RADIO
The season is flying by, as we're now well past the halfway mark and only 12 days away from the Trade Deadline. In these articles, I focus on the top plays, traditionally geared toward cash games. However, with over a decade of NBA DFS experience under my belt—and as someone who rarely dives into cash formats—I'm selecting picks that also typically come with high upside. That means they offer the steady floor needed for cash games while packing the high ceiling we need for tournaments.
We have an atypical nine-game slate on tap tonight (eight games on FanDuel), so there will be plenty to dig through to sort out the best plays to get in lineups. The Jazz-Grizzlies showdown is the top matchup to target, as it features a sky-high 246-point implied total and a fast projected pace. The Kings-Knicks and Raptors-Hawks games should also be very fantasy-friendly, but the rest of the matchups - aside from the Pistons-Magic slugfest - are also firmly in play.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 1/25/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EST on DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Here is a look at some of the higher-priced players we can use as building blocks for cash and GPP contests.
Questionable tags on LaMelo Ball, Trae Young, and Ja Morant loom large, but we can navigate around those pretty quickly. Two of my top picks on the slate are centers from the same matchup, Karl-Anthony Towns and Domantas Sabonis. Their matchup is the second-best in my "K-Grade" model due to its high implied total and middle-of-the-pack defenses. Both players are in appealing form, with KAT exceeding 60 DK points twice over his last four games and Sabonis averaging 53.6 DK PPG over his last five contests.
Tyrese Maxey is getting expensive, but he has been exceeding 5x value lately with Joel Embiid off the floor and Paul George in and out of the lineup. He will continue to carry heavy usage (around 30%) into a favorable matchup against the Bulls, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game overall and to PGs this season.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are popping as top plays in the Optimizer, and I have no problem getting to either of them in lineups tonight. They're both a bit too scoring-dependent for my liking, but a matchup against the most forgiving defense in the NBA - the Washington Wizards - is a recipe for a ceiling game if I've ever seen one.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the final - and most important - "core" piece I will build around. Triple-J has stepped up with Ja Morant missing time, and I will go back to the well if he's out again tonight. The Memphis big man put up 49.25 DK points last night, and he gets the top game environment on the slate tonight at home against the Jazz.
- Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM vs. UTA - PF/C ($8,000 DK; $8,800 FD)
- Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK vs. SAC - C ($9,700 DK; $10,300 FD)
- Devin Booker, PHX vs. WAS - PG/SG ($9,000 DK)
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC @ NYK - C ($9,800 DK; $10,500 FD)
- Tyrese Maxey, PHI @ CHI - PG ($9,800 DK; $9,600 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
This is where we talk about saving salary. Whether it's a severely underpriced backup or even as simple as a guy playing like someone who should be priced higher, this is where you'll find guys who make lineups work.
Sorting the best value picks of the day by fantasy points per dollar:
We don't necessarily need to take risks by playing guys projected for 20 minutes or less on a nine-game slate, so I'm out on Chris Boucher, Josh Okogie, Brandon Clarke, and Jalen Smith. Nick Smith Jr., however, is a starter and should play at least 30 minutes against a Pelicans defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game this season. He needs 23 DK points to hit 5x value at his salary, and he has been well over that mark in three of his last four games. He could see extra usage and fantasy production if the injury news breaks right, too, as Ball, Miles Bridges, and Cody Martin are all questionable to play.
Onyeka Okongwu, Jakob Poeltl, and De'Andre Hunter are a few mid-range options that look great tonight, with Hunter in particular standing out at his pricing on FanDuel. We will undoubtedly get significant value opening up throughout the day as players get ruled out, so stay on top of injury news and be ready to make pivots.
Zach Edey is a sneaky option that I feel will go overlooked. His production has been sporadic, as the Grizzlies refuse to give him more than 25 minutes, but he's a solid fantasy producer who can thrive in the right situations. The rookie put up 39.25 DK points in just 24 minutes his last time out, and matchups don't get much more favorable than the one he has tonight. The Jazz allow the second-most fantasy points per game to Cs, and he could easily see some blowout run with Memphis favored by 11 points at home.
Top Value Plays:
- Nick Smith Jr., CHA vs. NOP - SG/SF ($4,600 DK; $4,500 FD)
- De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. TOR - SF/PF ($6,000 DK; $5,700 FD) Prefer on FanDuel
- Zach Edey, MEM vs. UTA - C ($3,800 DK; $4,200 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
Devin Booker is in a "boom" spot against the Wizards and will be one of my core pieces tonight. He has exceeded 5x value in seven of his last nine games, including a 54.25 DK point effort against Washington four games ago. As most NBA DFS players know, the Wizards allow the most fantasy points per game and hold the worst defensive rating in the league.
Jordan Poole and Carlton Carrington are projecting well on the other side of the matchup, as they're simply underpriced for their current roles with the tanking Wizards. Poole holds the highest usage rate on the team and has taken a step up with Kyle Kuzma struggling, so I'm willing to gamble on him "throwing a Poole party" against the Suns tonight. Carrington is the top punt play at the position as he regularly plays around 30 minutes and has frequently shown 30+ DK point upside. Phoenix allows the 11th-most fantasy points per game to PGs this season, so there is some opportunity for ceiling games from both players tonight.
