There are dominant defensive stretches, and then there's what the Orlando Magic have done over their last five games. The Magic have held their opponents below 95 points in five straight, and they are allowing a league-low 102.4 points per game this season. Orlando enters Monday's matchup against the Suns on a five-game winning streak, and given how dominant its defense has been, should daily Fantasy basketball players alter their NBA DFS strategy to avoid Phoenix options from the NBA DFS player pool?
The Suns continue to play without Kevin Durant (calf) and enter Monday on a three-game losing streak. But Phoenix still has pieces like Devin Booker, who scored 44 points on Sunday, so should you consider using him in NBA DFS lineups against Orlando's elite defense in one of the eight games on Monday? Before making any 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 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Friday (when McClure last made NBA DFS picks), McClure highlighted Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Cunningham had 16 points, six rebounds and 10 assists, returning 40 points on DraftKings and 36.2 points on FanDuel for NBA DFS lineups. 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 Monday, November 18
For Monday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is Raptors forward RJ Barrett, who is listed at $8,600 on DraftKings and $7,800 on FanDuel. Barrett is coming off his first career triple-double with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in a 126-123 overtime loss to the Celtics on Saturday. Barrett played 42 minutes for an injury-plagued Raptors team that remains without key starters like Scottie Barnes (eye) and Immanuel Quickley (elbow).
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft is averaging 21.7 points, 6.2 rebounds ad 6.6 assists and has scored more than 20 points in back-to-back games. The Raptors play the Pacers, who are allowing 116.6 points per game, the sixth-most in the league. McClure expects another significant usage from Barrett, making him an asset for Monday NBA DFS lineups.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering 76ers guard Jared McCain ($5,800 on DraftKings and $6,100 on FanDuel). The No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has played a significantly greater role than many would have expected entering the season. With Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) out, McCain is averaging 14.8 points, and most recently, he had 29 points and four assists against the Magic on Friday.
Along with Maxey, Joel Embiid is doubtful with an illness. McCain is averaging 28.3 points over his last four contests while playing at least 30 minutes in each game. He's been aggressive with his shot with at least 16 field goal attempts in all four games, and if Embiid can't play either on Monday, McCain could have one of the highest ceilings of any player at his price range for NBA DFS picks. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Monday, November 18
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.
