This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
Don't be fooled by some of Monday's matchups. Sure, when you've got 10 games to pick from it can be easy to ignore some of the little details that separate you from the pack, but that's why we try to remain focused.
The Kings head into Cleveland for what should be an early night against the Cavaliers. Sacramento has allowed 128 points in back-to-back games and will play for the third time in four days, but that doesn't mean you should go crazy stacking Cavs players. If this game is over by halftime, most of Cleveland's core players will take the foot off the gas. If you're investing a lot of salary in guys like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, you want them to play their usual amount of minutes. This likely won't be the case, so targeting more competitive games is a better course of action.
GUARD
Russell Westbrook, OKC at PHO ($60) - When elite DFS options are in a groove, it's normally best to use them in all your lineups regardless of how high their ownership percentage will be. Westbrook has recorded 45 or more fantasy points in each of his last seven games and gets the best matchup of the night against the Suns, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game (47.5) to opposing point guards. Whether you're building a tournament or cash-game lineup, Westbrook is pretty much a lock for 40+ points against Phoenix.
J.R. Smith, CLE vs. SAC ($19) - Smith is more of a contrarian play when compared to Westbrook, yet still has a lot of qualities that make sense for cash as well. The Kings have given up 100+ points in eight straight games and are getting torched by three-point shooters this season. It also helps that Smith is pretty hot right now, having gone four straight games with four or more treys while providing nice bang for your buck. This game will likely be a laugher and Smith should have no problem extending his streak of at least 25 fantasy points to five games. Compared to his superstar teammates, Smith is more likely to survive a slight reduction in minutes without falling shy of value.
Guard to Avoid:
Damian Lillard, POR at MEM ($48) - Lillard may have three straight double-doubles entering Monday, but his scoring has been way down. He's gone six games without reaching 30 points and draws a tough assignment against Mike Conley, Tony Allen and the Grizz. On top of that, Trail Blazers-Grizzlies is projected to be the lowest scoring game of the night, with the over/under listed around 198.5. Both Chris Paul ($49) and Kemba Walker ($43) are around Lillard's price range and have much safer matchups against the 76ers and Bulls, respectively.
FORWARD
Stanley Johnson, DET vs. TOR ($13) - Johnson gives you a lot of lineup flexibility with a pretty high ceiling in a game that's expected to be competitive. He's coming off a double-double against the Pacers this past weekend and has been receiving more trust from Stan Van Gundy, which has translated into more playing time. Johnson has done a good job filling up the stat sheet, so he isn't dependent on scoring to provide fantasy points. With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sidelined, Johnson becomes an easy cash-game play with upside for tournaments due to his salary.
Gorgui Dieng, MIN vs. NO ($18) - Dieng is coming off the best game of his career, posting 24-13-7 en route to 51.1 fantasy points Saturday against the Bulls. This game features two of the worst defensive units in the NBA, so the over/under is set pretty high, which bodes well for Dieng's offensive prospects. But he has really made his money on the glass, securing four double-doubles in his past five games to go along with a healthy 3.2 assists per game.
Forward to Avoid
LeBron James, CLE vs. SAC ($54) - It's never easy to fade King James from your lineups -- especially when he's going up against the Kings -- but stay with me here. As was mentioned above for Smith, chances are this game is going to be a complete laugher. If the Cavaliers run away with this one, LeBron probably won't play more than 32 minutes or so, which just doesn't cut it when you're investing that much cap space into one player. James has gone eight games without reaching a point/dollar and both his rebounding and assist numbers have been down of late.
CENTER
Tyson Chandler, PHO vs. OKC ($12) - Chandler is a bit of a risky play Monday, but he could help you hit big in large-field tournaments. He's posted double-digit rebounding in four of his last five and is averaging 21 fantasy points per game during that stretch, so on most nights Chandler is rewarding DFS players pretty nicely. The Suns aren't playing for much right now, but Chandler has been around the league long enough to know that he needs to think about where his next stop will be. The pace of this game should be up, which will give Chandler a better chance of posting a double-double.
Center to Avoid
Andre Drummond, DET vs. TOR ($42) - Drummond is currently on a five-game double-double streak, but that doesn't mean he should be a lock for your lineup. Always tough to fade, Drummond becomes easier to ignore Monday against a Raptors team that has limited opposing centers to 45.7 fantasy points per game this season (9th best). The last time Drummond went up against the Raptors he managed just 11 points and 12 rebounds, which netted him just short of 30 fantasy points, well below value.
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