NBA DFS Picks: Friday 1/17/25

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections, powered by numberFire, update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

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

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

LaMelo Ball ($10,300) -- LaMelo Ball is in a great game environment tonight as the Charlotte Hornets face the Chicago Bulls in a clash with a 234.5-point total and 4.5-point spread. The Bulls are a sublime matchup for Ball as they give up the second-most FanDuel points per game to PGs (54.5) while ranking 2nd in pace and 23rd in defensive rating. Yes, please.

Ja Morant ($8,700) -- Another great DFS environment is the Memphis Grizzlies-San Antonio Spurs matchup. The total is a slate-high 239.0, and the spread is just 2.5 points. Ja Morant put up 47.8 FanDuel points against these same Spurs on Wednesday, and as long as he's able to play through his questionable tag, Morant is a high-upside way to get in on what should be a fantasy-friendly game. If Morant sits, it boosts the outlook for several other Memphis players.

Others to Consider

Chris Paul ($6,500) -- Chris Paul is a modest-salaried piece from the Spurs-Grizz contest. Our model is a big fan as our NBA DFS projections peg CP3 to record 34.1 FanDuel points (5.25 per $1,000).

Svi Mykhailiuk ($4,200) -- The Utah Jazz are a skeleton crew tonight, making them a good value target. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk has scored at least 23.7 FanDuel points in each of the last three games where he's played 16-plus minutes. He's projected to start today.

Wings

Top Priorities

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800) -- Giannis Antetokounmpo draws a friendly date with the Toronto Raptors. Toronto sits 26th in defensive rating and 10th in pace. They're also surrendering the 10th-most FanDuel points per game to power forwards (48.0).

Trey Murphy III ($7,900) -- Trey Murphy III's salary keeps rising, but it's not rising fast enough. TM3 has 57.2 and 52.0 FanDuel points over his past two outings, and he's scored at least 38.5 FanDuel points in eight straight games. Taking on a short-handed Jazz squad, Murphy can cook.

Others to Consider

Anthony Edwards ($9,200) -- Anthony Edwards might slip through the cracks some today in a tough matchup with the New York Knicks. But Ant likes the big stage, and this is his lone trip to MSG this season. He's a fun tournament play.

Rui Hachimura ($4,800) -- Rui Hachimura and the Los Angeles Lakers will see the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn is 25th in defensive rating and is really struggling right now. Rui is projected for 26.9 FanDuel points (5.60 per $1,000), according to our numbers, which makes him an elite point-per-dollar value target.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Victor Wembanyama ($12,000) -- Even with Nikola Jokic on the slate, Victor Wembanyama is the top big in my eyes. Our model agrees, projecting Wemby for a slate-best 59.4 FanDuel points. He's had a pair of eight-block games across his past four outings, and Memphis permits the ninth-most blocks per game to centers (2.4).

Kyle Filipowski ($4,100) -- Kyle Filipowski looks like he'll be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Utah being so short-handed tonight. We project him for 28.0 FanDuel points, which comes out to a whopping 6.83 per $1,000. He's our top point-per-dollar play of the night (as of Friday morning).

Others to Consider

Anthony Davis ($11,400) -- Anthony Davis probably goes overlooked with there being a lot of quality options at C and PF. That makes him a sweet GPP play. AD always brings elite upside to the table, and the Nets have allowed the ninth-most FanDuel points per game to centers over the past 15 games (58.7).

Mark Williams ($7,200) -- The arrow is pointing up on Mark Williams now that Nick Richards has been traded. Last time out, Williams erupted for 31 points and 13 boards in 36 minutes en route to 58.6 FanDuel points. He's super enticing tonight in a soft matchup with the Bulls.

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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.