NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day, we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some players who stand out as key options on Monday’s 10-game slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo? Check out our Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Dec. 6

Steven Adams, C, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies have been playing shorthanded recently, and they could be even thinner on Monday. Ja Morant and Kyle Anderson have already been ruled out, and Brandon Clarke is doubtful. That is going to open up a few additional minutes in the frontcourt.

Adams stands out as someone who should be able to capitalize. He is very affordable at just $4,800 on DraftKings, and he is averaging 0.97 DraftKings points per minute this season. He has been even better with Morant and Anderson off the court, increasing his production to 1.19 DraftKings points per minute. Adams is coming off 27.4 minutes in his last outing, and he responded with 34.25 DraftKings points.

Overall, Adams should be projected for a similar workload in Monday’s NBA Projections. If that is the case, it is hard to imagine a situation where he does not provide value.

Monte Morris, PG/SG, Denver Nuggets

No team is in worse shape right now than the Nuggets. They entered the season without one of their best players in Jamal Murray, and now Michael Porter Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the year. That alone would be more than the Nuggets’ fair share, but they are just getting started. P.J. Dozier, Austin Rivers, Bones Hyland, and Bol Bol are also out for Monday’s matchup against the Bulls, leaving the team with a ton of available minutes.

Nikola Jokic and Will Barton are the top contributors on the Nuggets, but do not sleep on some of their value options. Morris was not really needed in their last game – they cruised to a comfortable victory against the Knicks – but he scored at least 25.5 DraftKings points in each of his previous three games. In the two games where he played at least 32.4 minutes, he racked up at least 28.5 DraftKings points.

The Bulls are a subpar matchup, but Morris is still underpriced across the industry. He could also be a bit overlooked on a 10-game slate, and if that is the case, he will likely fare well in the Boom/Bust Probability Tool.

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Derrick Jones Jr., SF/PF, Chicago Bulls

On the other side of that matchup, the Bulls are dealing with a few key absences of their own. Coby White and Javonte Green are both out of the lineup due to health and safety protocols, while Alex Caruso is doubtful with a hamstring strain.

Jones is someone who has taken on a larger role in their absence. He played a season-high 32.6 minutes in his last game, and he finished with 23.0 DraftKings points. That is probably on the low end of what you can expect from Jones on Monday. He has been a solid per-minute producer this season, averaging 0.83 DraftKings points per minute.

Jones could also be an interesting option in the player prop market. Make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop tool, which highlights the most exploitable prop bets each day.

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