FanDuel NBA DFS Picks for Today (Wednesday 1/8/25): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Some injuries to superstars on tonight's slate are going to pave the way for their teammates to have big nights. There's value galore so we should expect some high scores. Let's break this eight-game slate down and see where we want to go.

I recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs in today's edition 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 1/8/25. 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 EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

Tyrese Maxey, PHI - PG ($8,900) and Kelly Oubre Jr., PHI - SG/SF ($5,900)

Joel Embiid and Paul George are both out tonight for Philly as they take on one of the worst teams in the NBA - the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards allow the most FD points per game to opposing point guards and Maxey is coming off a 31-point outing against Phoenix on Monday - in a game that PG13 played in, while Embiid sat.

The price is too low on Maxey, but it's far too low for Oubre, who went for 26 points on Monday and pulled down 11 boards.

The two Sixers combined for 57 points and attempted 43 shots from the field! Philly simply doesn't have many other scorers on this roster and if they run a tight rotation like they did on Monday (Maxey played 43 minutes, Oubre played 38) then both of these guys should zoom past their projections.

Zach LaVine, CHI - SG/SF ($7,900)

Lavine has been on fire lately, averaging 33 points per game over his last three. He's gone for 43, 49, and 60 FD points in those contests, flirting with a triple-double on Monday against the Spurs.

I think it's gone a bit under-appreciated how hard Zach LaVine has been playing this year. He's running the floor like a mad man and setting up a lot of easy scoring chances. A few high motor plays from last night: pic.twitter.com/mSF03u5RJ3

— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) January 5, 2025

This is the level of performance that we know LaVine is capable of and his price has been slow to catch up to his hot streak. He's under 8k and in a good spot tonight against the Pacers. This game has a massive 240-point total, so grabbing a few pieces of it in our lineup makes a lot of sense.

Tobias Harris, DET - SF/PF ($6,100)

Detroit is another team that is banged up right now as Jaden Ivey is out and the young player who had moved into his lineup spot (Ausar Thompson) is now out tonight, too. The offense has been carried by Cade Cunningham and Harris lately as Malik Beasley has run very hot and cold as a shooter.

Harris has 17+ actual points in four straight games and 30+ FD points. He's affordable and an easy building block for tonight as the Pistons take on a very depleted Nets team on the road.

Others Under Consideration: Nikola Vucevic - C ($8,100), CJ McCollum - PG/SG ($7,800)

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Josh Hart, NYK - SF/PF ($8,000)

No one plays more minutes than Josh Hart, who is having his best season on the stat sheet this season in New York. Hart is playing 40+ minutes per night and anchoring the Knicks' rotation. He can function as their point guard while also pulling down double-digit rebounds and has two triple-doubles in the past two weeks while coming close in a few others.

KAT is questionable for tonight's matchup with the Raptors and if he misses again, then Hart should continue to pick up the slack on the boards while getting up a few more shots, too.

Shaedon Sharpe, POR – SG/SF ($6,100)

The Portland Trail Blazers are not going anywhere this season, but they do have a solid core of young players who are really fun to watch and great fantasy or DFS targets.

Shaedon Sharpe self-created buckets pic.twitter.com/7TrdGpTpO5

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) December 30, 2024

Deni Avdija left the game early on Monday and could miss tonight. If that happens, we could see Sharpe have another big night as he finished with 20-8-8 on Monday in 43 minutes. The Pelicans are a bad team that is playing their second game in as many nights, so the Portland guys look pretty good tonight in this matchup.

Tyrese Haliburton, IND - PG/SG ($9,100)

Haliburton is currently questionable, but hopefully, he suits up for this matchup against the Bulls as we love targeting Chicago with opposing point guards. They allow the third-most FD points to opposing PGs and as I mentioned with LaVine, this game has a huge total and a decent spread (Indy -6) which is a perfect recipe for a game stack with a player or two on each side.

Others Under Consideration: Jalen Brunson - PG ($8,800), Russell Westbrook - PG ($7,200)

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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Day'Ron Sharpe, BKN – C ($4,500)

I don't love punting at the center position, but we could have Jokic, Embiid, and Towns all out tonight potentially so why not? Sharpe is a stat-stuffer who crushes it on a per-minute basis. I happened to have him in my lineup on Monday when he went 16-13-5 in just 22 minutes off the bench. All he needs is 20-25 minutes to crush at this price tag and the Nets are short on healthy bodies.

Guerschon Yabusele, PHI - PF ($5,300)

Pay attention to Andre Drummond's status for tonight - he's currently questionable. If Drummond sits, then we should see Yabusele at center and logging heavy minutes. Even if Drummond plays, Yabusele is usable based on how much he's played PF, too, but I'll probably pivot to this next guy if Drummond does play.

Peyton Watson, DEN – PF ($4,500)

Watson has now logged 33 minutes in two straight games, posting 27 and 32 FD points. This is a lock-button play if Jokic is out, but even if the Joker plays, Watson should still get plenty of run as Aaron Gordon continues to be out of the lineup.

Tyrese Martin, BKN – SG/SF ($4,800)

D'Angelo Russell is out again and Ben Simmons is questionable. That leaves the Nets with very few healthy ball-handlers and guards. Martin played 30 minutes on Monday and scored 15 points. His ceiling is pretty low, but I think he's a good bet for 20-25 FD points tonight if he continues to play this many minutes.

Others Under Consideration: Bub Carrington - PG ($4,800), Lonzo Ball - PG ($4,700), Gary Trent Jr. - SG/SF ($4,300)

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: Kelly Oubre Jr.
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Tyrese Maxey
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Josh Hart (if Towns is out)
• My favorite VALUE play: Day'Ron Sharpe

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis