NBA DFS Picks: Saturday 1/25/25

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

LaMelo Ball ($10,600)

The Charlotte Hornets created a fiasco in NBA DFS on Friday with late scratches of LaMelo Ball (wrist) and Miles Bridges (back). At least we can plan for it this time?

Both are listed probable, so I'm at least somewhat confident they'll return on the second leg of a back-to-back. We'll want exposure to LaMelo if he's good to go.

The 23-year-old is just starting to come into his own, topping 48 FanDuel points (FDP) in four of his last six. Tonight's environment could be sublime opposite a New Orleans Pelicans squad that's 11th in pace and 23rd in DRTG.

With Mark Williams (rest) ruled out tonight, Ball's plate could be chock-full -- especially on the glass.

Stephen Curry ($8,800)

Something special seems to happen when Stephen Curry and LeBron James meet up all these years after their old rivalry.

Curry dropped 44.2 FDP against the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas, and any sort of positive vibes or momentum will be welcome for the veteran, who has struggled under a 34.0 3P% in three of his last four games.

That effort against L.A. was no fluke; he's averaged 50.0 FDP in his last 10 against L.A., and he's also managed 48.1 FDP per 36 minutes this season with Draymond Green (calf) off the floor.

At 41.9 expected FDP in FanDuel Research's NBA DFS projections, Curry is one of the better values above $8,000 at guard today.

Jalen Suggs ($5,500)

Jalen Suggs participated in shootaround on Saturday, which bodes well for his chances to end a 10-game absence tonight against the Detroit Pistons.

While it's possible the Orlando Magic guard is eased back into action, we should make a decision here given Suggs' breakout 2024-25 campaign before the injury.

This season, the Gonzaga alum is averaging 39.3 FDP per 36 minutes, which has maintained to 46.7 FDP in the brief time he and Paolo Banchero have shared the floor this season.

Even conservatively using his season-long average, Suggs would only need about 25 minutes on the floor to pay off this salary. He's an intriguing value play.

Others to Consider

Trae Young ($9,500)

Jalen Johnson (shoulder) can't fight through his nagging injury tonight, opening up Trae Young as another point guard with upside. Young has posted 46.6 FDP per 36 minutes with Johnson off the floor this season. At the moment, I prefer the other two star guards, but Young works if Ball is surprisingly ruled out.

Collin Sexton ($6,400)

If the Utah Jazz keep things interesting as an 11-point underdog, an up-tempo affair with the Memphis Grizzlies should serve their counting stats well. Collin Sexton's floor is phenomenal at this salary; he's topped 27 FDP in 15 straight games!

Wings

Top Priorities

LeBron James ($9,800)

If the L.A. Lakers-Golden State Warriors game does go nuts, getting both of its top usage options at four-digit salaries is awesome.

It's pretty insane that Year 22 looks like this for LeBron James. He's posted 49.8 FDP per 36 minutes in his last 10 games, which merits this near-five-digit salary in awesome matchup. Though Golden State isn't a cupcake on paper, their defensive rating (DRTG) plummets to 114.8 in games without Green this season.

Like Curry, Bron showed out with 58.8 FDP on Christmas against the Dubs. That tiny extra motivation can and does make a huge difference in an NBA regular season filled with apathy.

Though Paul George is somewhat intriguing in a pace-up spot with the Chicago Bulls, James is where I'd spend salary at small forward today. However, he is officially questionable with a foot injury.

Mikal Bridges ($6,200)

As mentioned in today's NBA best bets, the Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks seem primed for a shootout.

A 231.0-point total comes from Sacramento's top-ranked pace and New York's 24th-ranked DRTG over every team's respective last 10 games. Both teams have exceeded the projected total in at least 54.6% of their games, too.

Mikal Bridges is a staple in our top value projections as he continues to battle 32.3% shooting from downtown this month, but we've seen him top 23 points in three of his last five anyway. This pace-up spot could help his low rebounding numbers (2.9 per 36 minutes), as well.

