Nine games are on the NBA schedule for Monday night, giving FanDuel participants a host of options to consider when putting together their rosters. One quality matchup to keep an eye on is Washington's trip south to take on Southeast Division rival Charlotte, with the game boasting two of the NBA's top point guards. Washington's John Wall ($9,700) is averaging 45 FanDuel points per game on the season, a number he's surpassed in two of the last three games. While Wall's 58.5 FanDuel point outing against the Knicks Thursday night was the better of the two 45-plus point performances, he tallied 48.9 FanDuel points against a Memphis team that's far better defensively than the Knicks.
He'll run into another solid defensive team in the Hornets on Monday, and Charlotte point guard Kemba Walker can make Wall work defensively as well. Walker ($7,900) is averaging 36.7 FanDuel points per game, but he's failed to reach that mark in three of the last five games. Walker was solid in the first meeting with the Wizards, tallying 17 points, nine assists and six rebounds, but Wall was even better with 25 points, ten assists, seven steals and six rebounds as Washington won by three. Both players are capable of taking over a game when needed, and that could very well be the case for both Monday night.
Here are our FanDuel picks for Monday, using a $60,000 salary cap for a nine-player roster. Stats used are courtesy of Basketball Reference. (Getty)
PG: Reggie Jackson, Detroit
Opponent: vs. Sacramento
Price: $6,400
At the start of January, Jackson had just begun a streak of five straight games with 34 FanDuel points or more. Then he went into a slump from a fantasy standpoint, scoring fewer than 25 FanDuel points in three of the next four games. But with solid outings in each of his last two games, Jackson may be back on the right track as trade rumors swirl. Pistons head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy shut down the rumors, and that could have a positive impact on Jackson moving forward. Jackson didn't have his best game against the Kings on January 10, finishing with 19 points, three assists, two rebounds and four turnovers, but things could be different this time around based upon how Jackson's played in his last two games. (Getty)
SG: Nicolas Batum, Charlotte
Opponent: vs. Washington
Price: $7,300
Averaging 15.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season, Batum played well in Charlotte's three-point loss to the Wizards on December 14. Batum finished the game with 20 points, eight assists and five rebounds, and he also tallied two steals and one blocked shot. Given the amount of production that the Wizards get from their perimeter players, Batum will once again be a key figure in this matchup. (Getty)
SG: Eric Gordon, Houston
Opponent: at Milwaukee
Price: $6,000
Gordon accounted for 35.1 FanDuel points in Houston's game against Memphis on Saturday, and five days ago he scored 25 points in a win over the Bucks. Of Gordon's 20 field goal attempts on that night 17 were three-pointers, and he made seven while also grabbing four rebounds. Gordon isn't the most productive player outside of the scoring department, but he is capable of putting up solid rebound or assist numbers at any given time. (Getty)
Tuesday's NBA schedule consists of six games, with the San Antonio Spurs game against the Toronto Raptors being one that's intriguing from a fantasy standpoint. The Spurs are playing on consecutive nights, which makes it even tougher to predict just what head coach Gregg Popovich will do with his rotation. Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all sat out Monday's blowout win over the Nets in Brooklyn, and of those three Leonard is the player most likely to be selected by FanDuel participants should he be able to play. Leonard's scored 30 points or more in six consecutive games, including a 41-point night Saturday in Cleveland.
Leonard ($10,100) is averaging 40.2 FanDuel points per game this season, a mark he's surpassed in each of his last five outings. In Leonard's last three games he's scored 50 FanDuel points or more, and with Toronto's defensive struggles this sets up as another big night for one of the NBA's best players if the Spurs use him. Also worth considering is the absence of Toronto's DeMar DeRozan, who's been ruled out with an ankle injury. No DeRozan on the court would free Leonard up some defensively, allowing him to be even more active in the steals and blocked shots statistical categories. But given the uncertainty regarding his status, it may be best to avoid picking Leonard tonight.
Here are our FanDuel picks for Tuesday's games, using the rules of a $60,000 salary cap and a nine-player roster. (Getty)
SF: Marcus Morris, Detroit
Opponent: vs. Sacramento
Price: $5,400
Morris has accounted for 36 FanDuel points or more in three consecutive games, most recently tallying 43.7 points against the Wizards on Saturday. And Monday's opponent, Sacramento, is ranked 24th in the NBA in defensive rating. And they're also short a key player with small forward Rudy Gay out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Sacramento still has veterans Matt Barnes and Arron Afflalo to call upon, not to mention Ben McLemore, but none of those options should truly shut down Morris as he looks to continue playing as he has in recent games. (Getty)
PF: Kristaps Porzingis, New York
Opponent: at Indiana
Price: $7,000
The time missed with a sore Achilles tendon has done Porzingis no favors, and he's in the midst of a run of five straight games in which he's scored below his FanDuel season average of 33.6 points per game. Porzingis is averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game against the Pacers this season, with FanDuel point totals of 35.1 and 30.3 in those matchups. This game could be just what Porzingis needs to get back on the right track. (Getty)
PF: David Lee, San Antonio
Opponent: vs. Toronto
Price: $5,100
With Pau Gasol (broken hand) out of the lineup, Lee has scored 27 FanDuel points or more in three straight games. And with Toronto being one of the NBA's worst defensive rebounding teams, Lee could extend that streak to four straight games with rebounds being a factor in his score. Lee accounted for just eight points and four rebounds in the first meeting with the Raptors on January 3, but that was a game in which Lee played just 15 minutes. (Getty)
C: Myles Turner, Indiana
Opponent: vs. New York
Price: $6,300
The Pacers have struggled of late, getting blown out by the Lakers Friday and then losing to the Jazz the following night. Monday night the Pacers host a New York team that has struggled defensively, and Turner's had solid games against the Knicks in their two prior meetings this season. In the two prior meetings, Turner averaged 17.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Posting similar numbers shouldn't be too difficult for Turner Monday night. (Getty)
FanDuel NBA Lineup Picks, Advice & Analysis for January 23