RADIO
The NBA Emirates Cup continues on Tuesday with five more games on the main FanDuel slate that are part of Group Play. Because these games are part of the tournament, they are all in-conference matchups and carry a little extra weight since they will help determine who advances to the Knockout Stage. To give teams a better chance to be at their best, no team is on the second night of back-to-back games. However, nine of the 10 teams in action do play again on Wednesday as part of the massive 14-game schedule for the day before Thanksgiving.
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.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 11/26/24. 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.
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FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Zach LaVine, CHI – SF/SG ($7,600)
The Bulls and Wizards meet in the matchup with the highest over/under on Tuesday's slate by a wide margin. This matchup between up-tempo teams without a lot of defense offers plenty of potential value which we'll get to later in this post, but let's start at the top with LaVine, who brings a ton of upside as the centerpiece of the Bulls' offense. His salary under $8,000 makes him affordable compared to his ceiling. On the season, he has produced 35.1 FanDuel points per game at the rate of 1.03 FanDuel points per minute on his team-leading 25.4% usage rate.
He has stepped up with at least 25 points in six of his last eight games and in each of his last four.
Zach LaVine last four games:
29 PTS
26 PTS
27 PTS
25 PTSon 55/51/100% shooting. pic.twitter.com/otbMfHel8F
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 25, 2024
He should be able to continue to fill it up against the Wizards, who have been a great matchup for opposing wings. No team in the NBA has allowed more FanDuel points per game to opposing small forwards than the Wizards, so look for LaVine to keep cooking.
Anthony Davis, LAL – C/PF ($11,400)
The Lakers visit the Suns as they look to stay undefeated in Group Play and take their second straight NBA Emirates Cup. They have lost two straight, though, so they'll be looking for Davis to bounce back from a down game against the Nuggets to help them get back in the win column. AD only had 14 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday against Denver to finish with "only" 44.5 FanDuel points on 6-of-19 shooting. He had posted over 55 FanDuel points in each of his previous five games.
Davis is averaging a solid 55.4 FanDuel points per game this season on 30.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. He gets a much better matchup vs. the Suns in this bounce-back spot on Tuesday. He lit them up for 58.6 FanDuel points in this game back on October 25 at the start of this season.
Anthony Davis Highlights vs Suns
35 points
10 rebounds
4 assists pic.twitter.com/wn7CKDBHwp— LakersSpin (@LakersSpin) October 18, 2024
Davis faced them again on October 28 and had 60.5 FanDuel points with 29 points and 15 rebounds. He should be set to bounce back and light them up for a third time since the Suns don't have a big man who can slow him down.
Walker Kessler, UTA – C ($6,000)
Kessler returned from a six-game absence due to hip bursitis on Saturday, and he jumped right back into the lineup and played 35 minutes against the Knicks. He had 11 points, 10 boards, three blocks, and 35 FanDuel points in 35 minutes.
The Walker Kessler welcome back edit goes so hard
(Via KidKessler on IG) pic.twitter.com/F3tT24sGEw
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) November 25, 2024
On the season, Kessler has averaged 1.17 FanDuel points per minute and 31.9 FanDuel points per game. He'll try to slow down Victor Wembanyama ($11,200) and the Spurs on Tuesday night in Utah, and if he's able to play 30+ minutes again, he should return great value at this affordable $6,000 salary.
Others Under Consideration: Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF ($12,000), Anthony Edwards - SG/SF ($9,000), Damian Lillard - PG ($8,800), Tyler Herro - SG/PG ($7,700)
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Nikola Vucevic, CHI – C ($8,100)
Vucevic is in a smash spot against the Wizards and can either be a stand-alone play or used as part of a stack with LaVine. In his last nine games, he has averaged 1.23 FanDuel points per minute and 39.6 FanDuel points per game. He had over 35 FanDuel points in eight of those nine contests with consistently solid production, especially in high-scoring games.
Nikola Vucevic has had one of the better bounce back years and no one is talking about it.
2023/24. 18PPG. 10.5RBG. FG% 48%
3P% 29%2024/25. 20PPG. 9.6RBG. FG% 58%
3P% 46%He has found his shot this season, plus being a decent defender he should be in All Star Contention! pic.twitter.com/JdNg0SSE3F
— Banjo (@DuranTopia) November 22, 2024
Vucevic has 20+ points in eight of his 13 games this season and already has seven double-doubles this month. The Wizards are a great matchup for him, and he has only the fifth-highest salary of all the centers in play.
Jimmy Butler, MIA – SF/PF ($8,200)
The Heat just got Jimmy Buckets back from a four-game absence due to an ankle injury, and he looked great in both of his games since returning. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 52.5 FanDuel points against the Sixers and then posted 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and 58.8 FanDuel points against the Mavs.
Jimmy Butler was the 🔑 in the Heat W tonight.
💥 33 PTS
💥 9 REB
💥 6 AST
💥 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/D3Vhq0MS94— NBA (@NBA) November 25, 2024
You know he'll be fired up to face the Bucks in South Beach, so look for another good game from Butler, who is almost always a strong play on FanDuel due to his strong defensive contributions.