Bridges' projection of 33.5 FDP is hard to ignore in a desolate mid-range.

Vit Krejci ($4,600)

The Atlanta Hawks are confirmed to be down Jalen Johnson, and De'Andre Hunter (illness) isn't headed in the right direction after a downgrade, either.

That'll open up minutes on the wing for Vit Krejci, who has been Atlanta's one-for-one lineup plug for Johnson all season.

In five games this month with at least 28 minutes on the floor, Krejci has posted 26.8 FDP per game. That's similar to an average of 30.8 per 36 minutes with Johnson off the floor.

If Hunter also ends up sitting on Saturday, Krejci's paths to failure get even more narrow. He's the "safer" of Atlanta's value wing duo.

Others to Consider

Bogdan Bogdanovic ($4,900)

Here's the "riskier" Hawks option at wing. Bogdan Bogdanovic scores 54.1% of his FDP from buckets, so a cold night can drown him quickly, but Bogie could also torch a porous Toronto Raptors defense (117.4 DRTG) with added opportunity.

Dorian Finney-Smith ($3,800)

Lakers coach JJ Redick said he wants to get Dorian Finney-Smith toward 30 minutes moving forward, but the Lake Show have played consecutive blowouts. A full-time player south of $4,000 could be hard to pass up if most of the Hornets' question marks end up playing.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Jarrett Allen ($7,900)

Evan Mobley has missed four straight games, and I'm doubtful the Cleveland Cavaliers push him on this back-to-back.

To the surprise of no one, the fantasy production of Jarrett Allen has skyrocketed without another seven-footer clogging the Cavs' paint. He's posted 45.1 FDP per 36 minutes with Mobley off the floor this season.

That hasn't translated to most of this recent sample; he's topped 40 FDP just once. I'm still optimistic despite a tough matchup with the Houston Rockets' 52.9% rebounding rate.

I've somewhat buried the lede that Allen posted 49.1 FDP against the Rockets just four days ago. I think he's in a great spot once more assuming Mobley remains out on Saturday.

Guerschon Yabusele ($5,900)

Every Philadelphia 76ers starter is conceivably on the table in the best pace-up spot of the day.

Philadelphia (28th in tempo) meets the Chicago Bulls (3rd) in Chitown in a game with just a 4.5-point spread. These bottom feeders are punching in each other's weight class.

The Sixers are also healthy at the right time, missing just Joel Embiid (knee) and Andre Drummond (toe). That has led to 32.4 minutes per game in January for Guerschon Yabusele as Philly's undersized center.

Yabusele's topped 30 FDP in consecutive games returning from his own hiatus, and Chicago allows the fourth-most FDP to opposing power forwards. This recommendation is pretty straight forward.

Kyle Filipowski ($4,100)

As quickly as John Collins returned, he's gone again.

Collins' ailment is now a temporary illness, though. That's a delight for Utah Jazz fans in the long run and Kyle Filipowski's counting stats in the short run.

Filipowski topped 22 minutes in seven of nine games before Collins' return -- and his return to the bench. We can assume a similar return to work in the lineup in a pace-up spot against the Grizzlies.

At 24.9 projected FDP in 26.0 projected minutes, Filipowski is a can't-miss value play when considering the confirmed absences so far.

Others to Consider

Jakob Poeltl ($7,200)

Weirdly, Jakob Poeltl is standing out among higher-salaried pivots. The Hawks have allowed the eighth-most FDP per game to centers (57.1), and Atlanta's rebounding numbers take a nose dive with Jalen Johnson's 10.3 rebounds per 36 out of the mix.

Moussa Diabete ($4,000)

With news Mark Williams (rest) will sit for the Hornets tonight coming down officially, Moussa Diabate is a no-doubt value plug as Charlotte's full-time center. Remember, they traded Nick Richards. He's a higher priority than Filipowski; there's just not much explaining that needed to be done here.

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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.