Monday night delivers an eight-game slate, and with 16 teams competing, NBA fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel will be flush with high-level talent and value plays. The Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page will provide breaking news when starters are announced as well as a full injury report on players who might be missing in action. Below are some NBA daily fantasy options that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.
Boom/Bust NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & Picks
Boom: Andre Drummond: $3,700 DraftKings/$4,400 FanDuel
87.4% DraftKings Boom/80.3% FanDuel Boom
Joel Embiid will be rested tonight, unlocking Drummond. Given Embiid has not missed a game in over a month, both DraftKings and FanDuel were not prepared for this situation, and Drummond’s salaries are at levels that make him a must play for all formats. In the 11 games Embiid has missed this season, Drummond has started on every occasion and collected 34 DraftKings points in 28 minutes per game, including three efforts greater than 50 DraftKings points. He is supplying 1.3 DraftKings points per minute this season and will be playing way up in pace against the Grizzlies tonight; the 76ers rank 27th, while Memphis is seventh in pace. Since the start of last season, Drummond is averaging 43.1 DraftKings points per game when he has cracked the 25-minute mark and is a near lock for a double-double of at least 30 fantasy points this evening.
By a mile, Drummond has the highest boom score on the slate and is rating as the No. 1 value on the board for both DraftKings and FanDuel in Awesemo’s projections.
Boom: Josh Giddey: $7,300 DraftKings/$5,700 FanDuel
26% DraftKings Boom/48% FanDuel Boom
Giddey is a tremendous option tonight with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) ruled out. In the three starts Giddey has made without Gilgeous-Alexander, he has operated as the Thunder’s point guard and produced 48 DraftKings points per game. Furthermore, in the 436 minutes Giddey has played with Gilgeous-Alexander off the court, his usage has risen 1.3 percentage points and his assist rate has leaped 7.2 percentage points to a team-high 39.1%. Giddey scores 1.1 DraftKings points per minute with these rates, and to put the icing on the cake, he is going against a Trail Blazers defense that ranks 29th in defensive efficiency. This Northwest Division matchup presents the fourth-highest total on the slate (216.5 points), and Portland is only a 4-point favorite. In this juicy spot Giddey’s player props are set at 14.5 points, 8.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds on BetMGM, which is already 34.75 DraftKings points before defensive stats and bonuses are credited.
Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool is giving Giddey a ceiling above 40 fantasy points tonight, and while he is a terrific target on both sites, he is unavoidable at only $5,700 on FanDuel. At this reasonable cost, Giddey’s boom score only trails Drummond, and he is rating as a top-five value on the slate in Awesemo’s projections.
Boom: Anfernee Simons: $7,000 DraftKings/$6,900 FanDuel
22.8% DraftKings Boom/16.4% FanDuel Boom
Going against Giddey, Simons also needs to be on radars tonight. While the Blazers have C.J. McCollum back, they remain without Damian Lillard (core), Larry Nance Jr. (knee) and Nassir Little (shoulder). With these three players unavailable for the last three, Simons has provided 38.8 DraftKings points in 34.3 minutes per game.
In the 295 minutes the guard has played with those three players off this season, Simons has handled a 25% usage rate and a 24.3% assist percentage. In this strong environment against the Thunder tonight, the Blazers carry the fourth-highest implied team total on the slate (110.25 points), and Simons is simply underpriced right now for his current role. At only $7,000 on DraftKings, Simons has a top-10 boom score on the slate in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool.
Boom: Domantas Sabonis: $9,800 DraftKings/$9,700 FanDuel
24.3% DraftKings Boom/18% FanDuel Boom
Tonight the Pacers will be missing Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) and Myles Turner (foot), putting a huge weight on Sabonis’ shoulders. In the three games he has been active for without Turner and Brogdon this season, Sabonis has been a stud with 58 DraftKings points per game, including two triple-doubles. Since the start of last season, Sabonis has recorded 1.4 DraftKings points per minute with those two players off the court, which is mostly a product of a 2.9-percentage-point boost to his assist rate.
Hosting a Clippers squad that is on the second leg of a back-to-back, the Pacers have the second-highest implied team total on the slate (111.75 points), and this game’s total is also the second largest on the board (221 points). Additionally, this game is expected to be competitive throughout, with Indiana only a 2.5-point favorite. Sabonis should top 50 fantasy points in this optimal situation, and while he is a worthy spend on both sites, at $9,800 on DraftKings he sports a top-10 boom score on the slate and is rating as the best value north of $8,000 in Awesemo’s projections.
Update: Sabonis has entered the league’s health and safety protocols and will be inactive. Plus, Oshae Brissett (ankle) is not expected to suit up and Goga Bitadze (foot) has been ruled out, leaving Isaiah Jackson as the last man standing up front for the Pacers. The rookie should start at center and be forced to play big minutes against the Clippers. Awesemo is projecting Jackson for 28.3 minutes, which is plenty of time for him to smash. The 20-year-old is averaging 1.3 DraftKings PPM and ranks only behind Drummond in terms of Boom score for both DraftKings and FanDuel.Â
Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!
[NBAPAGE]
