NBA DFS Picks: Saturday 1/18/25

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. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Stephen Curry ($8,900)

The Washington Wizards' porous defense and fourth-highest pace in the NBA hits the Bay Area tonight, opening the door for several Golden State Warriors showing value in our projections.

There's just one that -- obviously -- stands out. Stephen Curry enters the Washington matchup scorching as is, topping 25 points in five of his six January contests thanks to 47.8% shooting from three. The Wiz allow the second-most three-point attempts per game (40.2), which is even worse considering how often the opposing team is ahead.

Golden State's rotation gets a little weird behind Steph, so there's not a safer way to access the team's 121.5-point team total today.

Derrick White ($6,600)

We'll see what the Boston Celtics do on a back-to-back with travel. They did rest some starters late after blowing the doors off the Orlando Magic on Friday, but they can beat the Atlanta Hawks down a key contributor or two.

Either way, Derrick White is currently a "buy" in NBA DFS. White is averaging 35.3 FanDuel points (FDP) per 36 minutes this season but in a lull shooting the ball this month (36.9 FG%).

Like Washington, Atlanta (39.9 three-point attempts per game allowed) is a friendly matchup for behind-the-arc shooters to get him going.

The former Colorado star has drained 11 threes in two meetings with the Hawks this season. He's a great play in any format if anyone sits for the C's tonight that's not him.

Others to Consider

Fred VanVleet ($7,200)

Over 38 FDP in three of his past four games, Fred VanVleet now gets to attack a Portland Trail Blazers team allowing the fourth-most FDP per game to opposing point guards (54.2). A tiny salary dip after a personal day works out well entering this one.

Mike Conley ($4,300)

Exiled to the bench earlier this month, Mike Conley was back in the fold for 24 minutes last night as Donte DiVincenzo (toe) sat out. This up-tempo matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers makes him a value play again if DiVincenzo needs another day.

Wings

Top Priorities

Kelly Oubre ($6,800)

The Philadelphia 76ers' rotation is playoff-level thin for a team who doesn't appear in line to sniff the dance.

Kelly Oubre played 45 (!) minutes in Philly's tilt on Wednesday, and the injury report is even more grave than that trip to the Big Apple. While Andre Drummond (toe) could return, Paul George (groin) and Guerschon Yabusele (knee) are questionable after logging at least 38 minutes against the New York Knicks.

It's going to be hard for Oubre to miss value playing the entire game when he averages 29.6 FDP per 36 minutes overall, but the Indiana Pacers (seventh in pace) aren't a bad matchup for fantasy production, either.

FanDuel Research's NBA DFS projections expect 33.7 FDP in 40.0 minutes for him tonight.

Jerami Grant ($5,300)

Portland's rotation could be shifting again.

Deni Avdija (ankle) is listed doubtful for a third straight game, but Scoot Henderson's role might be in jeopardy if Jerami Grant, upgraded to questionable with a face injury, can suit up tonight.

Grant has missed nine games with the injury, but the fact it's not on an extremity should mean there's not a minutes limit out of the gate. The power forward averaged 32.7 minutes per game before going down and has posted 30.0 FDP per 36 minutes this season.

A matchup with the Houston Rockets isn't ideal, but Grant should be in the $6,000 range as he's up to speed.

Others to Consider

Jaylen Brown ($8,100)

Jaylen Brown busted out of his slump with 42.2 FDP last night, and a pace-up spot against a Hawks team that's poor on the perimeter won't hurt him here. He's likely the highest I'd go spending at small forward today.

Kyle Kuzma ($6,200)

Washington's scorers, Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, always seem to prevail if the Wizards can keep things close. That's just a rarity. Tonight's 13.5-point spread in San Fran isn't ideal, but Golden State's +0.5 net rating (NRTG) at home has been subject to letdowns before.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Alperen Sengun ($9,100)

This five-game slate doesn't include Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Jokic, but Alperen Sengun is becoming that same heliocentric DFS plug at center.

In seven games without Jabari Smith (hand), Sengun has posted 49.8 FDP per 36 minutes despite intermittent explosions from Jalen Green. If the young scorer goes cold, Sengun's role could explode even further.

Portland -- in a shocker given a 13-27 record -- isn't very good at defending bigs. They've allowed the eighth-most FDP per game to opposing pivots (56.8).

Center is extremely underwhelming unless you're inclined to plunge at usual boom-or-bust mid-range options like Rudy Gobert or Myles Turner. Sengun is a pretty easy one to lock in place in most formats.

Julius Randle ($7,100)

Anthony Edwards exploded in the Garden last night as his teammate Julius Randle floundered. That script could flip tonight against a better Cavs D.

Bizarrely, Cleveland has allowed the fourth-most FDP per game to opposing power forwards (49.7). Logically, they use Evan Mobley in help defense, so the smaller small forward gets stuck on the position frequently.

Randle's still hit 35 FDP or more in 6 of his last 12 games, showcasing the ability to make this mark work in good matchups.

I often get locked into the power forward on small slates, and our projections think enough of him here (33.8 FDP) that it'll likely happen again.

Others to Consider

Draymond Green ($6,100)

Draymond Green returns from a three-game absence due to an illness. As mentioned in today's NBA best bets, five of Green's eight best FDP totals this season have come against top-10 teams in pace, including the Wizards on November 4th. The stat-stuffer is good in these spots.

Justin Edwards ($4,100)

Qualifying for today's game of "who?", Justin Edwards logged 35 minutes off Philadelphia's bench on Wednesday. If Drummond and Yabusele both end up sitting with Embiid already out, he might be the Sixers' starting center by tip-off.

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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.