NBA DFS Picks: Friday 1/3/25

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

Cade Cunningham ($9,700) -- Cade Cunningham is in a fantastic spot on Friday with the Charlotte Hornets sitting at 20th in adjusted defensive rating (114.1), 24th in free-throw rate allowed (27.0%), and 20th in assist rate allowed (64.9%). With Jaden Ivey expected to miss time for the Detroit Pistons, it's worth noting that Cunningham's usage rate skyrockets to 34.1% whenever Ivey isn't on the court this season, per FantasyLabs' On/Off tool.

De'Aaron Fox ($9,100) -- The Sacramento Kings will be in a massive pace-up spot versus the Memphis Grizzlies -- who play at the fastest pace in the NBA -- which benefits De'Aaron Fox tremendously. Along with Fox not having to worry about defending Ja Morant, the speedy guard has tallied 51-plus FanDuel points (FDPs) in two of his last three outings.

C.J. McCollum ($7,900) -- Even though I also like Dejounte Murray ($8,400) against the Washington Wizards, C.J. McCollum comes in with a slightly better salary in the same matchup. Besides the Wizards operating at the 4th-fastest pace in the league, they are 27th in adjusted defensive rating (115.5) and are allowing the 3rd-most FDPs per game to SGs (46.2).

Others to Consider

Devin Vassell ($6,000) -- The Denver Nuggets are permitting the most FDPs per game to SGs (47.1), which is why Devin Vassell should be on our radar on Friday as he's posted 35-plus FDPs in two of his last three contests. FanDuel Research's projections have Vassell listed as the best point-per-dollar play (5.6x value) among players with a salary of $6,000 or higher.

Max Christie ($4,400) -- On the first leg of a back-to-back for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, Max Christie supplied a career-high 28 points, resulting in him putting up a season-high 43.6 FDPs. Christie will get a chance to build upon his most recent performance by facing a Atlanta Hawks team on Friday that plays at the 2nd-fastest pace while ranking 30th in three-point percentage allowed (38.3%) and 24th in steal rate allowed (9.3%).

Wings

Top Priorities

LeBron James ($9,600) -- Despite recently turning 40 years old, LeBron James notched 38 points on Thursday with Anthony Davis sidelined en route to 49.6 FDPs. Regardless of Davis' status for Friday's clash against the Hawks, LeBron is worth consideration in a pace-up environment -- especially with Atlanta giving up the fourth-most FDPs per game to the PF position (50.2).

Desmond Bane ($7,600) -- Ja Morant is going to miss time for the Grizzlies, and Desmond Bane has produced 36-plus FDPs in the first two games without Morant available. In addition to Bane accruing 36-plus FDPs in five of his last six outings, the Kings are 20th in effective field-goal percentage allowed (54.9%) and 27th in three-point percentage allowed (37.9%).

Trey Murphy ($7,500) -- With the New Orleans Pelicans shorthanded, Trey Murphy III has taken on an expanded workload, leading to 38-plus FDPs in five of his last six contests. While the Wizards are surprisingly 12th in three-point percentage allowed (35.6%), they are 20th in three-point rate allowed (42.9%), so Murphy should still get plenty of opportunities to score from deep.

Others to Consider

Herbert Jones ($5,900) -- Another member of the Pelicans that I'll have in my player pool on Friday is Herbert Jones. Jones can stuff the stat sheet and provide a healthy number of stocks (steals plus blocks) as he's registered multiple stocks in 6 of his last 10 outings while the Wizards are 22nd in steal rate allowed (9.2%) and 19th in block rate allowed (10.3%).

Ausar Thompson ($4,600) -- Following the unfortunate leg injury to Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson may see an increased role upon providing 23-plus FDPs in back-to-back games. At the moment, our projections have Thompson returning 5.5x value, which would certainly be valuable on a slate where we want to try to find ways to insert some of the studs into our lineups.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Victor Wembanyama ($11,800) -- While I'll undoubtedly try my best to get to Nikola Jokic ($13,000), Victor Wembanyama has a salary that is $1,200 lower in the same game. Along with Wemby racking up four-plus blocks in six of his last eight contests and flashing a ceiling of 80-plus FDPs recently, FanDuel Research's projections have him scoring just 0.4 fewer FDPs than Jokic on Friday.

Isaiah Hartenstein ($7,700) -- We have a revenge-game narrative for Isaiah Hartenstein with the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the New York Knicks, but I'm more interested in the versatile big man due to his floor/ceiling combo. Hartenstein has notched 36-plus FDPs in seven of his last eight games while recording three-plus stocks in three consecutive outings.

Goga Bitadze ($7,500) -- The matchup is ripe for Goga Bitadze as the Toronto Raptors are coughing up the second-most FDPs per game to Cs (60.4). On top of the fact he's logged 36-plus FDPs in four of his last six games, the Raptors are also 20th in rim field-goal percentage allowed (64.7%), 26th in offensive rebound rate allowed (26.4%), and 20th in block rate allowed (10.4%).

Others to Consider

Jonas Valanciunas ($5,700) -- Even though Jonas Valanciunas is volatile due to his inconsistent minutes on the Wizards, he's done plenty in limited action recently, tallying 27-plus FDPs in five straight appearances. Additionally, the Pelicans are allowing the 4th-most FDPs per game to Cs (59.1) while ranking 26th in rim field-goal percentage allowed (66.2%) and 29th in offensive rebound rate allowed (28.0%).

Trey Lyles ($4,600) -- In the scenario where Keegan Murray misses another game for the Kings, Trey Lyles is a viable salary-saving option as he's earned 23-plus FDPs in three of his last four contests. If Murray returns to the lineup for Sacramento on Friday, then Isaiah Stewart ($4,400), Onyeka Okongwu ($5,200), and Clint Capela ($5,300) are other Cs to consider if you need to save salary.

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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.