This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Monday's slate features a pair of pivotal games in the Golden State/Memphis and Atlanta/Washington series. The number one seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences both have their backs against the wall with the possibility of falling behind 3-1 in their respective series. The highest profile injury situation to keep an eye on is John Wall's. He is dealing with a fractured wrist and was still unable to dribble as of Sunday. If he sits out again Monday, Ramon Sessions and Bradley Beal both get upticks in value.
Monday's Value Plays
Point Guard
Ramon Sessions, WAS, $5,900: With John Wall (wrist) likely out yet again Monday, Sessions should remain a value play for Game 4. He wasn't overly involved in Game 3's victory with just a 2.9 Player Impact Estimate over 35 minutes, according to stats.nba.com. With that said, it's important to note that he went 2-for-10 in Game 3, his worst shooting outing of the postseason by far. If Sessions can get closer to his postseason field goal percentage of 42.6 on Monday, he should be in line for another productive outing against Atlanta. Again, you'll need to monitor Wall's situation prior to tip, but Sessions is going to be the Wizards' floor general Monday in all likelihood.
Mike Conley, MEM, $5,800: Yes, Conley costs less than Ramon Sessions on Monday. Obviously, Conley is banged up at this point, but it shouldn't be enough to hinder his stat line in Game 4. In his five appearances this postseason, Conley is averaging 23.1 FanDuel points and is shooting at a 50 percent clip. Like Sessions, Conley had a rough shooting performance Saturday (3-for-10) but still managed to finish with 17.5 FD points. Either Sessions or Conley would make solid plays at your second point guard slot Monday, or you could even use both to spend big at another spot.
Shooting Guard
Klay Thompson, GSW, $7,100: Thompson bounced back in Game 3 on Saturday after a quiet outing in Game 2 where he was 6-for-15 from the floor and 1-for-6 from deep. Saturday, he went 8-for-13 from the floor and 3-for-6 from three and also pulled down eight rebounds. It's somewhat of a scary proposition to use a guy like Thompson on Monday with the way Memphis is playing defense right now, but it might be worth it for the reasonable price. That said, it's easy to be a prisoner of the moment and forget how good Golden State's offense (and defense) has been all season thanks to two lackluster outings. Game 4 is pivotal for the Warriors, and I believe Thompson will rise to the occasion.
Kyle Korver, ATL, $6,100: There's not a whole lot of new things to say about Kyle Korver for the purposes of this article. As a Georgia resident who watches all of Atlanta's games, there are only a couple different types of Korver games: he's either raining threes, or you barely notice that he's been on the floor for almost 40 minutes. His three-point shooting has tailed off in this postseason, falling from just under 50 percent during the regular season to a relatively pedestrian 38 percent. Despite the dropoff in shooting, Korver's rebounding and defensive numbers have been solid. He's recorded a block, steal, or both in four of his last five games and is averaging just under six rebounds per game in the playoffs. He's only had two games under 20 FD points in nine games this postseason and very well could top that number Monday.
Small Forward
Otto Porter, WAS, $5,100: Porter has gone from bust to beast in this year's playoffs and is nearly averaging a double-double in Washington's series against Atlanta. He's getting about twice as much playing time in the playoffs than he did in the regular season, and his production has basically doubled as a result. Porter is a perimeter player with a wingspan over seven feet that helps him create turnovers and pull down rebounds. He's also shooting over 50 percent from the floor this postseason. At $5,100, Porter is a great value play Monday that should be able to fill the stat sheet once again.
Power Forward
Zach Randolph, MEM, $7,200: With a $3,200 dropoff between Randolph and the next highest salaried power forward, Z-Bo is basically a no-brainer option for Monday. He's the ninth-highest priced player on the board, but $7,200 is manageable for how many other bargain options are available for Monday's slate. Randolph has been a beast in this series with at least 34.4 FD points in each of the first three games. He's averaging 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists against Golden State in the playoffs, and the Warriors just got a little thinner up front with the injury to Marreese Speights (calf). Admittedly, Speights hasn't been a big factor in this series, but it's one less body that coach Steve Kerr can throw at Randolph. Look for Randolph to continue his strong play Monday.
Nene Hilario, WAS, $3,800: After a combined 7.9 FD points through the first two games of the series, Hilario went for 17 points and seven boards in Game 3 on Saturday and totaled 35.4 FD points. It's unlikely that he matches that kind of production again Monday now that he's back on Atlanta's radar, but he also shouldn't be a non-factor in Game 4 like he was earlier in the series. At just $3,800, you don't need another 35.4 FD points for Nene to reach value. If he can match his regular season average of 11 points and five rebounds on Monday, he'll be on the way to providing a nice return on a cheap salary.
Center
Marcin Gortat, WAS, $7,300: Gortat has been highly productive throughout the postseason, and while he hasn't been as dominant against Atlanta as he was against Toronto, he's still a nice option Monday. Not only has he scored in double figures in six straight games, but he's also averaging 10.2 rebounds per game in that span. If you aren't shelling out for Marc Gasol ($8,700) at center, Gortat is a nice consolation for just over $7K.
