This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
There doesn't figure to be many strong defensive showings Monday, which is exactly what DFS players want. The best matchup of the night -- Thunder at Clippers -- is also a hot bed for fantasy studs like Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin. Normally when such superstars face off against each other, it brings out the best in their games.
If you're more of a "bad basketball equates to good fantasy" person then Kings at Wizards is the type of game you're going to want to see plenty of action from. Washington has played very ugly basketball lately and Sacramento features an up-tempo offense that has plenty of solid 3-point shooters. If you aren't willing to pay the price for the studs listed above and want cheaper options, you'll find plenty of them throughout both rosters.
Guard
Jeremy Lin, CHA at HOU ($13) - It doesn't matter if Lin starts or comes off the bench, he normally gets plenty of playing time. This has made him a nice commodity in DFS because his price never inflates despite his strong numbers. He started last Thursday's win against the Raptors and scored a season-high 35 points, but still managed to get 30.7 fantasy points off the bench Saturday against the Wizards. The Rockets have played better lately, but are still toward the bottom in terms of defensive efficiency, so this game should see a lot of scoring.
Ricky Rubio, MIN at BOS ($29) - Rubio has a whopping 14 steals over the past three games. While you're letting that number digest, consider that the Celtics don't do a great job taking care of the ball; but you know who does? Rubio. He's turned the ball over just seven times in his past four games and has been good for almost 9.0 assists per game this season. Relying on players who aren't dependent on scoring in daily games is a good way to find success.
Guard to Avoid
James Harden, HOU vs. CHA ($56) - It's difficult to fade Harden on any given night because he usually makes you pay for it, but over the past couple of games he hasn't provided nearly enough production to warrant his very high salary. Sure, most of the time he's going to post around 40-50 fantasy points, but the last time Harden went bonkers was a few weeks ago, and he's coming off an 18-point effort Saturday against the Clippers. Nicolas Batum should do a nice job slowing Harden down, as well.
Forward
Omri Casspi, SAC at WAS ($24) - Casspi has hit at least three 3-pointers in three of his past four games, while the Wizards are last in the NBA in opponent 3-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot over 40 percent from downtown. It's unclear if Casspi will contribute in other areas, but he has scored in double figures in 10 straight games and also does a decent job on the glass. This is a game where the Kings should have no trouble reaching the century mark in, so Casspi should get plenty of shot attempts.
Jordan Hill, IND at SA ($14) - The Spurs are almost always a matchup to avoid, but in Hill's case you should be willing to make an exception. Hill has three double-doubles in his past four games, which has helped him average 28.8 fantasy points per game over that stretch. If you're looking for a bargain to give you some lineup flexibility, Hill is your guy, especially in tournaments if others decide to fade him against San Antonio's defense.
Forward to Avoid
Derrick Favors, UTA vs. PHO ($37) - When Favors isn't scoring many points, his fantasy prospects take a very huge hit. To make matters worse, his rebounding numbers are never that high, and he doesn't do much in any other category consistently. He's trending in the wrong direction and those are the types of players you want to avoid, especially if they're going to cost you nearly 20 percent of your budget. Favors needs to put up around 40 fantasy points to really hit value, and the past couple of games he's been hovering around 20, which is too often to invest heavily in Monday.
Center
Joakim Noah, CHI vs. BKN ($17) - Noah scored a season-high 21 points with 10 rebounds in his first start of the season Saturday against the Knicks. He is averaging almost a double-double (9.0 points and 10.2 rebounds) to go along with 4.2 assists per game over his past five. The Nets don't pose much of a threat on defense and Noah should be able to use his energy to out-muscle Brook Lopez under the net.
Center to Avoid
Tim Duncan, SA vs. IND ($24) - Duncan ended a six-game streak of scoring in double figures Friday by scoring 14. He's also only reached double-digit rebounds in two of those games as his fantasy scoring average has really taken a hit over the past month. It's hard to justify going with the veteran Duncan when there are plenty of cheap options at center with much more upside.
