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ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
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Top streamers | Best bets | DFS picks | Odds & Injury report
What you need to know for Monday’s games
The NBA has a sparse schedule for the first Monday in March, with only four games on tap. Each game features one team above .500 facing a team below .500, and in two cases the below-.500 team has already fully committed to the future with no post-season aspirations at all.
The Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz have both shut down veteran stars they traded for this season due to injury, and both host Western Conference powers in the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets, respectively. There is some obvious blowout potential in these two games, with DraftKings setting double-digit spreads for both, but keep in mind that these types of games are often traps for the favored teams. They are on the road, playing teams they are expected to beat easily, and they may be overlooking their opponents in an otherwise tumultuous marathon of a season.
Editor’s Picks
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The Nuggets will be playing their third game in four days, already having suffered two tough losses to rival teams, so it’s possible that they could try to get their veterans some rest tonight, which could result in a more competitive game than anticipated. The Nuggets-Jazz game has by far the highest point total line of the night at 242.5 points (the second-highest line of the night is 224.5 points), so there is clear upside for there to be a lot of production in that game.
The game that projects as the most competitive is the last game of the night, where the Western Conference’s eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors host the ninth-seeded LA Clippers. DraftKings set the Clippers as the slight road favorite, but they are on the second half of a back-to-back and the Warriors have had a day of rest since their last outing. Either way, it’s a divisional rivalry game with postseason implications, so I’m expecting a battle.
Without further ado, let’s dig a bit deeper into each matchup to identify some fantasy streamers, betting angles and DFS plays of interest.
Dré’s fantasy stream team for Monday
Neemias Queta, C, Boston Celtics (rostered in 36.3% of ESPN leagues): Queta continues to start and play a big role for the Celtics, even after the addition of Nikola Vucevic at the trade deadline. Queta is close to a double-double average over his last five games (13.8 PPG and 9.6 RPG), while also blocking 2.0 shots per game during that span.
Gui Santos, SF, Warriors (23.4% rostered): Santos has been a consistent producer for the Warriors going back to January, when he assumed a larger role. In five games since the All-Star Break, Santos has averaged 16.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 2.2 3PG.
Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG, Warriors (45.3%): Podziemski moved into the starting lineup two games ago, but he was already playing well and getting 30+ MPG off the bench. In his last eight games overall, Podziemski has put up 14.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 5.1 APG.
Bilal Coulibaly, SF/SG, Wizards (13.2%): Coulibaly is starting and producing consistent numbers. He has more value in category-based leagues than in points leagues because he’s not a high-volume producer, but he does contribute to all three sparse categories with averages of 1.6 SPG, 1.3 BPG and 1.1 3PG in his last seven outings.
Dre’s favorite bets for Monday
Reed Sheppard OVER 2.5 made 3-pointers (-169)
Sheppard has been on a heater from deep since before the All-Star break, averaging 4.1 3PG on 48.5% 3-point shooting in his last eight games. Sheppard has started two of the last three games for the Rockets and likely will start Monday as well with Jabari Smith Jr. sidelined. Sheppard has 16 3-pointers in those three games and 21 in his last four games overall, with at least four 3-pointers made in all four games. Sheppard 4+ 3-pointers made is +140 for tonight.
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Myles Turner OVER 1.5 made 3-pointers (-152)
Turner averages 2.2 made 3-pointers on the season and has at least two made 3-pointers in four of his last five games. He’ll be facing the Celtics, who allow opposing centers to make 1.7 3PG on average at a 37.3% clip, the ninth-highest percentage allowed to the position.
Christian Braun OVER 13.5 points (-107)
The Nuggets are playing their third game in four days, and veterans Jamal Murray (86 minutes) and Nikola Jokic (82 minutes) both played heavy minutes in the first two grueling losses. Starting forward Cameron Johnson (doubtful, ankle) likely joins Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson on the sideline Monday, leaving opportunity for the high-energy, 24-year-old Braun to potentially take on a larger role. Braun is playing well of late, with at least 15 points in three of his last four games, including a season-high 23 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
Top Daily Fantasy values of the day
$8,100+ salaries
Kawhi Leonard, SG/SF, Clippers ($9,500): Leonard is on the second half of a back-to-back, but he played only 29 minutes in a low-impact blowout win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. He notched 62.5 fantasy points in his previous game and topped 55 fantasy points in four of his most-recent eight games.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
Ace Bailey, SF, Jazz ($6,200): Bailey is ramping up to end his rookie season, scoring more than 33 fantasy points in three of his last four games, including the last two in a row.
