Monday begins a new week with a four-game NBA featured slate locking at 7:30 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Malik Monk and Scottie Barnes are both popping in the Stokastic models. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Monday, November 13
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Core Play of the Day — Malik Monk — Sacramento Kings vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 32.51 | FanDuel: 31.12
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 41.7% | FanDuel: 51.6%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $6,000 | FanDuel: $5,900
It would seem that we are looking at a major decision point when it comes to Malik Monk. De’Aaron Fox is still dealing with a sprained ankle, which has left a void of 35.3 minutes, 23.3 field goal attempts and 31.3 points per game. Monk has stepped up to help facilitate the offense in Fox’s absence, but things are still flowing through Domantas Sabonis.
Over the last two games, Monk has 10 and eight assists while playing 30 and 29 minutes. The seven-year veteran has attempted a healthy 28 shots, though he has converted only nine buckets. Monk is being pushed up the popularity rankings with eligibility at both guard spots, especially since there are only four games on the docket. While Monk is a core building block, this is more about his decent floor than his potential upside. Only twice this season has he surpassed 34 fantasy points. His only trip to the 40 fantasy point plateau was on the strength of a whopping 19 free throw attempts.
There is always a chance that Monk could lose some of his added responsibilities to Kevin Huerter, but it makes sense to match the field when it comes to the former 11th overall selection of the 2017 NBA Draft. Cleveland has been a little above average when it comes to defensive efficiency this season, and the Cavaliers are playing at a top-10 pace. Sabonis is coming off his first triple-double of the season and is always a threat to reach that milestone. Keegan Murray rounds out the four best options for the Kings, though he is a neutral play on both DraftKings and FanDuel for the four-game featured slate.
Donovan Mitchell should be on the shortlist tonight, particularly if Damian Lillard is able to return to action, which would make it a little trickier for Giannis Antetokounmpo to break the slate with a 70-fantasy point performance. Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen rate out favorably on DraftKings, with Mobley and Caris LeVert getting the nod on FanDuel.
Scottie Barnes — Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 46.26 | FanDuel: 45.21
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 17.4% | FanDuel: 21.2%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9.000 | FanDuel: $9.400
Boston was the first team to keep Scottie Barnes below 40 fantasy points this season, but he should be flirting with 50 tonight against the Wizards. Washington is playing at the fastest pace in the league with 105.39 possessions per 48 minutes, with the same fantasy-friendly defense that DFS gamers have grown to love.
Through nine games, Barnes is averaging 48 fantasy points per appearance, which is 14 more than last year. He is attempting three more shots per game and coming down with three more caroms, but the biggest change has been his two blocks per game, which is well above his career average (0.8). It remains to be seen just how “sticky” that defensive improvement will be, but as long as he continues stuffing the stat sheet, Barnes is a strong option.
Gary Trent Jr. (foot) and OG Anunoby (finger) are questionable for tonight. If either sits, Malachi Flynn will be the most likely recipient for extra opportunities. Pascal Siakam has topped 40 fantasy points just twice this season, which is just odd when we consider he has averaged over 42 fantasy points per game for the last four seasons. Dennis Schroder is a reasonable pivot away from the popular Monk and is in a much more intriguing fantasy matchup.
Additional NBA Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Schroder is also intriguing with a +340 line for him to record a double-double tonight. Â NBA Bet Pro currently has the journeyman guard projected for 31.3 minutes, 15.6 points and 7.35 assists, good for a 25% probability that he puts together a double-double. This is the sixth different team that Schroder has played for in his career. but he is currently averaging a personal-best 7.9 assists per game and 8.9 per 36 minutes. He has reached this milestone in four of his nine games, and the “True Odds” (how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI of a given wager) of +307 indicate that this wager has an expected ROI of nearly 7%.
