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Andr\u00e9 SnellingsNov 17, 2025, 12:40 PM ET<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Dr. Andr\u00e9 Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. Andr\u00e9 has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.<\/p>\n ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here, you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.<\/p>\n Jump ahead What you need to know for Monday<\/p>\n We’ve got eight games on schedule on Monday, featuring some fun matchups.<\/p>\n Let’s start in Minnesota, where one candidate for “future face of the NBA” gets his first introduction to the newest candidate. Anthony Edwards<\/a> of the Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> has drawn the public’s eye with his highlight-reel dunks and chase-down blocks, in addition to his steadily improving game that has led the Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. On Monday, he welcomes 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg<\/a> to town with the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> on the second half of a back-to-back.<\/p>\n The Chicago Bulls<\/a> just played an unexpected game-of-the-year candidate in a double-overtime, 150-147 loss to the Utah Jazz<\/a> on Sunday night. Their reward? The second half of an altitude back-to-back in Colorado against the scorching Denver Nuggets<\/a>. Ouch.<\/p>\n And the New York Knicks<\/a> and Miami Heat<\/a> conclude their home and away two-game set against one another, this one in Miami. Jalen Brunson<\/a> won’t play in this game, but he didn’t play in the last one either and the Knicks still won by eight in the Garden with Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> and Landry Shamet<\/a> combining for 75 points. What will we get in the rematch?<\/p>\n It’s a busy Monday night, with these and other storylines abounding. As we do, let’s dig deeper into the matchups to identify some fantasy streaming options and betting angles of interest to get your week started right.<\/p>\n Monday’s fantasy stream team<\/p>\n Daniss Jenkins<\/a>, PG, Detroit Pistons<\/a> (Rostered in 10.5% of ESPN leagues): Jenkins has burst onto the scene of late, taking advantage of added opportunity with Cade Cunningham<\/a> (hip) sidelined. Cunningham is questionable to play on Monday, and if he does play, then Jenkins returns to the bench. But remember: Jenkins was playing well even before Cunningham went down. In his last game next to Cunningham, Jenkins had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals in 34 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n Play the No. 1 fantasy game for free<\/p>\n Create or join a fantasy basketball league on ESPN. Your championship run starts today!<\/p>\n Sign up today!<\/a><\/p>\n Moussa Diabate<\/a>, PF\/C, Charlotte Hornets<\/a> (20.4%): Diabate is a walking double-double these days, despite largely coming off the bench. In his last three games he has averaged 11.7 PPG and 11.7 RPG, and he has four double-doubles in his last seven games despite only starting once in that stretch.<\/p>\n Duncan Robinson<\/a>, SF, Detroit Pistons (8.3%): Another Piston on this list, Robinson has found his shooting stroke with 17 total 3-pointers and an average of 17.0 PPG in his last four games. While the Pistons’ injuries of late may have given him more of a green light, Robinson’s role on the team is to knock down three’s and spread the floor. So even when the rest of his teammates get healthy, Robinson remains fantasy relevant as long as his shot is going down.<\/p>\n Dre’s favorite bets for Monday<\/p>\n Knicks and Heat over 244.5 total points (-110)<\/a> This is the highest scoring line on the board on Monday, but I’m still taking the over. The Heat play the fastest pace in the NBA by a significant margin, almost three full possessions per game faster than the second place Portland Trail Blazers<\/a>. This fast pace leads to high scoring games, as the Heat and their opponents have scored at least 246 total points in four straight games, and their average combined scoring total in those games is a whopping 265.8 PPG. The Knicks have been in their own share of shootouts of late, with three games combining for at least 251 points in their last five outings. These two teams just combined for 272 total points in their NBA Cup matchup on Friday.<\/p>\n Andre Drummond<\/a> over 23.5 total points and rebounds (-115)<\/a> Editor’s Picks<\/p>\n 2 Related<\/p>\n The Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> operate under the Joel Embiid<\/a> Flow Chart<\/a>, with different fantasy and betting strategies depending on the availability of the big man. On Monday, Embiid is out. The flowchart dictates that Drummond, his replacement at center, is a live play. In his last four games with Embiid out, Drummond has averaged 14.0 PPG and 12.3 RPG (26.3 P+R) while going over 23.5 P+R in three of the four games. Drummond may have an even larger role than usual on Monday, because backup center Adem Bona<\/a> is also sidelined.