We are about a month into the 2023-24 NBA season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the biggest surprises in the league. After losing in the first round of the playoffs last season, the Timberwolves enter Monday with the best record in the West at 9-3. Anthony Edwards (26 points per game) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21.7) have been key reasons for the overwhelming success, so, as they host the Knicks on Monday, should you include them in NBA DFS lineups? The Wolves are 5-0 and averaging 115 PPG at home this season, so how should that factor into forming an NBA DFS strategy?
Monday’s eight-game NBA DFS player pool includes top options such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum, so which stars should you include in NBA DFS picks on Monday? Jokic had a season-low 18 points on Sunday, so is he worth adding to NBA DFS lineups with his hefty price tag? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Saturday, McClure highlighted Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Bane had 26 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal, returning 40.75 points on DraftKings and 39 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Monday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Monday, November 20
For Monday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet, who is listed at $7,500 on DraftKings and $8,000 on FanDuel. The 29-year-old is coming off a 15-point, 16-assist performance against the Lakers on Sunday after recording 19 points and 10 assists against the Clippers on Friday. VanVleet is fourth in the NBA in assists (8.8 per game) with at least eight assists in six of his last eight games to go with 17.2 points per game this year.
Houston signed VanVleet to a three-year, $130 million contract this offseason and said he would “prove every penny” after signing the deal. Some may have been skeptical about giving more than $43 million annually to an undrafted player, but VanVleet has certainly played to his contract to begin the year. The eight-year veteran has averaged at least 19 points in each of the last three seasons and has maximized his role as one of the leaders on a young Houston team. He could see a favorable matchup against the Warriors, who have allowed at least 128 points in back-to-back games.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes stacking VanVleet with power forward Jabari Smith ($5,600 on both DraftKings and FanDuel). The No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 12.2 points and 6.8 rebounds after averaging 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season. He is shooting far more efficiently this season, making 47% of his field goals after shooting 40.8% from the field as a rookie.
Smith has played at least 32 minutes in back-to-back games and had 14 points and five rebounds against the Lakers on Sunday. With the way VanVleet has been spreading the ball around lately, Smith’s ability to stretch the floor should allow him to find space to knock down shots against a struggling Warriors team. Smith comes at a price that allows you to still roster some of the higher-priced players while forming a quality Rockets stack for Monday NBA DFS lineups.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Monday, November 20
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Monday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Monday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
