DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 2/22/21

With only six games choose from on Monday's slate -- which locks at 8:00 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 ($11,400) - For Monday's slate, it comes down to who you decide to roster among the elite point guard options. While you can start LeBron James at small forward, all the same, Doncic is $500 more than an on-the-tear Damian Lillard. But the thing is, Doncic is on a tear of his own during the Mavericks' homestand, averaging 61.5 DraftKings points and a 36.3% usage rate, according to NBA.com. He has really shown just how comfortable he is, as evident from back-to-back 40-point -- and hyper-efficient -- games. He's worth the $500 to get to him from Dame.

John Wall ($8,000) - If you're leaning more toward a balanced approach and opt against a point guard above $10,000 (and you probably shouldn't), Wall has to be your guy. With Christian Wood sidelined and Victor Oladipo in and out of the Rockets' lineup, he has taken over the role as lead shot-taker, as he has attempted at least 20 shots in the three straight, leading to 45.8 DK points per contest. There's no way he doesn't continue that roll against a Chicago Bulls squad allowing 49.4 DK points per game to the position.

Shooting Guard

Zach LaVine ($9,500) - Opposite Wall and company, LaVine is in a great spot to out-produce Bradley Beal at his higher salary point. The all-star reserve candidate has been doing it on both ends of the floor in the fantasy scoring columns, adding steals to his nearly 29 points a night. He has scored above 30 in four straight games, and a date with the Christian Wood-less Rockets gives him an opportunity to approach 50 DK points in a high-paced game.

Desmond Bane ($3,900) - On a six-game night, there isn't a ton of obvious value below the $4,000 threshold, but Bane is within reason given his standing in the Memphis rotation. The rookie is averaging double-digit points and 22.6 minutes a game, though he has played an average of 25.3 in his four most recent matchups. He's playing a role across both wing spots, which should do him a favor in the absence of the injured Dillon Brooks. Look for him to be close to 20 fantasy points against Dallas.

Small Forward

Jimmy Butler ($9,200) - Butler is one of those players you have to gravitate to on a nightly basis. Since he's come back from his COVID-related absence, he has been a player who should be listed near $10,000, but before this, he had failed to reach $9,000. That's why, despite the slight salary hike, he is an elite play against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are in the middle of the pack overall and versus Butler's small forward position, so at least for tonight, he makes sense as a better point-per-dollar play than LeBron.

Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,800) - If you sense a theme that you should be paying up at the guard spots, that's because you should. And because of that, you should be looking to the forward slots for some valuable minutes. Finney-Smith is one of those guys that can do it all, and while he isn't someone to expect 30-plus points from, he is a great stacking option with Doncic. The game provides a good environment for fantasy scoring, and Memphis is at the bottom of the league at defending the small forward position. Plan accordingly.

Power Forward

Jae'Sean Tate ($5,900) -- The Rockets are clearly in a state of flux. In addition to Victor Oladipo being doubtful to play Monday, Wood will remain out and DeMarcus Cousins -- who will play -- is not in the team's future plans as they look to trade him elsewhere. That means that a lot will be on the shoulders of Wall, but it should also amount to more opportunities for the younger Tate, who has already averaged nearly 34 minutes in his last four. During that time he's put up 30.3 DK points a game, including two straight with at least 36 fantasy points. He's a no-brainer versus the top-three pace of the Bulls.

Royce O'Neale ($4,500) - Again, value is at forward, and O'Neale should be at the top of your wish list for those players that can help you access the 50-point upsides of a Luka or Dame. He is locked in for 30 to 38 minutes on one of the West's top teams, and he should fly under the radar after a dud against the Los Angeles Clippers. Before that, he had three games of 25-plus DK points, which is enough to justify his salary on Monday night.

Center

Bam Adebayo ($8,800) - Spending at center is a very contrarian move, but if you're going that route Adebayo is the only one to consider for both cash and tournaments. He has proven over and over that he is a versatile contributor via points, rebounds, assists, and blocks even with Butler piling up numbers in his own right. That, in addition to a matchup with an OKC team allowing 55.6 DK points per game to centers, is enough of an argument to consider him over Butler regardless of salary.

Montrezl Harrell ($5,800) - Let's be clear: Harrell is a tournament-only option against the Washington Wizards. Anthony Davis has been ruled out for some time, but he hasn't seen a trickle-down to his playing time or shots to this point. That being said, he did just log a double-double in 24 minutes in a low-scoring game versus the Heat, and in his career, he has done that type of work before in limited time. If he's able to get 24 or more minutes again, he just might enjoy a monster game with the Wizards checking in third-worst against fantasy centers and number one overall in pace this year.

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 authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.