FanDuel NBA DFS Picks for Today (Friday 11/15/24): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Friday's 13-game slate doesn't come without challenges as several big-time players are currently listed as questionable. What our final lineups look like will depend a lot on the status of Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaden Ivey, Desmond Bane, Rui Hachimura, Nicolas Claxton, Andre Drummond, and Jusuf Nurkic.

In today's edition, I recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. Read my buddy Zach Thompson's article for advice on the DraftKings NBA slate!

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 11/15/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

Jalen Williams, OKC – SF/PF ($8,400)

Williams has become a fixture in this article, making his third straight appearance!

But if it's not broken, why fix it? Williams dropped 50 FD points against the Clippers on Monday and a whopping 64 FD points against the Pelicans on Wednesday. His price continues to inch up only $200 per slate and he remains one of the most underpriced plays on the slate tonight as a result.

Williams is starting at center for the Thunder, who are proving that you can win without a traditional big man right now. He does a little of everything on the court, including playing some great defense as he's now averaging three blocks/steals combined per game. That's 9 FD points right there before we even start adding up the counting stats!

Cade Cunningham, DET – PG ($9,500)

The Detroit point guard is off to an incredible start to the season. Over his last six games, Cunningham is averaging a near triple-double with 23.5 points, nine rebounds, and 10.5 assists.

Cade Cunningham is playing with great offensive physicality...

Getting in the paint w/o a screen this season! Weaponizing pointy elbows and shoulders, & bruising defenders. Creating some space and then closing the gap with force. Next he needs to get some foul calls at the rim! pic.twitter.com/XmCvGtWRPA

— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 13, 2024

Detroit is playing well and should have beaten Miami on Wednesday night, but allowed the Heat to come back in the final seconds to tie the game and then lost in overtime. They have a good matchup for fantasy points tonight against the Raptors, who have the second-worst defensive rating in the league after Washington.

Cunningham's backcourt-mate Jaden Ivey could miss another game tonight, too, pushing even more scoring and ball-handling responsibilities his way. Whether Ivey plays or not, Cunningham is a great play in all formats and I expect he will be a popular option, too.

Jordan Poole, WAS – PG/SG ($7,900)

A few lackluster games last week caused Poole's salary to dip back down below 8k and now it's time to fire him back up as the Wizards face the Hawks tonight for the third time this season.

This game has a 240-point total and easily the highest projected pace as both teams have been playing fast so far this season. Poole is coming off a massive 42-point outing against the Spurs in which he finished with 56 FD points. With Kyle Kuzma back in the lineup, this Wizards team is less of a pushover and they can compete with Atlanta tonight despite being a 9-point underdog.

Poole finished with 37 and 45 FD points in the first two games with Atlanta, which is probably closer to his floor in this game environment but still represents around 5x value on his salary. I think he's a great play for cash games and should be included in your ATL-WAS game stacks, too.

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Donovan Mitchell, CLE – PG/SG ($8,700)

The Cavs continue their quest tonight to stay undefeated and will get a rematch with a Chicago Bulls team that challenged them on Monday night and forced Mitchell into superstar mode to get Cleveland the win.

Mitchell's price is as low as it is because the Cavs had been in cruise control for much of the early season - getting big leads and resting their starters. When Cleveland is comfortably ahead, Mitchell has no problem letting the other Cavs do the heavy lifting, but when they are pushed into close games, he usually rises to the occasion.

That's exactly what he's done in his last two games, posting 60 and 58 FD points against Chicago and Philadelphia. The Bulls allow the second-most FD points to shooting guards this season and Mitchell's price makes him a very appealing GPP play tonight as he has a higher ceiling than just about every other sub-9k player.

Tyler Herro, MIA – SG/SF ($7,500)

With no Jimmy Butler again tonight, it's going to be more "Herro-ball" for the Heat. Sorry, that was some low-hanging fruit that just had to be picked!

