This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
As the All-Star break approaches, we're presented with another smaller Monday night slate, bucking the trend of the NBA loading up Monday nights earlier in the season.
With only five games on the schedule, our options are somewhat limited, but with teams like Phoenix, Chicago, Golden State, Charlotte and Toronto all in action, plenty of big names will be in consideration for your FanDuel lineups.
Here's how the slate lines up, odds-wise, as of Monday morning:
Raptors at 
Hornets (+1.5)
Total: 224.0
Heat at 
Wizards (+6.5)
Total: 207.5
Suns at 
Bulls (+8.0)
Total: 227.5
Warriors at 
Thunder (+12.5)
Total: 210.5
Knicks at 
Jazz (-7.0)
Total: 219.0
Save for the Jazz, who will again be without Rudy Gobert, it's a slate loaded with road favorites. In terms of the over-unders, Suns-Bulls and Raptors-Hornets are shaping up to be perhaps the most fantasy-friendly contests.
Let's take a look at some of the top players on Monday's slate and highlight the best value plays at each position.
Check out RotoWire's player news feed and Starting Lineups Hub for up-to-the-minute injury and lineup information.
Point Guard
Chris Paul, $10,200 at CHI
The slate begins with the decision to play or pass on Paul, who continues to roll along as one of the most dependable players in all of fantasy basketball at any position. Paul is yet to miss a game this season, despite seeing his largest workload (33.1 MPG) since all the way back in 2014-15 when he was smack-dab in the middle of his prime. He's dipped below 47 FanDuel points only twice in his last 10 games. He matches up against a Bulls team that ranks 25th in defensive rating over its last 10 contests – the worst of any team on Monday's slate.
Fred VanVleet, $8,600 at CHA
If you want to save $1,600 and veer away from Paul, VanVleet is another strong option at point guard. He's riding a streak of four straight games with at least 40 FanDuel points, and most importantly he continues to approach 40 minutes on a nightly basis. The Hornets are a middle-of-the-pack defense of late, but they continue to play at one of the fastest paces in the league, so this could be a major pace-up game for Toronto, which ranks 27th in that category over the last 10 games.
Kyle Lowry, $5,600 at WAS
Lowry hasn't looked great in two games back from an extended personal absence, but he did see a full workload (31 minutes) in Saturday's win over the Hornets, finishing with nine points, six assists, four steals and two boards. He's only attempted seven shots in those two games, five of which have come from three-point range.
As he gets his bearings, the aggressiveness should return, and he'll be helped Monday by the expected absence of Tyler Herro (knee). There's also a good chance Jimmy Butler (toe) sits out. Lowry's upside isn't at the level it was earlier in the season, but given the circumstances he makes for a strong value play at this price.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker, $8,900 at CHI
In terms of higher-priced options, you're essentially choosing between Booker, DeMar DeRozan ($10,400) and Donovan Mitchell ($8,500), while Jimmy Butler ($9,600) could enter the mix if he's greenlighted to play. It's hard to ignore DeRozan coming off of Sunday's 45-9-7 line, but I lean toward saving a little cash and rolling with Booker, who's well-positioned to bounce back after a lackluster outing against Washington on Saturday (11 points, seven rebounds, five assists in 29 minutes).
Ty Jerome, $4,200 vs. GSW
Not exactly the sexiest recommendation, but Jerome has played a combined 48 minutes over the last two games, notching 25.6 and 22.4 FanDuel points, respectively. The Thunder's rotation can be difficult to project night-to-night, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) out through the All-Star break, Jerome's role should be secure enough to provide him with some lower-end upside as a cost-saving option.
Small Forward
Scottie Barnes, $6,200 at CHA
The rookie's scoring has been a bit up-and-down of late, but he's been incredibly consistent as a rebounder and, like VanVleet, he's locked into nearly 40 minutes per night. Over his last 10 games, Barnes is averaging 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in 38.8 minutes. If you're inclined to pay slightly more, I also like Miles Bridges at $7,000. He has comparable – if not higher – upside to OG Anunoby, who's priced at $8,000.
Javonte Green, $5,400 vs. PHO
Both in DFS and season-long fantasy, Green has emerged as a viable option since returning from an injury absence back on Jan. 24. He's been especially valuable over his last five games, averaging 14.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. He capped off that run with 17 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks in Sunday's loss to Philadelphia. If Zach LaVine (back) sits again Monday, Green has even more upside.
Power Forward
Bam Adebayo, $9,400 at WAS
Before tearing a ligament in his thumb at the end of November, Adebayo was off to a good-not-great start to the season. But since making his return on Jan. 17, he's raised his game to another level. Over the last 10 games, Adebayo is averaging 17.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting better than 77 percent at the free throw line.
He gets an excellent matchup against the Wizards, who are one of the league's poorest rebounding teams and have very little in the way of capable big men to slow down Adebayo. Deandre Ayton just torched Washington for 20 points, 16 boards, two assists and two steals in only 23 minutes Saturday night.
Mamadi Diakite, $3,900 vs. GSW
In a roundabout way, I guess I'm technically endorsing a Jerome-Diakite stack. A few weeks ago, Diakite wasn't on anyone's radar, but the Thunder have a way of propelling otherwise-forgotten players into prominent roles they wouldn't find with virtually any other organization. That's exactly where Diakite stands, as Monday will likely mark his fourth consecutive start at center. OKC is down Isaiah Roby (ankle), Mike Muscala (ankle) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (foot), so veteran Derrick Favors looms as Diakite's only real threat for minutes.
Center
Hassan Whiteside, $6,300 vs. NYK
Rudy Gobert (calf) will miss at least one more game, so Whiteside should remain a viable option Monday against a reeling Knicks team. By this point, we all know the caveats when it comes to Whiteside, but he's consistently produced big fantasy lines when the minutes are there. Over his last eight games, Whiteside is posting 11.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 29.5 minutes.
He'll likely split minutes with Udoka Azubuike ($3,900), who's another decent option coming off of back-to-back 20-plus-FanDuel-point games.