John Collins, UTA - PF/C ($7,300)
The Jazz used Collins alongside Kessler on Saturday vs. the Knicks, and Collins continued his strong stretch of results. He had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 42.1 FanDuel points in 33 minutes. He had over 40 FanDuel points in five of his last seven contests, including 44.3 FanDuel points against the Spurs last Thursday.
On the season, he has produced an impressive 1.29 FanDuel points per minute and is a strong frontcourt stack with Kessler on Tuesday.
Chris Paul, SA - PG ($6,500)
On the other side of that Spurs-Jazz matchup, Paul has posted 29+ FanDuel points in six of his last seven. He had 13 points, 10 assists, and 39 FanDuel points against Utah last week.
Chris Paul vs. Jazz last night:
13 PTS | 10 AST | 5 REB | 2 STLS
Point God still in Year 20, & taking over the game in the 4th per usual. pic.twitter.com/JOPndxWPxt
— CP3REGION (@cp3region) November 23, 2024
The Jazz have been a great matchup for point guards, making Paul a solid play with a high ceiling in Utah.
Others Under Consideration: LeBron James - PF/SF ($9,700), Alperen Sengun - C ($8,600), Julius Randle - PF ($7,500), Bilal Coulibaly -SG ($6,100), Rudy Gobert - C ($6,900)
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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Stephon Castle, SA – PG/SG ($5,400)
Castle has scored double-digit points in nine straight games while averaging 27.6 FanDuel points per contest. He had 18+ points in each of his last two games and three of his last five as he continues to adjust and settle in at the NBA level.
Stephon Castle with the slam 💥
The Spurs bench is loving it as they get the victory at home! pic.twitter.com/vtMpxbESBA
— NBA (@NBA) November 22, 2024
Castle had 18 points and 34.6 FanDuel points against the Jazz last week and continues to outproduce his price point.
Alexandre Sarr, WAS - C ($5,800)
Sarr is coming off one of his best games of the season into this great matchup with Chicago.
Alex Sarr last night:
17 PTS
14 REB
3 AST
2 BLKThe 4th teenager in NBA history to have these stats. He’s starting to figure out his game is playing off cuts, diving to the basket and using his size. Videos from @shotcreatordata #ForTheDistrict pic.twitter.com/bFDKLT9Cit
— Wizards Lead 🪄 (@WizardsLead) November 25, 2024
He finished with 45.3 FanDuel points in that game and has elite upside for a play under $6,000. He is averaging 27.9 FanDuel points per game and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute so far in his rookie season.
Matas Buzelis, CHI – PF ($4,000)
Buzelis is another rookie to look at on the other side of that juicy matchup. His playing time has been volatile this season, but he had 19.8 FanDuel points in 19 minutes on Thursday and followed that up with a season-high 14 points and 21.1 FanDuel points in 29 minutes on Friday.
He's a bargain play who has proven he can produce when given the opportunity, and the Bulls will likely try to give the 20-year-old Chicago kid more run while Patrick Williams (foot) remains out.
Gary Trent Jr., MIL – SG ($4,200)
Trent hasn't had a smooth path to success in his first year in Milwaukee, but the seventh-year veteran has settled into a solid role coming off the bench lately and started to return good value.
He has scored double-digit points in six straight games, averaging 3.7 three-pointers, 13.0 points, and 21.0 FanDuel points per game in 27.3 minutes per contest. The long-range specialist will look to keep producing good value Tuesday in Miami.
Others Under Consideration: Mike Conley - PG ($4,800), Corey Kispert - SF ($4,200), Dillon Brooks - SG/SF ($4,700), Johnny Juzang - SF ($3,700)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards (245.5 total)
Both sides bring very strong plays to consider. Above, I highlighted LaVine and Vucevic as strong plays, and you could also include Coby White ($7,300) and Josh Giddey ($6,800) in the mix. With Williams out, Buzelis is a strong value while Jalen Smith ($4,100) and Torrey Craig ($4,000) also bring upside at affordable salaries.
For the home team, the key to watch is the status of Jordan Poole ($7,100; hip, questionable). Poole missed Sunday's game vs. the Pacers, and Kyshawn George ($4,600) started and had 26.5 FanDuel points in his absence while Malcolm Brogdon ($5,300) and Bub Carrington ($5,000) also got more work. Sarr also stepped up without Poole and Bilal Couliably ($6,100) continues to emerge as another young star on the rise for the Wizards to potentially build around
Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns (234.5 total)
This should be one of the best games of the night and features great fantasy options on both sides. Davis can be stacked with LeBron for sure, but you can also mix in Austin Reaves ($6,600), Rui Hachimura ($4,900), and Dalton Knecht ($5,800).
The Suns are playing for the first time in almost a week and are expected to have Bradley Beal ($7,000) and Kevin Durant ($8,700) back from injury. That makes their rotation and usage challenging to figure out. Jusuf Nurkic ($5,900) will have a hard time slowing down Anthony Davis but should be able to post good numbers of his own as well coming off a huge game last Wednesday with 46.9 FanDuel points.
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: Anthony Davis
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Walker Kessler
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Jimmy Butler
- My favorite VALUE play: Alexandre Sarr
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