NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at the day’s NBA slate to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some players who stand out as key options on Monday’s eight-game NBA slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo fantasy basketball? Check out Awesemo’s Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

Be sure to check out the Eric Lindquist and Rayen Patnaik every morning with the NBA Slate Starter Podcast, where they give you the best first-look NBA DFS analysis and daily fantasy advice to start your process.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Advice Today

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are expected to be without Anthony Edwards once again on Monday. He’s currently listed as doubtful after missing the past three games due to a knee injury. That will open up some additional offensive responsibilities for the rest of the roster.

Towns figures to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. He’s increased his usage rate by a team-high +5.0% with Edwards off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.52 DraftKings points per minute. He’s been even better in eight full games without Edwards, averaging 1.59 DraftKings points per minute. That includes a monstrous 69.75 DraftKings points in his last outing.

His last performance came against the Blazers, and he’ll have another opportunity to rack up fantasy points against them on Monday. They’ve been a disaster defensively this season, and the Timberwolves are currently implied for a slate-high 124.5 points. Towns should grade out well in our NBA Projections, especially on FanDuel at just $9,200.

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Brandon Williams, PG, Portland Trail Blazers

On the other side of that matchup, the Blazers are going to be extremely shorthanded. They are expected to get Josh Hart back in the lineup, but Anfernee Simons has been ruled out. Simons has carried their offense following the trades of Norman Powell and C.J. McCollum, and he is averaging a 30.3% usage rate since the trade deadline.

With Simons sidelined, Williams seems likely to take over as the starting point guard. That makes him intriguing at a near-minimum price tag. Williams has appeared in just one previous contest for the Blazers this season, but he racked up 26.5 DraftKings points over 26.9 minutes.

There are some blowout concerns vs. the Timberwolves – they’re currently listed as 15.5-point road underdogs – but the Blazers don’t really have the luxury of benching players during blowouts. They had just eight players available in their last contest, and they’re not expected to be much deeper on Monday.

Williams’ projected ownership will be an interesting factor on this slate. If his ownership projection is too low, he’ll stand out as an appealing value option in the Boom/Bust Probability tool.

Jordan Poole, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors

The Warriors will be without virtually all of their top players on Monday. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins have all been ruled out, while Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Gary Payton II remain sidelined.

That leaves Poole as the last man standing. He’s played just 110 minutes with all six of those players off the court this season, and he’s posted an elite 34.3% usage rate in that situation. He’s also increased his production to 1.32 DraftKings points per minute. Those are stud-like numbers for a player who is available $5,300 on DraftKings and $4,700 on FanDuel.

Poole could also be worth exploring in the player prop market. Make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop tool, which highlights the most exploitable player prop bets each day.

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