The Locks
Giannis Antetokounmpo- We have another value-packed slate on Monday night, and as a result, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be the first player into my lineups over James Harden with Chris Paul back tonight for the Rockets. We have attacked the Nets with big men all season, and while people don’t think of Giannis as your traditional big man since he doesn’t play center, he still has put up some pretty lofty rebounding lines this season. He also posted a big triple double in the last meeting with the Nets, and this game features a 229 O/U with just a 7 point spread, and I’ve pointed out countless times this season that the Nets have this weird ability to stay in games…which will be vital for Giannis to hit his ceiling.
Brad Beal/Jrue Holiday- Shooting guard is definitely a spot that we want to spend up on Monday night, and the decision comes down to Bradley Beal and Jrue Holiday both over $9,000 on FanDuel. The Wizards are going to be the focus of this slate in a game against the Hawks sporting a 230.5 O/U, the Wizards accounting for 119 of those projected points– the highest number on the slate. Holiday will be the Pelicans again tonight given all of their injuries, though he does have a matchup against the third-best defensive team against guards (Pacers). I think I am leaning slightly towards Beal, but Holiday’s tough matchup should be made up for by the pure amount of volume he will see tonight.
Kenrich Williams- Now that we have two expensive players locked in, we will need some salary relief and that’s coming via Kenrich Williams again tonight. Williams hasn’t seen the price bump that Jahlil Okafor has, but he has still topped 30 minutes in his last three games. He’s essentially averaging a double-double thanks to a 16 rebound performance, and he will be forced into the minutes on a depleted Pelicans team once again tonight.
Fill-Ins
Washington Wizards- As I noted with Bradley Beal, the Washington Wizards are going to be a huge focus across cash game rosters tonight and locking in two-three of their players alongside Beal makes for an optimal build. Both of Trevor Ariza and Otto Porter make sense as partners with Giannis in cash games, Ariza being the safer option for cash games though Porter’s ownership entices me in GPPs. Jeff Green makes sense at a pretty gross power forward position, even coming off the bench he has passed Thomas Bryant in minutes in each of the past five games, and is coming off back-to-back 30+ fantasy point outings.
Power Forward- There are some quality spends at power forward tonight in LaMarcus Aldridge and John Collins, but given that I want to lock in both Giannis and one of Beal/Holiday, I’m not sure if we can really hit that tier in cash games. That means it becomes a double-spend down slate, and potentially finding another player to pair alongside Kenrich Williams. Outside of Jeff Green, who I expect to be one of the higher-owned options, Paul Millsap and PJ Tucker stick out on FanDuel, but both remain in-consistent options.
Cheap PG’s- Point guard is the second position that I think you can save at on Monday night, especially with Derrick White sidelined for the Spurs. Both of Patty Mills and Bryn Forbes stick out as cash game options, but of the two I prefer Mills and project him to be higher-owned with a higher ceiling output. We also have both of Cory Joseph and Frank Jackson available and I like the potential idea of getting both of Mills/Jackson in and then being able to stack Giannis/Beal/Holiday.
GPP Plays
John Collins- Collins price of $7,600 immediately jumps out to me on FanDuel, he’s been a bit inconsistent but he still has posted two 50+ FD point games in his last seven games showing that he does own a ceiling at this price. Over those five games his usage rate has climbed to around 26% and the Wizards are not a good rebounding team, so I’m going out on a limb and predicting a 20-10 double-double for Collins coming tonight.
Kenneth Faried- Right next to Collins is Faried, who gets a dream matchup against the Phoenix Suns and DeAndre Ayton defense. It’s hilarious that he went from not even paying to $8K in two weeks, but he’s topped 30+ FD points in all six games as a starter. The Suns are bottom-ten in rebounds allowed this season, highlighting a big-time double-double spot coming for the Manimal tonight.
Other Options: Chris Paul, James Harden, De’Aaron Fox