<\/p>\n Anthony Edwards<\/a> over 28.5 total points (-105)<\/a> Edwards has totaled 56 points in his last two games, an impressive feat considering he made only one of his 15 3-point attempts in that stretch. Edwards, the reigning NBA leader in made 3-pointers last season, is way too good of a shooter for that slump to last. On the season, subtracting the game Edwards went down injured and the first game back after his four-game absence, Edwards has scored 30 or more points in five of seven games. And on Monday, he faces a Mavericks defense that ranks 23rd in the NBA in points allowed to opposing shooting guards.<\/p>\n Evan Mobley<\/a> over 18.5 total points (-125)<\/a> Mobley has stepped up as the clear second option on offense for the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> this season as Darius Garland<\/a> deals with his toe injury. The result has been a Mobley that averages 19.2 PPG on the season and routinely scores more than 20 points. Mobley has at least 21 points in three of his last four and four of his last six games. On Monday, he faces a Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> defense that is tied for 24th in the NBA in points allowed to opposing power forwards. When he faced the Bucks earlier this season, Mobley dropped 23 points in 34 minutes.<\/p>\n Denver Nuggets -14.5 vs. Chicago Bulls (-110)<\/a> The Nuggets enter this game on a heater, winners of seven straight games and 10 of their last 11. Their last six consecutive wins have all been by double figures, and they won their last two home games by a combined 42 points. Meanwhile, the Bulls enter this game on a five-game losing streak and are on the second half of a road-road back-to-back where both games are played at altitude. They lost an incredibly taxing 150-147 double-overtime game to the Jazz on Sunday, they’ll again be without starting shooting guard Coby White<\/a> as he’ll sit for injury management, and given the circumstances it’s just hard to see them having the legs to keep up with a Nuggets team playing at this level.<\/p>\n Projections and Injury Reports<\/p>\n Basketball Power Index<\/a> by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET<\/a> Line: Bucks +6.5 (-105) | Cavaliers -6.5 (-115) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Bucks: Taurean Prince<\/a>, (OUT – Neck); Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Kevin Porter Jr.<\/a>, (OUT – Knee)<\/p>\n Cavaliers: Darius Garland<\/a>, (OUT – Toe); Jaylon Tyson<\/a>, (OUT – Concussion)<\/p>\n Line: Pacers +10.5 (-105) | Pistons -10.5 (-115) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Pacers: Obi Toppin<\/a>, (OUT – Foot); Tyrese Haliburton<\/a>, (OFS – Achilles); Bennedict Mathurin<\/a>, (GTD – Toe); Johnny Furphy<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Quenton Jackson<\/a>, (OUT – Hamstring); Kam Jones<\/a>, (OUT – Back); Aaron Nesmith<\/a>, (OUT – Knee)<\/p>\n Pistons: Ausar Thompson<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle); Cade Cunningham<\/a>, (GTD – Hip); Jalen Duren<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle); Bobi Klintman<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Jaden Ivey<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Tobias Harris<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Marcus Sasser<\/a>, (OUT – Hip)<\/p>\n Line: Clippers +5.5 (-110) | 76ers -5.5 (-110) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Clippers: Bradley Beal<\/a>, (OFS – Hip); Derrick Jones Jr.<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Jordan Miller<\/a>, (GTD – Hamstring); Kawhi Leonard<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle)<\/p>\n 76ers: Paul George<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Joel Embiid<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Kelly Oubre Jr.<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Adem Bona<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle)<\/p>\n Line: Knicks +1.5 (-105) | Heat -1.5 (-115) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Knicks: Miles McBride<\/a>, (GTD – Personal); Jalen Brunson<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Kevin McCullar Jr.<\/a>, (OUT – Back); OG Anunoby<\/a>, (OUT – Hamstring)<\/p>\n Heat: Bam Adebayo<\/a>, (OUT – Toe); Tyler Herro<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Terry Rozier<\/a>, (OUT – Not Injury Related)<\/p>\n Line: Hornets +8.5 (-110) | Raptors -8.5 (-110) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Hornets: Brandon Miller<\/a>, (OUT – Shoulder); Liam McNeeley<\/a>, (OUT – Illness); Grant Williams<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Josh Green<\/a>, (OUT – Shoulder)<\/p>\n Raptors: Jamison Battle<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Ochai Agbaji<\/a>, (GTD – Back)<\/p>\n Line: Mavericks +14.5 (-115) | Timberwolves -14.5 (-105) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Mavericks: Kyrie Irving<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Dante Exum<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Anthony Davis<\/a>, (OUT – Calf)<\/p>\n Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.