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It’s great to be back in the swing of things in the NBA, RotoBallers. 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.
The sites are throwing us another curveball. Both feature four games, but only FanDuel has the Wizards-Pacers game, while only DraftKings has the Nets-Kings matchup. The Raptors-Cavaliers and Wizards-Pacers showdowns stand out as the top game environments to target on this slate, but we'll need to get creative as plucking out value pieces on this slate is a challenge.
The key to succeeding in NBA DFS is making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always essential to have a game plan and zero in on the best players and spots before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and access our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 11/24/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 6:00 p.m. EST on DraftKings and 5:00 p.m. EST on 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.
We have a severe lack of studs to prioritize on this slate, evidenced by Kyrie Irving being the most expensive player in the pool. Unless we get significant value opening up as the day progresses, I will look at getting to James Harden, Bam Adebayo, and Jarrett Allen in "balanced" builds for my lineups tonight. Harden has been regularly posting 50+ DK points, holds the highest FPTS/min rate on the slate at 1.45, and should continue to see a usage uptick with Norman Powell remaining out of the lineup. It's also a #RevengeGameAlert for the former 76ers guard.
Adebayo and Allen are two bigs who are slightly underpriced and facing highly favorable matchups. Adebayo gets the Mavericks, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to Cs. Allen gets the Raptors, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to Cs and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to PFs over their last seven games.
- James Harden, LAC @ PHI - PG ($9,500 DK; $9,300 FD)
- Bam Adebayo, MIA @ CLE - C ($8,500 DK; $8,400 FD)
- Jarrett Allen, CLE vs. TOR - PF/C ($7,200 DK; $7,600 FD)
- Ivica Zubac, LAC @ PHI - C ($7,000 DK; $7,300 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 for players priced at $6,000 or less:
The value board is in pretty rough shape on Sunday morning. Kevin Porter Jr. and Derrick Jones Jr. stand out as the top plays on the shorthanded Clippers, and they work fine as lineup-fillers who should have their minutes secure. However, they're both low-ceiling plays that I won't necessarily prioritize due to their lack of usefulness in tournament formats.
We'll have to dig deeper to find our less-popular value options on a four-game slate. PJ Washington has popped for 45.25 and 55.75 DK points in two of his last three games, and he could see a bump in playing time and per-minute fantasy production if Daniel Gafford were to sit. The matchup isn't ideal, but Miami has struggled a bit against Cs (10th-most FPPG), and we could see Washington play some center tonight.
Guerschon Yabusele is the final value piece I'll focus on here. The young forward has been solid when given minutes, most recently putting up 33.75 DK points over 31 minutes on 11/22 with Joel Embiid out. Embiid will remain in this one, and Yabusele should get his chance to produce again tonight.
Top Value Plays:
- PJ Washington, DAL @ MIA - PF ($5,900 DK; $6,300 FD)
- Kevin Porter Jr., LAC @ PHI - PG ($4,300 DK; $4,700 FD) Prefer on DraftKings
- Derrick Jones Jr., LAC @ PHI - PF ($3,500 DK) DraftKings Only
- Guerschon Yabusele, PHI vs. LAC - ($5,000 DK; $5,300 FD)
FanDuel-specific value plays: Quenton Jackson ($4,100), Jarace Walker ($4,500)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
Tyler Herro and Jared McCain are mid-range options, while Donovan Mitchell and De'Aaron Fox are high-priced studs I'll mix into lineups. However, KPJ and Harden will be my focus at point guard tonight. Harden holds the highest FPTS/min on the slate and his usage rate gives him a bankable floor and potential ceiling, so I'm going with the Beard as a core piece of my lineups. Fox and Mitchell can match Harden's ceiling, but they're both in matchups where I can see their minutes slashed due to a blowout.
Top PG Options:
- James Harden, LAC @ PHI ($9,500 DK; $9,300 FD)
- Donovan Mitchell, CLE vs. TOR ($8,900 DK; $9,000 FD)
- De'Aaron Fox, SAC vs. BKN ($9,400 DK) DraftKings Only
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
This is where it gets a little dicey. Herro and McCain stand out as the top options on the board at shooting guard, but both are too shooting-dependent for me to want to prioritize them too much. They're also facing teams that defend the position incredibly well, so I'm not expecting a ceiling game from either player tonight. With how this slate is set up right now, I will be punting with Quentin Grimes and Kris Dunn while getting pieces of Herro, McCain, and Mitchell to round out the position.
Top SG Options:
- Donovan Mitchell, CLE vs. TOR ($8,900 DK; $9,000 FD)
- Quentin Grimes, DAL @ MIA ($4,300 DK; $4,500 FD)
- Kris Dunn, LAC @ PHI ($4,400 DK; $4,900 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler perfectly fit my "balanced build" strategy at their mid-range salaries. However, DeRozan is the preferred option due to his matchup against a forgiving Toronto defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to SFs. He hasn't played well recently, but this is a "get-right" spot for the veteran swingman.
It's hard to be enamored with anyone else here, so it'll be more Grimes, Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, and Naji Marshall to serve as lineup-fillers.
Top SF Options:
- DeMar DeRozan, SAC vs. BKN ($7,500 DK) DraftKings Only
- Jimmy Butler, MIA vs. DAL ($7,400 DK; $7,800 FD)
- Quentin Grimes, DAL @ MIA ($4,300 DK; $4,500 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
We can save salary by going with Derrick Jones Jr. at power foward. He's extremely cheap and has exceeded 26 minutes and 23.5 DK points over his last two contests. He's a plug-and-play value option at a challenging position tonight.
Evan Mobley is in a smash spot, but I can't trust that he'll achieve his ceiling as he has only finished with 49 DK points three times in 16 tries. At his salary, he puts up too many poor outputs for my taste, so I won't be overexposed to him despite the great matchup. DeRozan, Washington, Yabusele, and Butler can also be played at PF, but I will focus on the too-cheap DJJ.
Top PF Options:
- Derrick Jones Jr., LAC @ PHI ($3,500 DK) DraftKings Only
- DeMar DeRozan, SAC vs. BKN ($7,500 DK) DraftKings Only
- PJ Washington, DAL @ MIA ($5,900 DK; $6,300 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
There are several ways we can go at center tonight. Myles Turner looks incredible on FanDuel, but we can't play him on DraftKings as his game isn't on the slate. Ivica Zubac, Jarrett Allen, and Bam Adebayo are my favorites at their price points, and I will prioritize them in that order. Zubac has been steady all season, averaging 37.8 DK PPG on 15.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. He gets an Embiid-less Sixers frontcourt tonight so we could see another monster double-double out of the veteran big.
Top C Options:
- Ivica Zubac, LAC @ PHI ($7,000 DK; $7,300 FD)
- Jarrett Allen, CLE vs. TOR ($7,200 DK; $7,600 FD)
- Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. DAL ($8,500 DK; $8,400 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Raptors @ Cavaliers (o/u 234)
- Wizards @ Pacers (o/u 242)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
Irving and Sabonis, the top two highest-priced players, won't be in my lineup builds tonight. They're both overly expensive for their median production and potential ceiling, and there isn't enough value on the slate to make them priorities. Harden, Fox, Mitchell, and Adebayo are all cheaper and higher priorities on this slate.
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: James Harden
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Ivica Zubac
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: De'Aaron Fox
- My favorite value play: Kevin Porter Jr.
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