on deck. There are actually no teams on the schedule with less than six wins and it should make for a competitive night. No team is favored by more than seven-points and that should mean big night for starters with a lot of minutes. Closer games make for more predictability, which makes things much easier on us DFS players. The only big injury to keep your eye on is DeMarcus Cousins, and we need to do that for one of my suggestions.
Point Guards:
Jerryd Bayless, MIL vs. DEN ($4,500): Bayless got a start in Milwaukee's most recent game and he's been their best offensive player at times this season. That start was in the midst of a three-game streak in which he averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and three steals per game. That's over 30 fantasy points a game, which is a ridiculous return on investment for his price. He should start here one again against Denver as well, who ranks as the third worst defense against point guards and shooting guards this season. Not to mention, Bayless scored 22 points against these Nuggets just a couple weeks ago to accumulate 31 fantasy points in an outstanding game.
Patrick Beverley, HOU @ DET ($3,600): Beverley has been in and out of the lineup all season, but now that he's back, he's starting and seeing big minutes. Over his last two games, Beverley has played at least 32 minutes and has scored over 20 fantasy points in both. The only reason he is so cheap is because of all the time he has missed. This is a must-use, simply because that price will creep closer to $5,000 come next week. Getting 5X value can be tough at times, but here it's a near guarantee with the minutes Beverley will receive. Getting a starter at a minimum price is hard to find and it's even more valuable when it's a point guard.
Shooting Guards:
James Harden, HOU @ DET ($10,700): Harden isn't a huge value at this price, but he's playing too well to keep out of your lineup. Getting those guaranteed 50-plus fantasy points is something that is hard to match and I don't think there's a player on this slate with a higher upside than Harden. Since a nightmare 18-point fantasy outing on the 16th, Harden has taken over the offense and put up some gaudy numbers. He has averaged 57 fantasy points a game over that six-game stretch. There's only a handful of players in the league who can even score 57 fantasy points, so let's ride this hot streak in a good matchup.
J.J. Redick, LAC vs. POR ($4,600): Redick has scored at least 16 points in four of his last five games. He hasn't been putting up great fantasy numbers, but he's also been dealing with some injury issues. He should have no problem scoring 20-plus on Monday against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. In fact, Portland rank dead-last in fantasy points allowed to shooting guards this season. What is most promising is that Redick played a season-high 33 minutes in his most previous game and that's a great indicator of health. Look for Redick to play another 30-plus minutes and provide good value at $4,600.
Small Forwards:
Jae Crowder, BOS @ MIA ($5,000): Crowder is someone who is regularly in these DFS articles, because his price continues to be priced too low. It's rare to see a player at $5,000 or less average 20-plus fantasy points, but we get that here with Crowder. He plays about 30 minutes a game and provides nice counting statistics. That makes him incredibly reliable, considering we don't have to rely on him making shots to live up to his price tag. Crowder currently ranks in the top-five in steals per game and this is a great opportunity for him to add to that total in what should be a low-scoring grinder of a matchup. It could get even better if Luol Deng misses this game and Crowder is matched up with the volatile Gerald Green or rookie Justice Winslow.
Danilo Gallinari, DEN @ MIL ($7,100): Gallinari hasn't been shooting well lately, but he's still provided good fantasy production. That makes me extremely encouraged for when he does inevitably find his shot, because he could become an elite option when it all comes together. Gallo is averaging 10 rebounds a game over his last seven games and that's an elite number for a small forward. The icing on the cake here is the matchup, as the Bucks rank dead-last in the NBA in fantasy points allowed to small forwards. Gallinari recorded 25 points and seven rebounds in the first game against Milwaukee and that would be a great line yet again.
Power Forward:
Jared Sullinger, BOS @ MIA (@6,100): Sullinger has been criminally underrated for some time now on FanDuel. He started off the season with almost no role on this Celtics team, but has worked his way into the starting-five, as their most valuable rebounder. Sullinger is averaging about a double-double a game with 2.5 assists, a block and a steal per game. Over his last three games, he's been especially good, averaging about 35 fantasy points a game. The crazy thing about his production is that he does it in under 30 minutes per game. If this guy got 35 minutes, he would be one of the top power forwards in the NBA. The minutes do worry me, but his price tag still makes him a great value.
Serge Ibaka, @ ATL ($6,400): Ibaka's price has been steadily dropping this season and it's simply gotten too low. He's now in the same price range as Dirk Nowitzki and Kenneth Faried and Ibaka is a much better fantasy player than either of those two. What is so enticing about his value on Monday is the matchup. He gets to face an undersized frontcourt in Atlanta and that's always a good matchup for big men. He should get plenty of rebounding opportunities and blocks in this sort of matchup. It should also be a tightly-contested game with a spread of only two-points, so Ibaka should play well over 30 minutes. A double-double with three-plus blocks seems like a strong possibility here and that's a great bargain for a $6,400 player.
Center:
Kosta Koufos, SAC vs. DAL ($4,500): This is a must-use if DeMarcus Cousins is to miss the game, but it's still not a bad play even if he does play. Koufos has been great over his last four games, averaging 13.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. That's just below 30 fantasy points a game, which is an incredible 7X value at his price. Coach George Karl absolutely loves Koufos back to their Denver days as well and he always give Koufos 30-plus minutes when Cousins doesn't play. Even if Cousins does play, Koufos should still see 20 minutes and put up decent statistics. If Koufos scores 25-plus fantasy points, which seems very possible, he would be a great bargain bin value at just $4,500.
