This article is part of our FantasyAces NBA series.
RotoWire aims to help you win on Fantasy Aces, as we break down a few value plays for Monday night that can help you build your lineups. There is value to be had and identifying it will allow you to spend on top-tier players.
On a night where the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are in play, below are some selections that come in no higher than $4,750, leaving plenty of room to fit in some of the elite.
G: Rodney Hood, UTA vs. GSW ($4,550): Hood is currently dealing with some moderate back spasms, but he was able to play through them Saturday and finished with 16 points, four assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals for 27.50 fantasy points. Assuming he plays Monday against the Warriors, Hood will find himself in the midst of a more fast-paced game than he is accustomed to, opening up opportunities to add to his current streak of scoring at least 23.50 fantasy points in four of the last six. Dating back to Nov. 10, Hood has also tallied double-digit actual points in seven of eight. And although the Warriors play stout defense overall, they have surrendered an average of 52.3 fantasy points to the shooting guard position this season, ranking them merely league average.
G: Will Barton, DEN at MIL ($4,350): Barton had a rare slip-up last Tuesday against the Clippers, but he has otherwise provided outstanding value at a price tag that continues to hover well below several less productive players at his position. Given his consistent pattern of playing time, the Nuggets guard is essentially a reserve in name only, as he's playing minutes in the mid-20s and upwards most nights. After his 2.75-fantasy point clunker versus Los Angeles, Barton has bounced back with performances of 25.25 and 32 fantasy points, respectively. He draws a Bucks defense on Monday that has not been anything special versus shooting guards, surrendering an average of 52.2 fantasy points and 19.7 actual points per game to the position.
G: Wesley Matthews, DAL at SAC ($4,100): Matthews has admittedly been hard to trust at times this season, as he continues to recover from the torn Achilles that curtailed his 2014-15 campaign. Luckily, his moderate price tag has reflected his inconsistent performances, making him worth the risk on a night in which he faces the second-worst defense versus shooting guards. The Kings are surrendering an average of 62.1 fantasy points and 24 actual points per game to the shooting guard position this season, and Matthews has scored at least 20.50 fantasy points in three of the last four. While those numbers are certainly not earth-shattering, they demonstrate that he could very easily reach up to 5-6 times value at his modest price.
F: Marcus Morris, DET vs. HOU ($4,550): Morris goes through some slight fluctuations with his scoring, but even his down nights have not been catastrophic fantasy-wise due to his reasonable price tag. For example, the Pistons small forward only mustered 17.75 fantasy points Sunday, but that was still 4x value. By and large, this performance was an outlier, as he's averaged 26.97 fantasy points per game this season, more than pricier forward options such as Kenneth Faried and Nikola Mirotic. Monday, he gets the added bonus of facing off against a Rockets defense that is giving up a whopping 60.4 fantasy points per game to the small forward position, second-worst in the league.
F: Jae Crowder, BOS at MIA ($4,400): Crowder is another player that has had his ups and downs this season but still returns solid value most nights. The Celtics small forward recently bounced back from a two-game slump, in which he'd posted 8.50 and 12.75 fantasy points, respectively, to amass 25.00, 26.75 and 21.75 over his last three games. His playing time is also trending in the right direction, with Crowder having played 27, 29 and 32 minutes, respectively, over that span. Luol Deng also remains doubtful to play for Miami, potentially providing a slightly easier path for Crowder.
F: Omri Casspi, SAC vs. DAL ($4,000): Casspi has carved out a nice swath of playing time in coach George Karl's rotation, even when DeMarcus Cousins (back) is active. However, with Cousins potentially set to miss another game Monday, Casspi's value receives even more of a boost. The veteran forward has put the extra opportunity afforded him over the last three games to good use, tallying 36.25, 20.50 and 21.25 fantasy points over that span, respectively. Moreover, his time on the court has been largely consistent even when Cousins has been in the lineup, with Casspi having played no fewer than 20 minutes all season. An average of 20.7 fantasy points per game and three consecutive double-digit scoring nights make Casspi a solid play.
C: Kosta Koufos, SAC vs. DAL ($3,700): Koufos is the other Kings player who has benefited from Cousins' recent absences, and he could be in a position to do so again Monday. Even if Boogie does play, the combination of Koufos' bargain basement price tag and consistent spot in the rotation still make it worth taking a $3,700 flyer on him. He has played at least 21 minutes in all but two games this season, and he has posted five consecutive double-digit scoring performances (two of which came when Cousins was active). Koufos has also scored at least 20 fantasy points in seven straight games, several in which he came off the bench. With much better production and a notably lower cost than a plethora of other higher-priced options, he may be the best point-for-dollar value on the board Monday.
C: Mason Plumlee, POR at LAC ($4,750): Plumlee checks in on the higher end of the value scale, but he may make for a particularly sneaky contrarian play in tournaments. The Blazers' center got himself into some foul trouble in what was a terrific matchup versus the Lakers on Saturday, and consequently was only able to play 24 minutes. It resulted in a disappointing six-point performance for that netted only 16.25 fantasy points, potentially driving the masses off him Monday. However, prior to Saturday's outlier, Plumlee had posted totals of 31.00, 35.00, 40.75 and 36.75 fantasy points over the preceding four games, tallying double-digit scoring and rebounds in three of those outings. He draws a Clippers defense Monday that surrenders an average of 47.50 fantasy points and 16.6 rebounds per game to opposing centers, with the latter figure particularly feeding into one of Plumlee's strong suits.
G: Alec Burks, UTA vs. GSW ($4,350): Burks checks in as a terrific contingency plan in the event Rodney Hood sits out Monday, but he is also a very appealing option in his usual bench role. Much like the Nuggets' Barton, Burks receives what is virtually a starter's allotment of playing time each night, having playing at least 25 minutes in all but one game this season. He typically makes the most of the opportunities, having posted two 30-plus and two 20-plus fantasy point-performances over his last six games. And when he's received at least 30 minutes -- which could be the case Monday if Hood is out or limited -- Burks has often returned 6x-7x value, scoring at least 21 actual points on four of those occasions.
