Fantasy Basketball 2021: Daily Fantasy Picks for Monday's NBA Playoffs

With James Harden ruled out for Game 2 between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks, there are five superstars to choose from for Monday's FanDuel main slate contest. 

Only Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo come in with salaries above $10,000 in FanDuel daily fantasy basketball contests, so there should be plenty of cap flexibility to go around. 

There is at least a $2,500 drop off in salary from each of those three stars to the next players at their respective positions. That should allow you to mix and match a superstar and a value play at small forward and power forward.

At center, you have to decide between Jokic, Deandre Ayton or Brook Lopez. Ayton faces a difficult matchup against Jokic, while Lopez has the potential to rack up a steady collection of rebounds. 

If you go value with Lopez at center, then the possibilities are vast for the other four positions, especially with Devin Booker and Kyrie Irving under $10,000. 

The high usage rates of Durant and Antetokounmpo make it hard to ignore both players for DFS rosters. 

Durant has been over 50 FanDuel points in five of his last six games, while Antetokounmpo posted four totals over 54 points in the postseason. 

With Harden officially out with a hamstring issue, Durant should take more shots alongside Irving. More members of Brooklyn's supporting cast should be intriguing DFS options as well, but even if Blake Griffin or Joe Harris get hot, Durant will take a high volume of shots. 

In Game 1, Durant was 12-for-25 from the field and Antetokounmpo went 16-for-24. Both players recorded a double-digit rebound total as well. 

Since 199 field goals were attempted on Saturday, there should be ample rebounding opportunities for both players to start up transition moves. 

Antetokounmpo could be the more intriguing DFS option because the drop off to Aaron Gordon is $5,300. Gordon, Jae Crowder and Griffin are the only real power forward options after the Milwaukee star. 

Gordon does not score enough points to be a top DFS power forward, Crowder can be a bit streaky from three-point range and Griffin may not have another 18-point, 14-rebound game in him if the Bucks make the proper adjustments. 

At small forward, you could make a stronger case to avoid Durant's high salary with Michael Porter Jr. ($7,800) and Khris Middleton ($7,700) both on reasonable salaries. 

If you choose to roster one of the two players, it appears to make more sense to start Antetokounmpo based on the quality at power forward, unless you want to take a risk on players who could have lower roster percentages. 

The roster decision at center is not as straightforward as it appears with Jokic. 

Ayton comes in with a lower salary by $3,200, and he has achieved success in his meetings with the Denver Nuggets big man. 

According to Stat Muse, Ayton averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds in seven meetings against Jokic. If Ayton comes close to those totals in Monday's Game 1, he could have a FanDuel point total around the 40s or 50s. 

Ayton produced 40 or more FanDuel points in three of the first four games versus the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a trio of 20-point double-doubles to start the series. 

The concern with Ayton comes from his production in Games 5 and 6. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds, respectively, and his field-goal attempts dropped significantly. 

If the Ayton from the first three playoff contests shows up in Game 1, he could provide incredible value to a roster that could comfortably fit one of Durant and Antetokounmpo and Irving and Booker. 

If you do not trust Ayton, Lopez is worth serious consideration as a value play $6,000. He had 25.5 FanDuel points in Game 1 and could increase that total if Milwaukee's approach shifts in Game 2. 

The Bucks attempted 30 three-point shots, but Lopez and the four players who came off the bench to play more than 10 minutes combined for nine attempts. 

To beat Brooklyn, Milwaukee has to be more efficient from three-point range and Lopez has the potential to knock down a few triples. 

Lopez also has a solid rebounding opportunity in front of him because of all the shots taken in Game 1. If Khris Middleton is on the perimeter more, Lopez could see an uptick from the five boards he brought in on Saturday. 

With Irving and Booker under $10,000, it is not required to go with a value play at center, but if you do, Ayton and Lopez have the potential to score a decent amount to make you feel okay about not choosing Jokic.

Rostering a handful of stars should ensure you of a chance to finish in the money-winning positions, but to solidify a spot in those places, you may have to take a risk on one low-salary guard. 

Milwaukee's need to improve from three-point range could turn you on to Pat Connaughton ($4,000) or Bryn Forbes ($3,900) at shooting guard. 

Forbes could end up as the value play of the two-game slate because he had a pair of 20-point games versus the Miami Heat and attempted at least five three-point shots in his last four appearances. 

Connaughton comes with more of a risk since his only three-point attempt occurred at the end of Game 1, but if the Bucks try to correct their Game 1 shortcomings, they could turn him for a potential boost from beyond the arc. 

The ceiling for both players is around 25-30 FanDuel points, but at their value, it could be worth the risk to have some salary comfortability. 

At point guard, Cameron Payne ($5,300) appears to be the best value play because of his increased role off the bench for the Suns. 

Payne scored in double figures on four occasions against the Lakers and chipped in a handful of rebounds and assists across the series. 

Like the two Milwaukee guards, Payne always carries the potential to get hot from the field. He hit a trio of three-point shots in Games 2 and 3 versus the Lakers. 

With Monte Morris' salary increased to $6,700, Facundo Campazzo's production dropping off at the end of the Portland-Denver series and Mike James owning one strong playoff performance, Payne could be the perfect low-salary option to use at point guard to support Irving, Jrue Holiday or Chris Paul

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference.

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