FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Saturday 11/25/23

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and a lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

Here at FanDuel Research, we'll also come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Guards

Luka Doncic ($11,900): Despite a tough matchup against a Los Angeles Clippers' defense allowing the least amount of fantasy points to point guards (40.9 FanDuel points per game), Doncic is still ranked first overall with a 55.7 fantasy projection. In 166 minutes with today's injuries, the Mavericks' superstar is averaging 1.38 FanDuel points per minute and a 34.1% usage rate.

Trae Young ($9,500): Since his return on November 15th, Young has been on fire, recording 1.35 FanDuel points and 0.79 real-life points per minute while his salary has increased by 3.2% to his highest point this month. In a great spot versus a Washington Wizards' team allowing point guards to score 51.7 FanDuel points per game, Young is third overall with a 46.4 fantasy projection.

Paul George ($8,600): At his highest salary in November, PG is fifth among guards with a 40.5 fantasy projection against a Dallas Mavericks' defense ranked 23th in opposing true shooting percentage and 22nd in opposing three point percentage. In his last six games, George has produced 1.22 FanDuel points per minute and a 31.9% usage rate.

Kyrie Irving ($8,400): The Mavericks' guard is fourth in value among his position with a 5.18 rating and a 43.5 fantasy projection at his second lowest salary this month. Irving has played extremely well in November, averaging 1.28 FanDuel points per minute and 41.8 FanDuel points per game.

Darius Garland ($8,200): If Donovan Mitchell were to sit after he was listed as questionable, Garland would see boost to 1.05 FanDuel points per minute with a 32.8% usage rate.

Dejounte Murray ($8,100): Despite scoring at least 40.1 FanDuel points in his last two appearances, Murray's salary stands at his lowest point in November. Atlanta's guard is sixth among his position in value with a 4.89 rating and a 39.6 fantasy projection against a Washington team ranked 29th in defensive rating.

James Harden ($7,700): Even after a 4.0% salary increase, "The Beard" is sixth among guards in value with a 5.08 rating and a 39.1 fantasy projection versus a Dallas unit allowing 51.0 FanDuel points per game to his position. In 295 minutes this season, Harden is averaging 1.04 FanDuel points per minute and a 19.4% usage rate.

Jordan Poole ($6,600): At his second lowest point in November against an Atlanta Hawks' defense ranked 27th in FanDuel points (45.7) allowed per game to shooting guards. the 24-year old is fifth among his position in value with a 5.15 rating and a 34.0 fantasy projection.

Tyus Jones ($5,700): In his last six games, Jones is averaging 0.97 FanDuel points per minute and a 16.6% usage rate while his salary has decreased by 5%.

Keyonte George ($5,400): Despite a tough matchup versus a New Orleans Pelicans' unit ranked 12th in defensive rating, Utah's rookie is third among guards in value with a 5.38 rating and a 29.1 fantasy projection.

Dyson Daniels ($5,300): After a 5.3% salary drop, Daniels offers some value against a Jazz team ranked 22nd in fantasy production (50.2 FanDuel points) allowed per game to point guards, averaging 0.80 FanDuel points per minute and a 13.5% usage rate with today's injuries.

Collin Sexton ($4,800): After Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen were ruled out, Sexton is today's top value option with a 5.94 rating and a 28.5 fantasy projection. In 62 minutes with today's injuries, the Jazz guard is producing 1.14 FanDuel points per minute and a 24.3% usage rate.

Forwards

LeBron James ($10,200): In the last two weeks, James has provided underrated production, recording a robust 1.57 FanDuel points per minute and a team-high 29.9&% usage rate. Even in a tough matchup versus a Cleveland defense ranked third in FanDuel points (43.4) allowed per game to his position, the Lakers' future Hall of Famer is second among forwards with a 44.9 fantasy projection.

Kawhi Leonard ($8,200): Even at his second highest salary this month, "The Claw" is fifth among forwards in value with a 5.01 rating and a 41.1 fantasy projection. Among his team's projected starting lineup, Leonard ranks first in fantasy production (1.36 FanDuel points per minute) and usage (29.3%).

Zion Williamson ($8,100): The Pelicans' star has found some momentum during November, recording 1.24 FanDuel points per minute and 39.8 FanDuel points per game during this time period. Williamson has an amazing matchup on Saturday against a Jazz defense ranked 29th in FanDuel points (52.9) allowed per game to power forwards.

Kyle Kuzma ($8,000): After producing 38.5 FanDuel points per game this month, Kuzma's salary has moved to his highest point this season versus a Hawks' defense ranked 24th in fantasy production (49.7 FanDuel points per game) allowed to his position. The 28-year old is seventh among forwards with a 36.5 fantasy projection.

Brandon Ingram ($8,000): "B.I." is second among forwards in value with a 5.6 rating and a 44.8 fantasy projection after his salary decreased by 2.4%. Ingram has been the centerpiece of their offense recently, ranking first among his team in real-life points (0.77 per minute) and usage (32.6) since November 6th.

Evan Mobley ($7,900): Cleveland's big man would be a sneaky option if Donovan Mitchell is unable to play, producing 1.30 FanDuel points per minute with a 22.8% usage rate in this split.

Jalen Johnson ($6,400): The Hawks' third year forward is fourth among his positions in value with a 5.13 rating and a 32.8 fantasy projection even at his third highest salary this month. Since November 4th, Johnson has been extremely efficient despite a lackluster 16.8% usage rate, producing 1.0 FanDuel point per minute during this time period.

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($5,000): Even in a second unit role, Hardaway Jr. still rates as a viable mid-salary option, producing 0.89 FanDuel points per minute with a 25.1% usage rate with today's inactives.

Centers

Anthony Davis ($10,500): Despite some inconsistent offensive performances, AD is second overall with a 49.3 fantasy projection against a Cleveland Cavaliers' unit allowing 56.5 FanDuel points per game to his position. Since November 10th, Davis is producing 1.39 FanDuel points per minute and a 24.7% usage rate.

Dwight Powell ($3,800) / Dwight Powell ($3,700): After Dereck Lively and Maxi Kleber were ruled out, Powell could see a starting role at center while averaging 0.85 FanDuel points per minute in this split. In 49 minutes with today's rotatiom Holmes has been a more productive player when on the floor, recoding 1.01 FanDuel points per minute.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.