NBA Early Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for December 29, 2025
Last updated: Dec 28, 2025, 7:57PM | Published: Dec 28, 2025, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Early Monday DFS contest starts at 7:40am AEDT on December 29, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Monday and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Early Monday slate features these games:
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs Philadelphia 76ers
- Toronto Raptors vs Golden State Warriors
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the most accurate DFS projections available.
With the latest NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best choices on Monday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC, PG) | $19,960 | 56.5 | 2.8 |
| Value | Sandro Mamukelashvili (TOR, PF/C) | $11,260 | 34.4 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Brandon Ingram (TOR, SF) | $14,920 | 35.8 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Moses Moody (GSW, SG/SF) | $8,730 | 25.9 | 3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | $19,960 | 56.5 | 2.8 |
| Value | Quentin Grimes (PHI) | $9,970 | 29 | 2.9 |
| Fade | Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | $19,980 | 49 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Alex Caruso (OKC) | $6,000 | 17 | 2.8 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | VJ Edgecombe (PHI) | $11,820 | 32 | 2.7 |
| Value | Moses Moody (GSW) | $8,730 | 25.9 | 3 |
| Fade | RJ Barrett (TOR) | $11,900 | 28.7 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Quentin Grimes (PHI) | $9,970 | 29 | 2.9 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jimmy Butler (GSW) | $14,180 | 40.6 | 2.9 |
| Value | Moses Moody (GSW) | $8,730 | 25.9 | 3 |
| Fade | Brandon Ingram (TOR) | $14,920 | 35.8 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Gary Payton (GSW) | $6,000 | 14.5 | 2.4 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Scottie Barnes (TOR) | $15,700 | 41.2 | 2.6 |
| Value | Sandro Mamukelashvili (TOR) | $11,260 | 34.4 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Jimmy Butler (GSW) | $14,180 | 40.6 | 2.9 |
| Cheapie | Draymond Green (GSW) | $9,910 | 25.6 | 2.6 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Chet Holmgren (OKC) | $12,880 | 37.1 | 2.9 |
| Value | Sandro Mamukelashvili (TOR) | $11,260 | 34.4 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Andre Drummond (PHI) | $11,950 | 30.2 | 2.5 |
| Cheapie | Draymond Green (GSW) | $9,910 | 25.6 | 2.6 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Early Monday teams, consider starting with a value player like Sandro Mamukelashvili. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Moses Moody.
On the other hand, according to our model, Brandon Ingram is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Early Monday slate closes at 7:40am AEDT on Monday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Early Monday contest. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Early Monday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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