$3,000-$6,000 salaries
De’Anthony Melton, SG, Warriors ($6,000): Melton has been a consistent producer for the Warriors with Stephen Curry sidelined. He has averaged more than 30 fantasy points per game in his last five outings, including a high-water mark of 39.5 fantasy points last week.
Reed Sheppard, SG, Rockets ($5,700): Sheppard has played more than 30 minutes in three straight games, two of them starts, and has notched between 30-43 fantasy points in all three games. He is likely to get big minutes again tonight with Smith sidelined.
Al Horford, C, Warriors ($5,600): Horford has notched more than 22 fantasy points in four straight games and has four games of more than 32 fantasy points in his last 11 outings.
Christian Braun, SG, Nuggets ($5,400): Braun has notched more than 30 fantasy points in five of his last eight games and could carry a heavier load tonight with Johnson sidelined.
Neemias Queta, C, Celtics ($5,200): Queta is coming off a monster 27-point, 17-rebound performance Sunday and has notched double-doubles in three of his last five games.
Bilal Coulibaly, SG, Wizards ($4,800): Coulibaly has produced more than 26 fantasy points in five of his last six games as he assumes a larger role for the rebuilding Wizards down the stretch.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards
7 p.m. ET
Line: Rockets -15.5 (-105) | Wizards +15.5 (-115)
Money line: Rockets -1100 | Wizards +700
Total: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Rockets by 16.5, straight up 88%, 225.2 total points.
Injury Report:
Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr., (OUT – Ankle); Jae’Sean Tate, (OUT – Knee); Fred VanVleet, (OUT – Knee); Steven Adams, (OFS – Ankle)
Wizards: Anthony Gill, (GTD – Illness); Kyshawn George, (GTD – Knee); Tristan Vukcevic, (GTD – Thigh); D’Angelo Russell, (OUT – Not Injury Related); Trae Young, (OUT – Knee); Alex Sarr, (OUT – Hamstring); Anthony Davis, (OUT – Finger); Cam Whitmore, (OFS – Shoulder)
Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Line: Celtics -7.5 (-110) | Bucks +7.5 (-110)
Money line: Celtics -310 | Bucks +250
Total: 215.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Celtics by 7.3, straight up 71%, 218.7 total points.
Injury Report:
Celtics: Jayson Tatum, (OUT – Achilles)
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, (GTD – Calf); Thanasis Antetokounmpo, (GTD – Illness); Taurean Prince, (OUT – Neck)
Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz
9 p.m. ET
Line: Nuggets -11.5 (-115) | Jazz +11.5 (-105)
Money line: Nuggets -550 | Jazz +410
Total: 242.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Nuggets by 14.3, straight up 85%, 249.0 total points.
Injury Report:
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon, (GTD – Hamstring); Cameron Johnson, (GTD – Ankle); Spencer Jones, (GTD – Shoulder); Peyton Watson, (OUT – Hamstring); Tamar Bates, (OUT – Foot)
Jazz: Vince Williams Jr., (OFS – Knee); Lauri Markkanen, (OUT – Hip); Jaren Jackson Jr., (OFS – Knee); Jusuf Nurkic, (OFS – Nose); Walker Kessler, (OFS – Shoulder)
LA Clippers at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m. ET on Peacock
Line: Clippers -1.5 (-105) | Warriors +1.5 (-115)
Money line: Clippers -118 | Warriors -102
Total: 215.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Clippers by 1.5, straight up 55%, 221.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Clippers: John Collins, (GTD – Arm); Kris Dunn, (GTD – Head); Bradley Beal, (OFS – Hip)
Warriors: Gary Payton II, (GTD – Ankle); Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT – Illness); Seth Curry, (OUT – Back); Will Richard, (OUT – Ankle); Stephen Curry, (OUT – Knee); Jimmy Butler III, (OFS – Knee)
