This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Monday's two-game slate features a pair of Game 1's with the Bulls-Cavaliers and Clippers-Rockets series getting underway. There are some major storylines in both matchups, as Cleveland will have to adjust on the fly without Kevin Love (shoulder-done for season) and J.R Smith (suspended for first two games), and Los Angeles may be without its floor general in Chris Paul due to a hamstring injury. These developments have opened the door for some lower-salaried players to be relevant Monday.Point Guard
Jason Terry ($3,000)
There's a steep dropoff at point guard after the top three options, but Terry is worth a look if you want to save at that position. He got off to a good start in the Rockets' series with the Mavericks by scoring 16 points (6-10 FG, 4-7 3Pt) in Game 1, but he cooled off as the series progressed. Terry is reportedly dealing with hamstring soreness, but the added rest before this series tips off should have him close to full strength. The other lower salaried point guards have some major question marks, such as role (Aaron Brooks, Matthew Dellavedova), production (Pablo Prigioni) and track record (Lester Hudson). Again, point guard may be the position to spend at Monday with a good number of value plays at other spots, but Terry could provide serviceable production for just $3,000.
Shooting Guard
Iman Shumpert ($4,500)
Shumpert is primed to move into the starting lineup in lieu of the suspended J.R Smith, which gives him a substantial value boost. He posted 15 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals when given added playing time after Smith's ejection in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Celtics. It remains to be seen how head coach David Blatt doles out minutes with Smith's suspension and Kevin Love's shoulder injury leaving the cupboard a little bare, but Shumpert figures to be one of the beneficiaries. Shumpert's offensive production can be spotty, but his defensive contributions take some of the sting out of the occasional low scoring output.
Austin Rivers ($3,600)
This pick hinges almost entirely on Chris Paul's availability Monday, but if Paul (hamstring) is sidelined, Rivers becomes a decent play at a cheap cost. Rivers didn't match his Game 4 production in any of the final games of Los Angeles' opening round series (2-13 FG over last three games), but a minutes bump should help him post more viable FanDuel numbers. It's not likely that he goes 7-for-8 from the floor again like he did in Game 4 against the Spurs, but Paul's potential absence coupled with the Clippers' famously thin bench could end with Rivers logging a lot of minutes Monday.
Jamal Crawford ($5,100)
Crawford is easily Los Angeles' most valuable weapon off the bench and could be in line for an even bigger role Monday. He couldn't get his threes to fall in round one (20 percents shooting from deep), but he still managed to average 11.7 points per game against the Spurs. The matchup against Houston is much more favorable than the San Antonio draw, which points to a bounce back for Crawford. He averaged 21.7 points in three games against Houston during the regular season and shot over 50 percent from the floor. Crawford should be able to produce solid numbers Monday whether Paul is able to play or not.
Small Forward
Trevor Ariza ($6,000)
Ariza isn't a flashy pick, but the thin crop at small forward doesn't offer a ton of other options. He had a couple of underwhelming outings against Dallas, but his numbers against Los Angeles during the regular season were solid. In four appearances against the Clippers, Ariza averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. With the Clippers having to focus on slowing down James Harden and Dwight Howard, Ariza should get open looks in the series. He struggled from beyond the arc in the Dallas series, shooting just 22.7 percent from three-point range (1.0-4.4 3PM-3PA per game), but if he can bump that number closer to his season average of 35 percent, he'll provide a nice return for $6,000.
Power Forward
Tristan Thompson $4,900
Just like Shumpert's new-found fantasy relevance, Thompson also benefits from the Cavaliers' Lemony Snicket-esque series of unfortunate events. With Kevin Love out for the rest of the playoffs, Thompson will likely shoulder a good bit of the load at power forward. He has the skill set that should be useful against Chicago's tough front court. While he actually logged a series-low 22 minutes in the game when Love got hurt, Thompson will likely be a more important piece against Chicago than he was in Game 4 against Boston. With a sub-$5,000 price tag, Thompson is a good candidate to hit value Monday.
Josh Smith ($6,000)
Smith put together a very solid series in Round 1 against Dallas, averaging 17.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 25.6 minutes per game. Although Terrence Jones is the starter, Smith averaged slightly more minutes per game than Jones (25.4) and had better all-around production. The matchup against the Clippers is a tougher draw for Smith than Dallas was, but he should continue his strong play in this series. Los Angeles is coming off a grueling seven-game series that ended two days ago when DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin both played huge minutes. Also, Smith should get some favorable matchups against the Clippers' second unit assuming Doc Rivers doesn't play Jordan and Griffin all 48 minutes (I'm only half joking). Look for Smith to have a solid outing Monday against a potentially fatigued Clippers front court.
Center
Joakim Noah ($6,500)
If you're not going to shell out the $8,100+ for either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan on Monday, Noah is the next best option. Noah averaged just under 30 FDP in Chicago's opening-round series with Milwaukee and that number would be higher if not for a four-point, five rebound dud in Game 4. He was reportedly sick on Saturday but still managed to participate in most of practice, so he should be good to go against a Cleveland squad that he's not particularly fond of. He averaged a little more than 30 FDP in three regular-season meetings with the Cavaliers and is a safe play at center Monday.
