Monday's NBA schedule consists of seven games for FanDuel players to pick their rosters from, with Houston guard James Harden ($11,400) and Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins ($11,000) being the headliners. In the case of Cousins, he's coming off of a loss in Utah Saturday night in which he accounted for 16 points, ten rebounds, four assists, one block, one steal and three turnovers. The 35 FanDuel points represent the fewest that Cousins has accounted for in a game since November 20 against Toronto, and it ended a streak of eight consecutive games in which he tallied 50 FanDuel points or more. With tonight's opponent being the Lakers, a team with multiple interior options led by starter Timofey Mozgov, should there be any concern about Cousins' productivity?
No. Not at all. As noted above he'd accounted for 50 FanDuel points or more in eight consecutive games prior to Saturday, and it also should be mentioned that the Jazz are one of the NBA's best defensive teams with athletic center Rudy Gobert serving as the anchor. The Lakers have no such defender; while they can go to a Tarik Black off the bench he doesn't have the combination of size and athleticism that Gobert possesses. And on the season Cousins has failed to score at least 40 FanDuel points in a game just four times, so Saturday night was more of an outlier than anything. Here are our roster picks for tonight's games, working with the rules of a nine-player roster and a $60,000 salary cap. (Getty)
PG: Patrick Beverley, Houston
Opponent: vs. Brooklyn
Price: $5,100
Beverley's value comes in what he's able to do outside of scoring, as the Rockets use him alongside James Harden for his defensive ability and the willingness to play without the ball in his hands. Over the last five games Beverley has accounted for 27 FanDuel points or more on four occasions, most recently tallying 27.4 points in Houston's win over Dallas Saturday night. In that game Beverley finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one turnover, and that's the sixth time this season that he's grabbed seven or more rebounds in a game. (Getty)
PG: Jordan Clarkson, Los Angeles Lakers
Opponent: at Sacramento
Price: $4,900
Starting point guard D'Angelo Russell returned to the lineup Sunday night against the Knicks, playing just under 17 minutes as head coach Luke Walton eases him back into the rotation. With this being the second game of a back-to-back it may be a good idea to add a player like Clarkson or shooting guard Lou Williams to your roster. Russell may very well play tonight, but how much can one expect from a player just coming off of a knee injury and on a minutes restriction? Clarkson finished Sunday's game with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. (Getty)
SG: James Harden, Houston
Opponent: vs. Brooklyn
Price: $11,400
Harden has tallied 48 FanDuel points or more in three of Houston's last four games, and with a season average of 52.3 points per night it goes without say that he's going to produce. In the Nets, Harden and his teammates face a team that's currently dead last in the NBA in points allowed (114.9) and 28th in defensive rating (112.1). And the Nets will have to call upon the likes of veteran Randy Foye and rookie Isaiah Whitehead to defend Harden. Simply put this could be a triple-double night for "The Beard," and it wouldn't be a bad idea to build your FanDuel roster around him. (Getty)
SG: C.J. McCollum, Portland
Opponent: at L.A. Clippers
Price: $7,500
McCollum accounted for 47.8 FanDuel points in Saturday's loss to the Pacers, and since tallying just 18.2 points in a loss in Cleveland on November 23 he's surpassed the 30-point mark in seven of the last eight games. McCollum hasn't been as productive as one would like against the Clippers this season, accounting for 26.8 points in the first meeting and a season-low 12.8 in the second, but given the way he's currently playing McCollum should put together a solid stat line. (Getty)
SF: Harrison Barnes, Dallas
Opponent: vs. Denver
Price: $6,400
Given the fact that Dirk Nowitzki remains out of the lineup with an Achilles issue, at least considering Barnes wouldn't be a bad idea. He's scored 20 points or more in five of the last eight games, and even if the shots aren't falling he's going to get plenty of chances to put points on the board for Rick Carlisle's struggling offense. Barnes has accounted for 31 FanDuel points or more in four of Dallas' last six games, and if he can supplement the scoring with a solid night on the glass he can make it five out of the last seven. (Getty)
SF: Danilo Gallinari, Denver
Opponent: at Oklahoma City
Price: $6,000
Gallinari's FanDuel point total has decreased in each of his last three games, with the most recent tally being 20.1 points against the Spurs. Averaging 17.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, Gallinari hasn't failed to score in double figures since December 5, and Thursday's 15-point effort ended a streak of six consecutive games in which he scored 18 points or more. Oklahoma City has some solid defenders on the wings, but Gallinari shouldn't lack for opportunities to score either. (Getty)
PF: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee
Opponent: at Toronto
Price: $6,200
After four straight games of 31 FanDuel points or more Parker's production dropped off in a big way Saturday night against the Wizards. In the 110-105 defeat Parker shot 3-for-8 from the field and finished with eight points, four rebounds and three turnovers. The resulting 9.8 FanDuel point total represents a season low for Parker, who has failed to account for at least 20 FanDuel points on just one other occasion. Interestingly enough that was against Toronto, tonight's opponent, as he tallied just 16.8 points in their first meeting on November 25. (Getty)
PF: Nikola Jokic, Denver
Opponent: at Golden State
Price: $7,200
Mike Malone's shift to a smaller lineup should save Jokic some trouble tonight against the Warriors. In the original starting lineup either Jokic or Jusuf Nurkic would be asked to deal with Draymond Green, which would be a bad mismatch given the fact that Green can play anywhere on the floor offensively. Now, Jokic will be matched up against a Zaza Pachulia or Javale McGee, and while both are formidable big men that's a more advantageous matchup for Jokic. How bad was the Jokic/Nurkic pairing in the first meeting of the season, a 125-101 Warriors victory? Jokic finished with four points, three rebounds and two assists, and Nurkic wasn't much better with nine points and three rebounds. (Getty)
C: DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers
Opponent: vs. Portland
Price: $6,900
Jordan's hovered around the 30 FanDuel point mark in each of his last ten games, and he's been solid in both matchups with the Blazers this season. In their first meeting Jordan grabbed 12 rebounds while scoring just six points, and he had a greater impact in the second game with 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Given his current run of form, it wouldn't be too much to expect him to continue the recent stretch of at the very least approaching 30 FanDuel points. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for December 12