This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
There's a solid seven-game slate on tap for Monday that features plenty to pay up for, but a healthy selection of mid-tier and value plays as well. A potential shootout in Lakers-Trail Blazers serves the nightcap, and there should be plenty of competitive matchups throughout the earlier portion of the evening, considering the number of teams jockeying for playoff position. Without further ado, let's examine some of the best assets in which to invest your dollars:
GUARDS
Damian Lillard, POR at LAL ($9,700): Lillard touched up the Lakers for 32 points, six rebounds and five assists across 39 minutes in his one prior meeting against them this season, and Los Angeles' league-high pace of play (105.2 possessions per game) dovetails perfectly for fantasy purposes with Lillard's own aggressive style. Despite a rare off night in his last contest during which he shot just 5-for-18 against the Thunder, the All-Star guard managed to claw his way to 35.25 DK fantasy points, and he'd scored 50.75 to 63.00 DK fantasy points in four of the prior five contests.
He's also been even slightly better on the road than at home in what has been a spectacular season, averaging 45.6 DK fantasy points on the strength of solid 45.7 percent shooting over 28 games outside of Moda Center. Moreover, the Lakers come in allowing the second-most DK fantasy points to point guards on the season (54.1) -- including the 70.3 over the last five – along with the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating (25.6) to the position on the campaign. Lillard is also sporting a 32.9 percent usage rate and averaging 1.27 fantasy points per minute since the All-Star break, a glimpse at how much of a certainty his involvement will be in what projects as a considerably high-scoring affair.
Devin Booker, PHO at MIA ($8,600): Booker is averaging 41.9 DK fantasy points over 24 road contests this season, almost four more per game than his 38.3 home figure. As that disparity implies, he's shot appreciably better away from Talking Stick Resort Arena as well, draining 45.2 percent of his shots off his home floor (as compared to 41.5 percent). He'll be in a favorable spot Monday for more of the same against a Heat squad that he already compiled 45.3 DK fantasy points against over 37.2 minutes in his one prior meeting against, and that's allowing 58.3 DK fantasy points to two-guards on the season, including 76.3 over the last five.
Moreover, Miami is allowing the eighth-highest percentage of scoring from three-pointers (32.0) over the last three, a notable bump over their 27.1 percent season figure in that category. As if he didn't already have enough going in his favor, it's also worth noting that Booker's usage has hit absurd levels recently, as he's averaging a whopping 26.3 shot attempts over the last five games, leading to one game with over 50 fantasy points and two over 60 during that stretch.
Reggie Bullock, DET at CLE ($4,600): Bullock's price remains well under $5K despite another productive night Saturday against the Heat, a game in which he compiled a solid 29.0 DK fantasy points over 33 minutes. He'd also racked up 20.0 to 31.75 in the four games prior, serviceable-to-impressive returns on his current price. He's in a good position to keep it going Monday, as the Cavs come in allowing the fourth-most DK fantasy points (62.1) on the season to two-guards, along with the third-most made threes (4.7) to the position and the second-highest percentage of scoring from threes (32.3) overall. Meanwhile, Bullock is draining a career-high 42.7 percent of his 4.3 three-point attempts on the season, and he's putting up 6.7 attempts from distance over the last six contests.
FORWARDS
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at IND ($10,400): Antetokounmpo's body of work against the Pacers this season includes averages of 46.3 DK fantasy points, 24.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals across 34.6 minutes in three games. He's also averaging an impressive 50.4 DK fantasy points in 27 road games, and the Pacers come in allowing 55.6 DK fantasy points per game to power forwards, including 75.8 over the last five. Outside of a recent clunker against the Pistons, Antetokounmpo's recent work has also been spectacular, as he's scored 50 or more DK fantasy points twice, eclipsed the 60-mark on two other occasions and surpassed the 70-milestone once in the last seven games.
Blake Griffin, DET at CLE ($7,900): Griffin has bounced back from a recent "slump" in which he scored under 30 fantasy points in four straight to post 40.00 and 46.00, respectively, in his last two contests. He posted a 23-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included five assists, two blocks and one steal across 42 minutes in his one prior meeting against the Cavs this season while with the Clippers, and Cleveland comes in allowing the seventh-most DK fantasy points on the season to power forwards (59.2) -- including 80.7 over the last five games. They're also yielding the sixth-highest offensive efficiency rating (26.7) to the position on the campaign and seventh-most points in the paint (46.6), an area of the floor in which Griffin records almost half his scoring (45.4 percent). Given the varying degree of playoff implications for both squads, Griffin is line for heavy usage in a game that should remain close throughout, affording him a strong chance of paying off a price he's returned 5x or greater value on in multiple occasions this season.
Marcus Morris, BOS at CHI ($5,500): Morris has outpaced his current price on multiple occasions recently, scoring 26.5 to 36.25 DK fantasy points in five of the last six, a span during which he's sporting a 56.8 effective field-goal percentage and averaging 1.29 points per possession. He's seen a nice uptick in offensive involvement over the last three in particular, as the 13.3 shot attempts he's hoisting up during that span (including 5.2 from three-point range) is a significant bump up from his 10.5 season figure. The Bulls shape up as a tantalizing target as well, as they come in allowing the second-most DK fantasy points to power forwards (60.8) on the season, including 70.0 over the last 10 games. They're also yielding the third-highest shooting percentage (50.0) and 3.2 made threes to the position over the latter span, particularly relevant numbers considering Morris' recent surge.
CENTERS
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. ORL ($8,300): Gobert has exploded for 58.5 and 47.0 DK fantasy points, respectively, in his last two contests, posting double-doubles in each on averages of 21.0 points and 14.0 rebounds. While he's yet to face them this season, the Stifle Tower punished the Magic last year for averages of 16.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.5 blocks across 35.0 minutes in two games, and Orlando comes in allowing the eighth-most fantasy points (53.8) and fifth-highest offensive efficiency rating (31.4) to centers on the campaign. Furthermore, no team has been more vulnerable in the paint (league-high 49.2 points per game allowed, including 50.7 on the road), while Gobert is scoring 70.0 percent of his points in that area of the floor.
Jusuf Nurkic, POR at LAL ($6,700): Nurkic's foul trouble in his last contest Saturday against the Thunder led to a disappointing output of 17.75 DK fantasy points, but he won't be dealing with anyone nearly as formidable as Steven Adams down low Monday. The Lakers rank ahead of only the Magic in points allowed in the paint (48.8) and have surrendered the third-most DK fantasy points (58.1) to centers, including 77.2 over the last 10. Nurkic had scored 26.5 to 41.25 DK fantasy points in the five contests prior to Saturday's outlier, and he's averaged 30.8 in two prior games against the Lakers, along with 32.1 in 30 road games overall this season. The extra possessions that the Lakers' aforementioned league-high pace of play will afford certainly also furthers his case.
Jarell Martin, MEM at SA ($5,300): Martin is dealing with a minor knee injury but is considered probable for Monday's contest, a game in which he should once again see a strong allotment of playing time given the Grizzlies' plethora of injuries. Martin has scored over 30 DK fantasy points thrice in the last seven, along with 20.0 and 26.75 in two other games over that stretch. He's also averaging 10.0 shot attempts over his last four -- a significant increase over his 6.0 season figure – while shooting 57.5 percent, including a blistering 62.5 percent from three-point range. The matchup against the Spurs isn't normally one to attack for fantasy purposes, but they've been more vulnerable to both small forwards and power forwards recently, the two positions Martin is likely to log time in -- San Antonio has allowed the sixth-highest shooting percentage (46.0) to the former and fifth highest (50.0) over the last five contests.