Top PG Options:
- Devin Booker, PHX v. WAS ($9,000 DK)
- Tyrese Maxey, PHI @ CHI ($9,800 DK; $9,600 FD)
- Jordan Poole, WAS @ PHX ($6,700 DK)
- Carlton Carrington, WAS @ PHX ($4,000 DK)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
Here's where I'm getting to Nick Smith Jr. A lot of Nick Smith Jr. He's too cheap as a starter who has been productive, and he gets a glorious matchup against a vulnerable Pelicans backcourt.
Bruce Brown has been ultra-efficient lately, averaging 29.3 DK PPG in just 21.6 minutes per game over his last three contests. That works out to an excellent 1.35 FPTS/min average, which would be among the elite in the NBA if we discounted the sample size. He should be able to get there again tonight in a high-total, pace-up spot against the Hawks, which allows the fifth-most fantasy points per game this season.
Top SG Options:
- Nick Smith Jr., CHA vs. NOP ($4,600 DK; $4,500 FD)
- Devin Booker, PHX v. WAS ($9,000 DK)
- Bruce Brown, TOR @ ATL ($4,000 DK) DraftKings Only
- Jordan Poole, WAS @ PHX ($6,700 DK)
- Carlton Carrington, WAS @ PHX ($4,000 DK)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
Smith Jr. and Brown qualify at SF, too, so they will be my focus unless (until) injury news changes everything. Hunter has been awful lately, as he can't hit the broad side of a barn with his shot, but he's still averaging a solid 1.11 FPTS/min for the season and will see around 30 minutes of action tonight. The Raptors rank 27th in defensive rating and allow the seventh-most fantasy points per game, so this should be the game he snaps out of his funk.
Top SF Options:
- Nick Smith Jr., CHA vs. NOP ($4,600 DK; $4,500 FD)
- Bruce Brown, TOR @ ATL ($4,000 DK) DraftKings Only
- De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. TOR ($6,000 DK; $5,700 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
It's the Jaren Jackson Jr. show at power forward tonight. He will be popular, but I will be heavy on him and look to get different in other spots in my lineups. Triple-J put up 49.25 DK points in last night's high-scoring win over the Pelicans, and he gets the best game environment on the slate tonight against the Jazz.
Utah allows the second-most fantasy points per game to Cs, struggles to defend the rim (28th in opponent FG% within five feet), and permits the most three-pointers to the position, so a ceiling game is there for the taking. He should have no problem putting up a monster game tonight. I will pivot if Morant is ruled in and Jackson Jr. is still popular, but he's a difficult player to escape from in this spot.
Top PF Options:
- Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM vs. UTA ($8,000 DK; $8,800 FD)
- De'Andre Hunter, ATL vs. TOR ($6,000 DK; $5,700 FD)
- Kevin Durant, PHX vs. WAS - PF ($9,300 DK)
- Alexandre Sarr, WAS @ PHX ($5,300 DK)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
Sabonis is a sneaky option, and I will get overweight if he gets the 3% ownership he's projecting for now. As mentioned in the "Core" section, Towns is an intriguing piece as he has shown immense upside lately, and the Kings have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to Cs over their last seven games. However, the center position is loaded tonight, so it will be tough to prioritize either of those studs in lineups.
Vucevic, Jackson Jr., Jarrett Allen, Jakob Poeltl, and Onyeka Okongwu all stand out as great values at their respective price tags. Jackson Jr. looks the best as long as Morant remains out, but I will be taking swings on a Vucevic bounceback and the centers in the appealing Raptors-Hawks affair. These teams just played each other on Thursday, with Poeltl putting up 42.25 DK points and Okongwu finishing with 46.5 DK points.
Top C Options:
- Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM vs. UTA ($8,000 DK; $8,800 FD)
- Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK vs. SAC ($9,700 DK; $10,300 FD)
- Domantas Sabonis, SAC @ NYK ($9,800 DK; $10,500 FD)
- Jakob Poeltl, TOR @ ATL ($6,400 DK; $7,200 FD)
- Onyeka Okongwu, ATL vs. TOR ($6,200 DK; $7,100 FD)
- Zach Edey, MEM vs. UTA ($3,800 DK; $4,200 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Jazz @ Grizzlies (o/u 246; 104.9 projected pace)
- Kings @ Knicks (o/u 233; 102.2 projected pace)
- Raptors @ Hawks (o/u 235; 105.4 projected pace)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
Cade Cunningham. The ascending star has played so well lately that he's now the most expensive player on a massive nine-game slate, but there are enough red flags with him for me to avoid getting to him entirely tonight. First, the game environment is the worst on the slate, as it holds an ugly 209.5-point implied total and the slowest projected pace.
Second, the Magic are not a team to attack defensively, as they allow the least fantasy points per game and hold the fourth-best defensive rating in the NBA. Cunninghame scored 44 DK points the last time these teams met, but that would be well below what he needs to hit value at his current salary. He needs 53 DK points to hit 5x value tonight, and he has only exceeded that mark twice over his last five games. With all the studs available to us on this slate, I'm not interested in overpaying for a guard in the worst matchup on the board.
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: Jaren Jackson Jr.
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Jaren Jackson Jr.
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Domantas Sabonis / Zach Edey
- My favorite value play: Nick Smith Jr.
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