The first slate of 2023 featured three games on Sunday, and Nikola Jokic is doing all the same things he did last year. The big man topped the fantasy leaderboard once again in his usual fashion, but he wasn't the only player who kicked off January on a high note. We'll go over who's hot and who's not before identifying a strong DFS play ahead of Monday's 12-game slate here.
Who's hot
The Denver Nuggets didn't need Jamal Murray to take down the Boston Celtics over the weekend. Nikola Jokic kicked off 2023 with a triple-double and tallied 30 points with 12 rebounds and 12 assists. That marked the two-time MVP's second consecutive triple-double. He leads the league with nine this season. Jokic trails Doncic in fantasy points but just might be well on his way to a third straight MVP award at this pace.
Morant's carrying a heavy scoring load for the Memphis Grizzlies despite Desmond Bane's recent return. The point guard notched 35 points in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and has now scored at least 32 points in four of his last five games. Morant's also averaged 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per contest over that span while converting just over 50 percent of his field goals. Bane's still finding his footing as a scorer, and Morant's performed at a high level all year when healthy.
The Grizzlies have been shorthanded on bigs lately, and Adams has taken advantage by dominating the boards. He's recorded three consecutive double-doubles and wrapped up Week 11 with 11 points and 23 rebounds against the Kings. It'll be hard for Adams to keep up this level of production once Santi Aldama, Brandon Clarke, and others are good to go, but he's enjoying his time in the spotlight for now.
Who's not
Brogdon has a nice stretch in mid-December but tailed off in the back half of the month. Much was made of the sixth man's move to Boston over the offseason, but his point, rebound and assist averages are the lowest they've been since 2017. Brogdon's posted just 6.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 boards while shooting 36 percent from the field over his previous four outings. It'll be hard to play him with confidence while Marcus Smart and Derrick White are healthy.
DFS play
Darius Garland is dealing with a thumb injury and is doubtful to play on Monday, so LeVert could step into the starting lineup for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The combo guard scored 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists without Garland in his final game of December against the Chicago Bulls. LeVert's logged seven games without Garland this season and recorded 16.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game in those contests. I like his chances to replicate his latest stat line against the Bulls in a rematch on Monday. Especially if Alex Caruso doesn't clear concussion protocol.
Still deciding who to lock in for your DFS roster? We've identified a player worth locking in and one to avoid ahead of tip-off below, but you can get my full selection of stud and value plays at each position by heading over to SportsLine.
