Welcome to Monday of the most meaningless work week of the year. I know I’m not getting anything done today, and I doubt you are, either. That’s probably why you’re here. We’re lookin’ at a 7-game NBA DFS slate this evening. There are one million games on the schedule tomorrow, zero on Wednesday, and then the usual 5-game Christmas slate on Thursday.
Let’s sort through the mess that is the early injury reports and dig up some core options for Monday, shall we? This is why the featured image is a quesarito.
DK Core Plays (Updated 6:47 ET)
- Moussa Diabate
- Kenrich Williams
- Nikola Jokic
Update:
Chet, Hartenstein, and Jaylin Williams are all out for OKC, which leaves them with only Branden Carlson as a true center. This game could easily go small against an Edey-less Memphis, but Carlson should still be in the rotation even if they start someone like Kenrich Williams as a smallball 5. Carlson is $3,000 on DK.
We also have Moussa Diabate opening up at $3,900 with Kalkbrenner out for Charlotte. Diabate’s matchup against the Cavs isn’t ideal, but it is better without Mobley. He’s just a solid per-minute producer and the value is useful. I think there will be lots of Diabate/Carlson lineups. It’s fine, but there’s a ton of opportunity cost with Jokic on the slate in the best matchup possible. As of now, I’m inclined to pay down for just one of them and keeping the other C spot for Jokic.
If you are not playing Jokic and you are double-punting C, I’d make a point to prioritize a $9,200 AD against the Pelicans. If you are playing Jokic, you’ll need a non-C value. As of now, I think the best of the bunch is the $4,900 Tobias.
Original:
Lots of injury news to monitor. The Thunder have several players carrying Q tags and a few others already ruled out, so we could have some value there. OKC value is never a good time, of course. I suspect some value will open up elsewhere, so the early core is very tentative.
As of now, I’m getting to a ton of a $4,900 Tobias Harris with the Pistons facing the Blazers in Portland. Tobias isn’t a particularly fun play, but the minutes and role are generally safe, he’s cheap, and this is a positive matchup against a fast-paced Portland team. Holland is also Q, so his absence would likely strengthen Harris’ minutes floor.
Isaiah Collier is back on Will Hardy’s good side, with 23+ minutes in 4 straight and 28+ in 3 straight, all off the bench. It’s a volatile situation given the way Hardy yanks the rotation around, but Collier is still affordable ($4,200) and this DEN-UTA game is going to be a shootout. Utah has a 117.5 total, which is higher than the vast majority of teams on this slate….and they’re 4-point underdogs.
Yeah, the Nuggets’ total is north of 131 points, which is the highest number I have ever seen. Every game involving the Jazz in Utah seems to go absolutely bananas, and Jokic is down slightly to $12,500 on DK as the Nuggs continue to play without Gordon/Braun. Utah’s interior defense is particularly poor without Kessler, and it’s Jokic. I am paying up for him at all costs.
FD Core Plays (Updated 1:11 ET)
- Jimmy Butler
- Moussa Diabate
- Jalen Williams
The Cavs still don’t have Evan Mobley, which generally leads to a more stable role for Jarrett Allen. $6,700 is a reasonable enough salary on FD, they’re playing the Hornets, and it’s helpful to have PF eligibility. Hard to get away from this, I think, but we’ll see what happens when value opens.
Chet is among the questionable OKC lads, but he’s affordable on FD ($7,400) and OKC is without Hartenstein again. Chet will be playing center, and Memphis’ defense without Zach Edey is awful, man. I expect full minutes here if he plays through the sore back. Always blowout risk with the Thunder, but maybe their injuries help to keep Memphis in the game.
Jimmy Butler isn’t really a high-ceiling type, but he’s $7,800 in what should be a good game environment against the shorthanded/fast-paced Magic.
Taylor Smith been a profitable DFS player for years, turning his passion for fantasy sports into both consistent results and quality content. Since 2018, he’s created fantasy analysis and strategy pieces for several outlets, most notably RotoGrinders and FantasyLabs, where he’s covered everything from daily picks to advanced DFS theories.
Want more winning DFS plays like this? Get our daily core plays, leverage spots, and strategy sent straight to your inbox.
Leave a Reply