DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 1/25/21

With 10 games to choose from on Monday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Luka Doncic ($10,700) -- Doncic is second on the slate with an average of 57.3 DraftKings points per game on the season -- according to NBA.com -- on a 35.3% usage rate that ranks behind only Bradley Beal. He faces another high-usage, do-it-all player in Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, a team that is solid defensively yet rate seventh-worst against point guards, per FantasyPros' defensive-versus-position data. Luka should show out in a tight game in Dallas.

Kyrie Irving ($9,000) -- 235.5. According to NBA Finals odds, that's the sky-high opening total set for tonight's game between the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets. It will likely go into the night as the highest over/under on the board, and that's why you want as many pieces of this as possible. For me, it all starts with Irving, who has seen no loss to his fantasy appeal with James Harden on board. Since returning from his hiatus, Irving is averaging 34.3 points and 49.8 DraftKings points per game on 56.5% shooting from the floor and 45.5% from three. The potential for a 50-to-60 fantasy-point night is undoubtedly within the realm of possibilities.

Shooting Guard

D'Angelo Russell ($8,300) -- Whether you believe in the revenge narrative or not, Russell makes for a great play against his former team. He and the Minnesota Timberwolves will continue to be without Karl-Anthony Towns, a fact that makes Russell the go-to guy on the road versus the Golden State Warriors. Russell's 29.8% usage rate should translate well, but his $400 salary reduction might be the most intriguing part. In tournaments, you could take advantage after Russell's dud against Atlanta.

Kendrick Nunn ($6,100) -- Again, Miami and Brooklyn players carry big value. In the mid-range, the guy you want the most exposure to is Nunn. Though his salary has climbed $2,400 over the last four games, his average of 38.5 DraftKings points would be more than enough to justify his salary here. And when you factor in his 23.1% usage rate and 20.3% assist rate, you get a starting combo-guard leading the charge against what has been the worst defense in the league of late. Just beware that Nunn should come with a high roster percentage on Monday night.

Small Forward

Brandon Ingram ($8,000) -- Ingram is an amazing roster-low opportunity versus the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have improved in a big way defensively, but when you adjust for competition, they are in the middle of the pack, according to our rankings. They allow 111.2 points per game and the single-most fantasy points per game to small forwards like Ingram. He hasn't hit 40 DraftKings points in a half-dozen games, but the last time he saw the Spurs he went for 28 real-life points and 53.8 DraftKings points on a team-high 33.3% usage rate. Lock him in before his salary returns back to its rightful spot.

OG Anunoby ($6,900) -- On Sunday, the Toronto Raptors went without both Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam, which led to a big day for the team's usual fourth option. On a 25.8% usage rate -- 9.4% above his season average -- the 23-year-old hit 9-of-16 shots (4 three-pointers) on his way to 30 points and 53.5 DraftKings points in 40 minutes. The statuses of Lowry and Siakam are up in the air, but it sounds like Siakam is more questionable of the two. If either player is out, Anunoby is as much of a must-play as anyone against the same Indiana Pacers squad.

Power Forward

Jeff Green ($4,700) -- Green isn't in the starter's role he was just a few games ago. But still, he is a valuable part of the Nets' rotation, logging 26 minutes apiece over the last two. He's tallied 22.1 DraftKings points a night, but I'd look at that as his floor and something around 30 to be his ceiling when you factor in the high-scoring game environment. Green is not a cash format option, but in tournaments, you can easily stack him with Irving or Harden, and run it back on the other side.

Isaiah Roby ($4,600) -- If you are choosing between the two low-cost power forwards, Roby is the better option for cash games and 50/50s. He is likely to get another start at center in the expected absence of Al Horford, for which he'll face the Portland Trail Blazers. Portland has been kind to opposing centers all year, allowing 55.4 DraftKings points per game, but better yet, Enes Kanter is a far worse defender than the injured Jusuf Nurkic.

Center

Bam Adebayo ($8,500) -- Adebayo demolished the Nets in the teams' previous meeting roughly 48 hours ago. In the short-handed but narrow loss, the big man took a season-high 20 shots (by 4) with a 29.3% usage and surprisingly high 37.5% assist rate. He did his usual work on the boards and finished with 62.75 DraftKings points in 38 minutes. He's a nightmare for a Nets team that has gotten even worse defensively over the last three games, allowing 122.2 points per 100 and 132.0 points per game in total. At this salary, Adebayo is a top-five point-per-dollar play.

Dwight Howard ($4,200) - Howard is only in play if we get word that Joel Embiid -- listed as questionable -- is either limited or ruled out. That possibility could flip the slate one way or another, as a Howard start makes him a must-play. The Philadelphia 76ers are at home and favored by 7.0 against a Detroit Pistons team that rates 23rd in opponent points per game and 27th in DraftKings points allowed to the center spot.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.