NBA Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for December 22, 2025
Last updated: Dec 21, 2025, 11:57AM | Published: Dec 21, 2025, 7:59AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Monday DFS contest commences at 10:00am AEDT on December 22, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you put together your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on December 22 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Monday slate consists of the following games:
- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Milwaukee Bucks
- Sacramento Kings vs Houston Rockets
- New York Knicks vs Miami Heat
- Washington Wizards vs San Antonio Spurs
- Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
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 | Alperen Sengun (HOU, PF/C) | $19,880 | 52.6 | 2.6 |
| Value | Harrison Barnes (SAS, PF) | $7,700 | 24.1 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Kel'el Ware (MIA, C) | $13,080 | 22.2 | 1.7 |
| Cheapie | Julian Champagnie (SAS, SF) | $8,010 | 24.1 | 3 |
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're 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 | Jalen Brunson (NYK) | $17,930 | 50.2 | 2.8 |
| Value | Stephon Castle (SAS) | $14,380 | 42.9 | 3 |
| Fade | Malik Monk (SAC) | $10,230 | 19.8 | 1.9 |
| Cheapie | Reed Sheppard (HOU) | $9,930 | 28.4 | 2.9 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Anthony Edwards (MIN) | $17,860 | 49.5 | 2.8 |
| Value | Stephon Castle (SAS) | $14,380 | 42.9 | 3 |
| Fade | Malik Monk (SAC) | $10,230 | 19.8 | 1.9 |
| Cheapie | Jordan Clarkson (NYK) | $7,070 | 20.5 | 2.9 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Brandon Ingram (TOR) | $15,450 | 42.6 | 2.8 |
| Value | Julian Champagnie (SAS) | $8,010 | 24.1 | 3 |
| Fade | Michael Porter (BKN) | $18,300 | 35.9 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Ziaire Williams (BKN) | $6,520 | 19.6 | 3 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Alperen Sengun (HOU) | $19,880 | 52.6 | 2.6 |
| Value | Harrison Barnes (SAS) | $7,700 | 24.1 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Michael Porter (BKN) | $18,300 | 35.9 | 2 |
| Cheapie | Simone Fontecchio (MIA) | $6,750 | 18.7 | 2.8 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Alperen Sengun (HOU) | $19,880 | 52.6 | 2.6 |
| Value | Victor Wembanyama (SAS) | $17,960 | 49.7 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Kel'el Ware (MIA) | $13,080 | 22.2 | 1.7 |
| Cheapie | Steven Adams (HOU) | $8,240 | 21.6 | 2.6 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Monday teams, consider starting with a value player like Harrison Barnes. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Alperen Sengun is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Julian Champagnie.
On the other hand, according to our model, Kel'el Ware 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 Monday slate closes at 10:00am 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 Monday slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Monday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