Tyler Herro over the last 5 games:

29.0 PPG
6.2 APG
5.4 RPG
53% FG
50% 3P

Playing like an All-Star. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/A1M3uWZvee

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 14, 2024

Herro put the team on his back on Wednesday night and came up clutch with some big threes down the stretch to get the game to overtime. His 69 FD-point outing was his best of the season and the second time he's cracked the 50 FD-point barrier this year.

He's probably about $1000 too cheap for his role on this team without Butler and in what projects to be a close game with Indiana, he's a good bet to exceed 6x tonight.

LeBron James, LAL - SF/PF ($10,200)

What the King is doing right now is simply amazing. The 39-year-old has three straight triple-doubles and 50 or more FD points in six straight games.

The Lakers have the Spurs tonight in a game that is only a one-point spread. San Antonio has been playing well behind their young phenom Victor Wembanyama. I'm not one for narratives, but I am sure the King wants to remind the young buck that he can still get it done.

LeBron has simply had one of the highest ceilings of anyone not named Jokic lately and you'd be wise to get at least some exposure tonight across your lineups.

Others Under Consideration: Jaren Jackson Jr. - PF/C ($8,000), Jalen Johnson - SF/PF ($8,600), De'Aaron Fox - PG ($8,500)

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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Kevin Huerter, SAC – SG/SF ($5,100)

Malik Monk is out again and DeMar DeRozan is listed as doubtful. That means that Huerter should draw a start and likely get a pretty big bump in usage as a result. He's eclipsed 40 FD points in two of his last three games and he's easily my favorite value on the board if he plays 35 minutes tonight.

Malik Beasley, MIL – PG ($4,900)

Beasley went off in his first start for the Pistons on Wednesday, dropping 26 points, 10 boards, and four assists on his way to 42 FD points. Tim Hardaway Jr. looks to be out again tonight, so Beasley should start at small forward again. And if Jaden Ivey is out, too, then Beasley would stand to benefit even more in terms of usage.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., MIA – SG/SF ($5,200)

Jaquez Jr. missed some time last week and is working his way back into his regular minutes. He played 24 minutes on Wednesday against the Pistons and produced 28.5 FD points. The Heat badly need his scoring with Jimmy Butler out, so expect him to continue a high usage role off the bench, and don't be surprised if he plays closer to 28 minutes tonight in a close game.

Naz Reid, MIN – PF/C ($5,300)

It's yet another slate with Reid priced fairly at power forward and center. We know he has a great floor with his high-usage bench role, but he has a massive ceiling for a 5k player, too. The last time he faced the Kings earlier this season, he went for 19 points and 13 rebounds on his way to 37 FD points.

Others Under Consideration: Nikola Jovic - PF ($4,700), DeAndre Hunter - PF ($5,000), Yves Missi - C ($5,200), Ryan Dunn - SF ($3,900)

Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks

Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards (240.5 total, 9-point spread)

This one could be wild as you could argue that the total might still be low based on the torrid pace that these teams play this season. Trae Young is back for the Hawks and is a nice GPP target here. However, his return probably means that Dyson Daniels is now overpriced as a result. DeAndre Hunter makes his return to the lineup, too, which muddies things up a bit for the rotation at power forward but makes him a solid, cheap target.

Jordan Poole is the first Wizard to click and then it gets more complicated after that. Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George are potential options here as their minutes seem secure even with Kyle Kuzma returning to the lineup, but Jonas Valanciunas ($5,900) might be my favorite pivot as he's been very effective this season even in limited minutes.

Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder (228 total, 7-point spread)

The Suns are without Bradley Beal tonight once again and will be without Kevin Durant for at least another week. Plus Jusuf Nurkic is questionable, too, which could end up leaving them very short-handed.

Devin Booker should be the main guy for the Suns in this one with Ryan Dunn being a possible cheap piece to play if he draws another start.

On the OKC side, both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are the main pieces with role players like Aaron Wiggins ($5,200) and Cason Wallace ($4,400) having some upside as they're both playing close to 30 minutes since Chet Holmgren went down.

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: Jordan Poole
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Cade Cunningham
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Donovan Mitchell
• My favorite VALUE play: Kevin Huerter

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