This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Monday's DraftKings slate features five games, and with the status of several players in doubt, monitoring the latest fantasy basketball news will be crucial. With the help of RotoWire's NBA DFS optimizer, I'll break down today's top picks, including expected chalk and value plays, to help you build winning lineups.
Try our DraftKings NBA Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
DraftKings Main Slate NBA Games Today
PHI at CLE: 76ers 17-13 on road; Cavaliers 21-12 at home
MEM at BKN: Grizzlies on three-game slide, 11-19 on road; Nets 8-22 at home
DEN at OKC: Nuggets 22-12 on road; Thunder on five-game winning streak, 26-6 at home
GS at UTA: Warriors 13-18 on road; Jazz 11-21 at home
NY at LAC: Knicks 17-15 on road; Clippers 16-13 at home
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
NBA Injury Report Today
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
PHI - Tyrese Maxey (finger), Joel Embiid (oblique), VJ Edgecombe (back), Paul George (suspension): OUT
CLE - Dean Wade (ankle): Probable; Max Strus (foot), Jarrett Allen (knee), Tyrese Proctor (quadriceps): OUT
MEM - Cedric Coward (knee), Ty Jerome (calf), Scotty Pippen (toe), Taylor Hendricks (thumb): Doubtful; Ja Morant (elbow), Santi Aldama (knee), Brandon Clarke (calf), Taj Gibson (reconditioning): OUT
BKN - Michael Porter (rest), Egor Demin (foot): OUT
DEN - Jamal Murray (ankle): Questionable; Peyton Watson (hamstring): OUT
OKC - Chet Holmgren (illness): Questionable; Alex Caruso (hip), Jalen Williams (hamstring), Isaiah Hartenstein (calf), Branden Carlson (back): OUT
GS - Seth Curry (back): Probable; Will Richard (ankle): Questionable; Stephen Curry (knee), Kristaps Porzingis (illness), Moses Moody (wrist), Al Horford (toe): OUT
UTA - Keyonte George (illness), Ace Bailey (illness): Questionable; Lauri Markkanen (hip), Isaiah Collier (illness): OUT
NY - Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Miles McBride (pelvis): OUT
LAC - John Collins (neck): OUT
Elite NBA DFS Players
Guards
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder 
($10,700) vs. Nuggets
Gilgeous-Alexander has appeared in four outings following an extended absence due to an abdominal strain, averaging 29.8 points, 6.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during that span. He has recorded between 42.8 and 60.8 DK points in all four of those games and posted 65.8 and 60.8 in his previous two appearances against Denver this season.
Brandin Podziemski, Warriors 
($7,400) at Jazz
Podziemaki enters a favorable matchup against a banged-up Utah squad, and he may see increased usage due to the Warriors being shorthanded in the front end of this back-to-back set. The third-year guard has been on a tear of late, supplying 35.8 or more DK points in six of his last seven outings (five starts) while averaging 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.4 triples and 0.9 steals in 35.1 minutes per game over that stretch.
Forwards/Centers
Kawhi Leonard, Clippers 
($9,800) vs. Knicks
Leonard has provided 41.3-plus DK points in four straight games and will aim to remain productive against a New York squad that is on the second night of a back-to-back. During that period, the star forward has averaged 27.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 29.3 minutes per game. He notched 40.8 DK points in a loss to the Knicks on Jan. 7.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks 
($8,600) at Clippers
Towns has tallied at least 39.8 DK points in four straight outings and racked up 48.8 in a win over the Clippers on Jan. 7. Over 10 appearances since the All-Star break, the veteran big man has averaged 19.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 three-pointers and 1.0 steals in 30.6 minutes per contest.
Kyle Filipowski, Jazz 
($7,800) vs. Warriors
Filipowski continues to operate in an expanded role while Utah is plagued by injuries. Moreover, the second-year big man could see increased usage with Ace Bailey (illness) and Keyonte George (illness) in danger of joining Lauri Markkanen (hip), Isaiah Collier (illness), Jaren Jackson (knee), Walker Kessler (shoulder) and Jusuf Nurkic (nose) on the shelf. Filipowski has finished with at least 40.5 DK points in three of the last four games, during which he has averaged 14.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.6 combined steals-plus-blocks across 29.0 minutes per showing.
Expected NBA DFS Chalk
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets 
($12,400) at Thunder
Jokic's sizable salary will limit your spending power, though he's a consistent source of elite production and has dropped at least 48.5 DK points in 14 consecutive contests. He has posted 36.3 and 71.3 DK points against the Thunder this season, though he played only 29 minutes in the first matchup.
Mid-Range NBA DFS Picks
Gui Santos, Warriors ($6,500) at Jazz
Santos is coming off a season-high 22-point performance in Saturday's road loss to the Thunder, during which he had a double-double and 46.3 DK points. The 23-year-old forward has ended with at least 27.5 DK points in 12 of the last 13 outings, averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.2 combined steals-plus-blocks in 31.5 minutes per showing over that period.
Quentin Grimes, 76ers 
($6,000) at Cavaliers
Philadelphia will be without its top four offensive options in this one, meaning Grimes is likely to take on increased scoring and playmaking duties. He scored 26 points in Saturday's loss to Atlanta and has closed with 25.8 or more DK points in back-to-back outings.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Walter Clayton, Grizzlies 
($4,600) at Nets
With the Grizzlies expected to be extremely shorthanded in the first leg of this back-to-back, Clayton figures to see significant playing time Monday. The rookie first-rounder has recorded between 22.0 and 41.3 DK points in four of the last five games, with the outlier (11.5 DK points) coming in an 18-minute outing.
Danny Wolf, Nets 
($4,500) vs. Grizzlies
Wolf has contributed 19.3-plus DK points in five of the last six games, averaging 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 21.0 minutes per contest during that stretch. With Michael Porter (rest) sitting out the front end of this back-to-back set, Wolf is a likely candidate to see increased playing time and could even step into the starting five.
Ziaire Williams, Nets ($4,300) vs. Grizzlies
Williams has supplied 24.8 or more DK points in three consecutive contests and is likely to see increased playing time due to Michael Porter (rest) and Egor Demin (foot) being unavailable. Williams has averaged 18.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals over 26.3 minutes per game in his last three appearances.
