Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Monday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Players to build around
André Snellings -- Eric Bledsoe, Milwaukee Bucks
The Suns have the second-worst defense in the NBA, allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions. They are weak against opposing point guards, allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to the position in the past five games. The game projects to be a shootout, as the Bucks have allowed 117.6 points per 100 possessions this season with Giannis Antetokounmpo off the court, and he's out on Monday ... so we're talking two bad defenses allowing a lot of points. Plus, Bledsoe began the year as a Sun and was traded after an acrimonious ending to their relationship -- and the first time he faced the Suns this year, he turned in 30 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in a November win.
Renee Miller -- Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
Small forward is a tough position to fill tonight, with top stars out and values that depend upon later news. Barnes, and to a lesser extent, TJ Warren, fills the slot(s) with both a high floor and a high ceiling. Barnes produced a 31-point, 9-rebound effort the first time they played the Washington Wizards, and with Washington ranking fifth in fantasy points allowed to his position, a repeat performance is certainly possible. Barnes didn't shoot well in his last game, but there's no reason to expect that to continue. Use him with confidence in all formats.
Kyle Soppe -- Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
Middleton is priced among the elite shooting guards tonight and he's worth it. Antetokounmpo has already been ruled out, so you are looking at all of the usage against a Suns team that ranks fourth in pace. Middleton has at least five boards in seven of his past eight games, at least four dimes in five of his past seven, and 15 thefts in 11 games this month. The points are essentially a given in this plus matchup and, as you can see, complete box score domination is very much a possibility. Look for the Suns to give up 100 points for the 11th straight game, thus making the Bucks' top offensive threat a high-floor/high-ceiling investment on this full slate.
Players to avoid
André Snellings -- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
Simmons is coming off his best game of the past 10 days, which is usually a moment for optimism, but that game came against a Bucks team minus Antetokounmpo that we've established is a terrible defense. Meanwhile, he hasn't had a double-double in more than a month and faces a tough interior-based Grizzlies defense that has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing small forwards and ninth-fewest to opposing power forwards in the past 10 games.
Renee Miller -- Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
The Grizzlies rank last in pace, and though Simmons finally had a decent game Saturday vs. Milwaukee, he hasn't come close to exceeding value in the last two weeks. It's quite possible he gets back to regularly scoring 45-55 fantasy points for the 76ers, but until that happens, I'd rather spend on Blake Griffin, or save with Lauri Markkanen tonight.
Kyle Soppe -- Andrew Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves
I've really been disappointed with the growth, or lack thereof, for Wiggins through his 3.5 seasons in The Association and as his DFS price tag dips, I expect far too many players to be seduced by the raw skills here. Be careful. The Clippers aren't a great defense, but they do rank above league average in defending the paint, and, honestly, if Wiggins isn't producing near the rim, he's not producing much at all. For the season, he is converting inside of eight feet at nearly a 62 percent clip, but from outside of eight feet? Under 34 percent. Yikes. If the point total is a significant risk, at least this 6-foot-8 athlete can give you other counting numbers in a strong offense, right? Wrong. He has failed to record more than eight rebounds-plus-assists in nine of his past 10 games and that makes his production floor far too low for me to be interested at any price point.
