NBA Early Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for January 20, 2025
Last updated: Jan 19, 2025, 7:57PM | Published: Jan 19, 2025, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Early Monday DFS contest begins at 7:10am AEDT on January 20, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on January 20 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Early Monday slate includes the following games:
- Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs
- Orlando Magic vs Denver Nuggets
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the best 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 | Victor Wembanyama (SAS, C) | $20,780 | 57 | 2.7 |
| Value | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ORL, SG) | $7,380 | 21.1 | 2.9 |
| Fade | Michael Porter (DEN, PF/SF) | $12,600 | 26.5 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Tristan da Silva (ORL, SF) | $6,510 | 17.4 | 2.7 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer 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 those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options highlight 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 | Tyler Herro (MIA) | $16,750 | 45.5 | 2.7 |
| Value | Tyler Herro (MIA) | $16,750 | 45.5 | 2.7 |
| Fade | Cole Anthony (ORL) | $14,490 | 32.4 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | Tre Jones (SAS) | $6,000 | 14.3 | 2.4 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tyler Herro (MIA) | $16,750 | 45.5 | 2.7 |
| Value | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ORL) | $7,380 | 21.1 | 2.9 |
| Fade | Stephon Castle (SAS) | $11,730 | 27.7 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Julian Strawther (DEN) | $6,540 | 16.4 | 2.5 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jimmy Butler (MIA) | $13,650 | 36.3 | 2.7 |
| Value | Devin Vassell (SAS) | $12,860 | 34.9 | 2.7 |
| Fade | Michael Porter (DEN) | $12,600 | 26.5 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Tristan da Silva (ORL) | $6,510 | 17.4 | 2.7 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Paolo Banchero (ORL) | $18,150 | 38.3 | 2.1 |
| Value | Keldon Johnson (SAS) | $9,340 | 23.8 | 2.6 |
| Fade | Michael Porter (DEN) | $12,600 | 26.5 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Jaime Jaquez (MIA) | $8,740 | 21.3 | 2.4 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Victor Wembanyama (SAS) | $20,780 | 57 | 2.7 |
| Value | Wendell Carter (ORL) | $10,890 | 30.9 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Nikola Jokić (DEN) | $26,300 | 55.8 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Charles Bassey (SAS) | $6,610 | 16.6 | 2.5 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Early Monday teams, consider starting with a value player like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Victor Wembanyama is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Tristan da Silva.
On the other hand, according to our model, Michael Porter is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Early Monday slate closes at 7:10am 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 slate. The unique insights here can give you an edge 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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