<\/a>, (OUT – Foot)<\/p>\n Line: Thunder -17.5 (-110) | Pelicans +17.5 (-110) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Thunder: Nikola Topic<\/a>, (OUT – Groin); Thomas Sorber<\/a>, (OFS – Knee); Alex Caruso<\/a>, (GTD – Hand); Aaron Wiggins<\/a>, (OUT – Thigh); Jalen Williams<\/a>, (OUT – Wrist); Kenrich Williams<\/a>, (OUT – Knee)<\/p>\n Pelicans: Dejounte Murray<\/a>, (OUT – Achilles); Zion Williamson<\/a>, (GTD – Hamstring); Jordan Poole<\/a>, (OUT – Quadriceps)<\/p>\n Line: Bulls +14.5 (-110) | Nuggets -14.5 (-110) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Bulls: Tre Jones<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle); Zach Collins<\/a>, (GTD – Wrist); Coby White<\/a>, (OUT – Calf)<\/p>\n Nuggets: Christian Braun<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Cameron Johnson<\/a>, (GTD – Biceps); Julian Strawther<\/a>, (GTD – Back); Nikola Jokic<\/a>, (GTD – Wrist)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andr\u00e9 SnellingsNov 17, 2025, 12:40 PM ET CloseDr. Andr\u00e9 Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290830,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-290829","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290829\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Top streamers<\/a> | Best bets<\/a> | Odds & Injury report<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fba-1320x528_01.jpg\")
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![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401395_571_cle.png\")
Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> at Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a>
7 p.m. ET on Peacock<\/p>\n
Money line: Bucks +220 | Cavaliers -270
Total: 235.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 9.9, straight up 77%, 239.9 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401396_3_ind.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401396_529_det.png\")
Indiana Pacers<\/a> at Detroit Pistons<\/a>
7 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Pacers +400 | Pistons -600
Total: 230.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Pistons by 11.6, straight up 81%, 232.1 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401396_875_lac.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401397_509_phi.png\")
LA Clippers<\/a> at Philadelphia 76ers<\/a>
7 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Clippers +170 | 76ers -200
Total: 220.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: 76ers by 4.4, straight up 63%, 227.4 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401397_519_ny.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401397_129_mia.png\")
New York Knicks<\/a> at Miami Heat<\/a>
7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Knicks +105 | Heat -125
Total: 244.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Heat by 0.8, straight up 52%, 240.5 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401398_968_cha.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401398_821_tor.png\")
Charlotte Hornets<\/a> at Toronto Raptors<\/a>
7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Hornets +290 | Raptors -380
Total: 239.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Raptors by 9.3, straight up 76%, 231.9 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401398_630_dal.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401399_566_min.png\")
Dallas Mavericks<\/a> at Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a>
8 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Mavericks +550 | Timberwolves -900
Total: 230.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 11.6, straight up 81%, 232.3 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401399_529_okc.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401399_931_no.png\")
Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> at New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>
8 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Thunder -2500 | Pelicans +1100
Total: 223.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Thunder by 17.1, straight up 91%, 228.1 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401400_692_chi.png\")
![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763401400_755_den.png\")
Chicago Bulls<\/a> at Denver Nuggets<\/a>
9 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Bulls +550 | Nuggets -900
Total: 239.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Nuggets by 10, straight up 78%, 242.5 total points.<\/p>\n