Every time he steps on the court, Russell Westbrook $11800 creates the most important decision in daily fantasy. Yesterday in a losing cause, he scored 54 points and an amazing 80.8 FPTS at DraftKings, but he may not play in tonight’s must-win. Unless the NBA rescinds his 16th technical foul, the Thunder’s MVP will sit out an automatic one-game suspension. The team’s fate may be in the hands of D.J. Augustin $3400 and Enes Kanter $7800.
It’s a lucky break for the Pelicans, who lost a tough one in Houston to remain tied with OKC but holding the tiebreaker advantage. A tired, sore Anthony Davis $11000 will play in Minnesota, but won’t have to be superhuman as his teammates can contribute. Jrue Holiday $7500 is back (though on a minutes limit) so Tyreke Evans $7700 can play more off the ball, and Omer Asik $4500 has a good matchup.
Of the 12 games on the NBA Monday calendar, only a few others have any real impact. A lot of guesswork is involved as we publish early in the day; breaking news about lineup changes will dramatically affect player values.
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It’s back-to-the-wall time in Brooklyn after getting thumped yesterday in Milwaukee. The eighth-place Nets host Chicago, and if they don’t win, the door opens a bit wider for the Pacers to sneak in.
Miami is also in a must-win situation at home to the Magic, but even if the Heat can overcome a slew of injuries and win their last two, they need others to collapse.
Memphis at Golden State is significant for the Grizzlies, in a three-way Southwest Division photo-finish. The Warriors have no incentive beyond their astounding 37-2 home record; they can afford to lose both games this week if Steve Kerr prioritizes rest for his starters.
Houston is also a half-game back of the Spurs in that exciting divisional race, and will take care of business in Charlotte against an exhausted team dealing with multiple injuries. Dwight Howard $6600 is expected to rest in this back-to-back and James Harden $10600 should not have to play 38 minutes again.
Cleveland didn’t “throw” the last two games to Boston, they wisely gave their best players some rest. At home tonight, we expect LeBron James $10000, Kyrie Irving $7900, Kevin Love $7000 and J.R. Smith $5600 to play, though possibly on a short leash.
The Hawks have a very easy opponent, but Mike Budenholzer rested his starters in Sunday’s road game and will give them at least some exercise at home tonight.
Though they should not have much trouble vs. Denver, the Clippers might rest Matt Barnes (toe) and keep their other starters fresh in the final home game before the playoffs. Tomorrow in Phoenix, it will be no surprise if the L.A. stars get the night off.
Two bad teams meet in Sacramento after playing yesterday. The Kings were a DFS favorite of mine earlier in the year, but their best players are sidelined, leaving Ben McLemore $4500, Omri Casspi $5200 and Derrick Williams $4000 as the main offensive threats. The Lakers may have enough pride to take this one, then the home rematch on Wednesday. Jordan Clarkson $7000 is really in a groove, with Tarik Black $4100, Ryan Kelly $4600 and Jabari Brown $4000 also likely to log big minutes.
Milwaukee can coast home in sixth place; giving everyone plenty of rest in Philly seems like a good idea but Jason Kidd will make that call. Michael Carter-Williams $6600 will be pumped against his former club if he gets to play, and Giannis Antetoukounmpo $6500 already got a night off last week. Ersan Ilyasova $5900 is sharp again, but second-unit players like John Henson $3600 might be sneaky plays tonight.
Utah figures to win easily while the Mavs rest Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis, Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons. It’s the final home game for the Jazz, so Derrick Favors $7500, Gordon Hayward $7500 and Rudy Gobert $7700 want to entertain the faithful, while Rodney Hood $5300 continues his impressive second-half surge.
| Pos | Premium | Midrange | Bargain |
| PG | Damian Lillard $8000 | Jordan Clarkson $7000 | C.J. McCollum $4500 |
| SG | James Harden $10600 | Khris Middleton $6000 | Ben McLemore $4500 |
| SF | Gordon Hayward $7500 | G. Antetokounmpo $6500 | R. Jefferson $3400 |
| PF | Anthony Davis $11000 | Ersan Ilyasova $5900 | Tarik Black $4100 |
| C | Enes Kanter $7800 | Rudy Gobert $7700 | Omer Asik $4500 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.