Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Monday's nine-game slate? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe, Eric Karabell, Renee Miller and Joe Kaiser.
Players to build around
Kyle Soppe -- Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
His price is down $900 from opening night, and I'm taking that discount to the DFS bank -- especially after he proved his worth on Friday (25 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 38 minutes against the Thunder). I'm encouraged by Butler's role on his new team, as his average distance of field goal attempt is as low as it has been since the 2012-13 season, something that elevates his floor. His well-rounded skill set and a matchup with a bottom-10 defense in terms of efficiency give him a solid ceiling as well. Go ahead and start your success Monday with Butler penciled in.
Eric Karabell -- Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Murray finally made good use of his playing time on Sunday with a 26-point outing in Brooklyn, and it's not like the Knicks are doing a better job defending point guards. In fact, they're kind of awful at it. Murray might not be the point guard so many of us envisioned, but his price remains depressed and, at the very least, he should be in for another 20-point night.
Renee Miller -- Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz
Hear me out on this one. Certainly, there are stars to pay up for at every position (including fellow-SF Kevin Durant) but my "must haves" tonight are James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins. Considering you might also want the likes of Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis or Ben Simmons, where can you reliably save? Who is the cheapest player at a position you don't mind saving on that you can confidently build around?
I keep coming back to Ingles, who has had a very strong start to the season, aside from the Clippers game when he was sick. In 30-plus minutes per game, we can expect double-digit scoring with a few assists and/or steals. He already has five multi-steal games and a 2.2 steals/game average. The icing on the cake is that he matches up with a Mavericks team that currently ranks dead last in rebounding rate, potentially enhancing his production under the hoop.
Joe Kaiser -- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
After a sluggish start to the season, Jokic has recorded three double-doubles in a row, scoring at least 18 points in each of the last four games. He has a prime opportunity to put up a big game against Enes Kanter and the Knicks, who currently rank in the middle of the pack defensively, though in all honesty are probably more of a lower-end defense. Given Jokic's affordable salary, he's a strong value on Monday.
Players to fade
Kyle Soppe - Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
That's right, I'm going with the rare Building Block and Fade from the same team. Listen, Wiggins is an elite athlete and I love what that should mean for his fantasy upside. The key word there being "should." In his four games playing alongside Butler, 38.2 percent of Wiggins' field goal attempts have been from distance -- a rate that is way up from his career 15.1 percent entering this season.
I worry that this willingness to settle lowers his floor, as I'm not sold on him being an above-average marksman. That's a major problem for a player who has yet to show much versatility in terms of rebounds or assists. He isn't all that expensive tonight, so I expect your eye might naturally settle on him. Don't make that mistake!
Eric Karabell -- Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics
While the newcomer isn't necessarily off to a rough start, as he's scoring consistently and providing assists, steals and threes, Irving has yet to reach 25 points in a game. Expecting him to do so against a defensive-minded Spurs team seems misguided. Irving's DFS price isn't in the stratosphere, but there are considerably better values on this night at guard, including Kemba Walker and the scorching Evan Fournier.
Renee Miller -- Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
This fade has relatively little to do with Thompson himself, although he has rarely met or exceeded value over the past couple of years against the Clippers, who currently represent the league's worst SG matchup for fantasy. Thompson could still be a fine play tonight, and his floor/ceiling combination is the reason why he's a popular cash game play. The thing is, I'm likely not going to have a lot of room in my lineups for solid, mid-to-upper range cash game plays. Even if I do, I'd rather try to work in DeMar DeRozan or CJ McCollum.
Joe Kaiser -- Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics
in three of his four games this season, Smart has reached the 30-point plateau in DFS. While that is fairly impressive, his salary is currently at a point where he absolutely has to get to 30 DFS points in order to reach his value. That's a lot to ask against the Spurs, a team ranked ninth overall in defensive efficiency and 25th in pace.
