FanDuel NBA DFS Picks for Today (Friday, 2/28/25): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Friday nights belong to NBA hoops! We have a nice, big 10-game slate on tap for NBA DFS contests on FanDuel tonight, and I'm back again to break it down for you and help you get your daily research started!

I always make it a point to recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. If you want DraftKings picks, see who Zach Thompson likes by reading his piece here.

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/28/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

Devin Booker, PHX - SF/SG ($9.4K) 

Booker came through for us as a core player yesterday, posting 57 FD points in 41 minutes against the Pelicans. He stepped up with Bradley Beal out and led the team in scoring, and now he gets the Pelicans again today in a very odd back-to-back against the same opponent.

Even if Beal does suit up, Booker has had a great floor lately, with 40+ FD points in four straight games. Last night's game was predictably high-scoring, and the Suns lost yet another game to an inferior team. Tonight is likely to be another high-scoring affair, with Booker putting up big stats as his team desperately tries to get a win.

Santi Aldama, MEM - PF/C ($5.8K)

Aldama is the definition of a "safe cash play" tonight at this price. Despite coming off the bench for Memphis, he's seen 31, 28, and 31 minutes in his last three games.

Santi Aldama : 17 points (6-9 shooting & 5-7 from 3), 6 rebounds, 5 assists & 3 steals in 32 minutes off the bench pic.twitter.com/QaUStT4lzx

— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) February 26, 2025

Aldama is a gifted offensive player who can stretch the floor in a way that Zach Edey can not. He's closing games alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. and putting up good numbers. He's been good for around 30 FD points or more in five of his last six games, and he's a cheap piece of the game with the highest total on the board.

Josh Giddey, CHI - PG/SG ($8.6K)

Giddey continues to flirt with triple-doubles on a nightly basis as the Bulls have given him the keys to the offense. He had another solid line against the Clippers on Wednesday, posting 21-8-12 and dropping 46.6 FD points.

Tonight the new-look Bulls will face the Raptors in a battle of two tanking teams that should stay close and be pretty high-scoring. I think Giddey has a fantastic floor and a massive ceiling in this spot that we just saw Tyrese Haliburton go 33-3-11 in on Wednesday.

Zach Collins, CHI - PF/C ($6,300)

I'm glad I had Collins in all my lineups on Wednesday as the big man had his best game of the season while filling in once again at center for an ailing Nikola Vucevic.

.@zcollins_33 with a big game last night in Chicago 🔴

21 PTS // 8-14 FG // 17 REB // 7 AST pic.twitter.com/Hi9cHmgWii

— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) February 27, 2025

He followed up his 31 FD points on Monday with 55 FD points on Wednesday. Now he's set to start again tonight against the Raptors, with Vucevic doubtful. Toronto has allowed the sixth-most FD points to big men this season, so the matchup here is tasty, too.

Others Under Consideration: Nikola Jokic - C ($12.8K), Cade Cunningham - PG ($10.5K)

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Donovan Mitchell, CLE - PG/SG ($8.6K)

If you only play Donovan Mitchell against the Celtics and never use him against any other teams, you'd be doing well this season. While Mitchell has stepped back this year and allowed his younger teammates, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, to have bigger roles on offense, he's been ready to step up against Boston when the Cavs need every bucket they can get to upset the defending champs.

Mitchell has averaged 33.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season across three matchups with Boston. While the Cavs are usually a team I avoid because they are so balanced, I think we can invest in Spider Mitchell tonight in case he puts Cleveland on his back down the stretch in this game once again.

Jalen Brunson, NYK – PG ($9.3K)

With Karl-Anthony Towns questionable, I'd be ready to queue up Jalen Brunson tonight against Memphis. This game has a massive total, and the Grizzlies have been quite poor defensively this year, allowing themselves to get drawn into fast-paced shootouts quite often.

If we look at the last 15-game sample, the Grizzlies have allowed the fifth-most FD points to opposing point guards. With so many other good plays on this slate, it's quite possible that Brunson gets overlooked tonight.

Chet Holmgren, OKC - PF/C ($8.0K)

He's back! Chet has been working his way back into the lineup slowly after missing a huge chunk of the season with a major injury. Isaiah Hartenstein did a nice job filling in while Chet was out, but it's becoming quite clear that OKC prefers to have Holmgren out there more often than Hartenstein.

Chet Holmgren vs Brooklyn:

22 PTS
17 REB
4 AST
2 STL
3 BLK

The first player in Thunder history to reach those numbers in a game. pic.twitter.com/MSeKn7pZ9S

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 27, 2025

Chet finally played over 30 minutes in his last game and posted a massive 22 points and 17 boards with five stocks on his way to 63 FD points. OKC loves the flexibility that Chet offers them to play big by sliding him to the four with Hartenstein at center or go small with Holmgren at the five and Jalen Williams sliding down to PF.

Atlanta has a big hole at the four right now, with guys like Georges Niang and Mouhamed Gueye trying to hold down the fort and Onyeka Okongwu at center. Both guys are no match for Holmgren, who is now officially underpriced if he's set to return to his 30 to 32-minute role.

Others Under Consideration: Tyrese Haliburton - PG/SG ($9.0K), Naz Reid - PF/C ($8.1K), Kawhi Leonard - SF/PF ($8.0K)

FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Killian Hayes, BKN – PG ($4.9K)

Cam Thomas returns for the Nets tonight, but we have no idea how many minutes he will play and he's a shooting guard, not a primary ball-handler, so Hayes is likely to retain his starting spot at point guard until D'Angelo Russell returns.

Tyus Jones, PHX - PG ($4.9K)

Bradley Beal missed last night's game, and Jones moved back into the starting lineup as the Suns went small. He killed it with 15 points and 12 assists, racking up 42 FD points, which was good for 8x value on this price tag. Keep an eye on Beal's status today, and if Jones gets another start against the Pelicans, fire him up as one of the better values on this slate.

Karlo Matkovic, NOP - PF/C ($4.6K)

Kelly Olynyk's absence allowed Matkovic to start last night, and he didn't disappoint - finishing with 17 points and 10 boards in 35 minutes. While Kelly O could return tonight, we could also see Zion Williamson rest on the second night of a back-to-back. If that happens, then I would expect Matkovic to get at least 25 minutes tonight in the same good matchup.

Jabari Walker, POR – PF ($4.3K)

Walker is a very risky play as Portland rarely gives him heavy minutes, even though he's shown the ability to produce. He can play small ball center, backing up Donovan Clingan, but he can also play PF, which is his natural position. If Deni Avdija misses tonight's game, I'd have more confidence in firing up Walker.

Others Under Consideration: Aaron Nesmith - SF/PF ($4.7K), Aaron Wiggins - SF ($5.1K), Malik Beasley - SG/SF ($5.3K)

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Josh Giddey
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Devin Booker
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Donovan Mitchell
• My favorite VALUE play: Tyus Jones (if Beal sits)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis