This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
With a short, six-game slate Monday, it may be wise to employ a savers mentality for fantasy lineups. There are only five players priced $41 and higher, including DeMarcus Cousins, LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas. Karl-Anthony Towns may be the most appealing of the elite options, priced at $45 despite averaging 54.88 fantasy points per game over his past five. Aside from those four, the rest of the pack is made up of mostly players in the $20-$35 range, making it easier to balance your budget and find consistency throughout your lineup.
GUARDS
Mike Conley, MEM at PHO ($35): You're likely aware of how bad the Suns defense has been this season. Only Phoenix can make the Grizzlies offense look above average, and Conley has been one of Memphis' bright spots in that department. He had 23 points (36.6 fantasy points) against the top-ranked Jazz defense Saturday and has provided over a point-per-dollar the past two games. With few elite options available at point guard on the short slate, Conley makes for a solid mid-tier pick with upside and affordability.
Dion Waiters, MIA vs. BKN ($21): Waiters has cooled off considerably since scoring 33 points in back-to-back games Jan. 21-23. Still, the Heat shooting guard has been able to exceed his salary in terms of fantasy points in five straight games. Waiters had success on the road against the Nets, scoring 24 points with an unorthodox eight assists and five rebounds for 41.0 fantasy points on Jan. 25. Chances are a lot of lineups will target Waiters in this matchup, making him an ideal cash-game play, but a bit less appealing for bigger tournaments.
Guard to Avoid
Devin Booker, PHO vs. MEM ($29): Booker has gone 12 straight games with at least 20 points, but that streak could come to an end against the Grizzlies, who are allowing just 38.67 fantasy points per game to shooting guards. Booker should see a lot of Tony Allen throughout the game, which will affect his ability to get open looks from beyond the arc, where he does most of his damage.
FORWARDS
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC at PHI ($54): If you're going to go with any of the high-priced players as a lineup anchor, Boogie is your best bet against the 76ers. Cousins has gone eight straight games with a double-double, and he scored 30 points against Philadelphia on Dec. 26. The 76ers will be on the second game of a back-to-back after playing the Bulls on Sunday. Joel Embiid was rested Sunday in hopes of playing Monday, which makes life a bit tougher for Cousins, but not enough to make you reconsider employing him in your lineup.
Dario Saric, PHI vs. SAC ($11): It's hard to overlook Saric, particularly in cash games as a cheap lineup filler. He's scored in double figures in three straight games, including 17 in a 114-109 win against the Bucks on Jan. 25. He's playing over 20 minutes consistently now and Embiid's presence in the lineup should only help his ability to get more open looks. Saric has been strong on the glass, a department the Kings tend to struggle in, ranking 23rd in rebounding differential (minus-1.7).
Forward to Avoid
Serge Ibaka, ORL at MIN ($27): Ibaka laid an egg with four points and zero rebounds in a loss to the Celtics on Friday. He's scored over 30 fantasy points in two of his past eight games, and just isn't worth paying this much with the risk of underperforming again. You would think the matchup against the T-Wolves would be a positive for Ibaka, but Minnesota has defended the power forward position well this season. Pistons forward Tobias Harris ($25) has been more consistent and saves you a few bucks.
CENTERS
Andre Drummond, DET at BOS ($32): The price on Drummond is almost too nice to pass up given his ability to exceed it in terms of fantasy production. Drummond has scored at over 40 fantasy points in 16 of 46 games this season (34.8 percent), which are nice odds he'll return value in tournaments. It wasn't recently, but Drummond had 20 points and 17 rebounds against Boston for 47.4 fantasy points on Nov. 30. His defense has led to a nice boost too, as he has at least three steals in four of the past five games.
Tyson Chandler, PHO vs. MEM ($19): Chandler has emerged as one of the premier boom-bust centers in DFS. His past three games are a good indicator of what to expect: he had 46.4 fantasy points Tuesday, 15.5 on Thursday and 33.6 on Saturday. While his rebounding has been consistent (12.2 per game), its Chandler's scoring that usually allows him to exceed value for tournaments. In the past 11 games, Chandler hasn't had fewer than 29.0 fantasy points when he scores in double figures.
Center to Avoid
Hassan Whiteside, MIA vs. BKN ($41): Buyer beware, paying up for Whiteside might be too risky to consider Monday against the Nets. Sure, playing Brooklyn may be exactly what Whiteside needs to shake his ankle injury, but that red flag should be enough to steer you to Drummond or even Marc Gasol ($34). Prior to injuring his ankle against the Nets on Jan. 25, Whiteside had gone five straight games without reaching 40 fantasy points. Fading Whiteside has more to do with the other options available than what to expect from him against Brooklyn.
