NBA DFS Picks: Thursday 1/9/25

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

Trae Young ($9,600) -- Trae Young gets to take part in one of the night's elite DFS game environments as the Atlanta Hawks-Phoenix Suns clash boasts a slate-best 238.0-point total and 6.5-point spread. The Suns are 22nd in defensive rating for the season. Over the past 15 games, they're allowing the 11th-most FanDuel points per game to PGs (50.5). As of Thursday morning, Young paces our NBA DFS projections as we forecast him to score 47.5 FanDuel points (4.95 per $1,000).

Terry Rozier ($5,000) -- Terry Rozier pops in our projections, with our model pegging him to score 30.9 FanDuel points. That works out to 6.18 per $1,000. With Jimmy Butler out, Rozier has struggled a bit the last three games, topping 23.5 FanDuel points only once. But he's played 32 and 41 minutes the last two games (with the 41-minute outing coming in a two-OT affair), and if he gets hot shooting, he can smash value tonight versus the Utah Jazz, a team that ranks dead last in defensive rating.

Others to Consider

Fred VanVleet ($7,400) -- Fred VanVleet is taking on a Memphis Grizzlies team that has a ton of people listed as questionable. The spread for the game is 2.0 points, so that hints at most of Memphis' key players suiting up. As long as that happens (and we don't have to worry about much blowout risk), FVV is a top-notch play. We project him for 39.6 FanDuel points (5.35 per $1,000).

Collin Sexton ($6,500) -- I'm bullish on the DFS outlook for the Jazz-Miami Heat matchup (223.0-point total, 5.5-point spread). Collin Sexton projects for 31.9 FanDuel points (4.91 per $1,000), and he's a modest-salaried way to get exposure to that game.

Wings

Top Priorities

Kevin Durant ($9,000) -- A date with the Hawks should be a boon for Kevin Durant's fantasy upside. Atlanta (2nd in pace) is a huge pace-up spot for Phoenix (22nd), and the Hawks are just 20th in defensive rating. You can make a case for either of KD or Devin Booker ($8,900), but I lean toward Durant, who our numbers have posting 43.8 FanDuel points (4.87 per $1,000).

Desmond Bane ($7,800) -- The Grizzlies are the team to watch on this slate. About half their roster is listed as questionable, but like I just mentioned, the spread for their game versus the Houston Rockets is 2.0, so oddsmakers are expecting Memphis to be pretty close to full strength. We'll have to follow Memphis injury news as we get closer to tip tonight. If Desmond Bane plays, he's a solid option, but how high of a ceiling he'll have depends on which other Grizz players suit up. This game has a 233.5-point total in addition to the 2.0-point spread, so it sets up well for DFS if Memphis' top guys play.

Others to Consider

Lauri Markkanen ($7,500) -- Lauri Markkanen just blew up for 35 real-world points and 45.9 FanDuel points last time out, and he's in the Utah-Miami game that I want pieces from. Miami is surrendering 45.7 FanDuel points per game to the PF position over their past seven games.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($5,000) -- One more player from the Heat-Jazz game. Similar to Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr. projects really well for the short-handed Heat, with our model pegging him to score 26.9 FanDuel points (5.38 per $1,000). His across-the-board contributions give him a sweet floor/ceiling combination.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Evan Mobley ($8,300) -- The night's top implied total (125.0) belongs to a team we haven't yet touched on: the Cleveland Cavaliers. They've got a friendly matchup against the Toronto Raptors, a team that is 8th in pace and 27th in defensive rating. The problem is the Cavs are massive 15.5-point favorites, so the blowout risk is very real. If the game stays competitive, multiple Cavs could go off. Evan Mobley is the Cleveland player I'm most interested in due to his stocks (steals plus blocks) upside.

Clint Capela ($5,500) -- Clint Capela is a low-salary way to get in on the Hawks-Suns game. We project him for 27.1 FanDuel points (5.21 per $1,000). His minutes have been a little unpredictable of late, but Capela produced an excellent 25-minute, 33.2-FanDuel-point showing last time out.

Others to Consider

Rudy Gobert ($6,400) -- The Minnesota Timberwolves are at the Orlando Magic in a game that carries the slate's lowest total (200.5) by 19.0 points. Yuck. However, I don't mind Rudy Gobert, who we project for 33.0 FanDuel points (5.16 per $1,000).

Trayce Jackson-Davis ($6,100) -- Trayce Jackson-Davis has been very boom-or-bust lately. He's topped 36.4 FanDuel points in three of his past five games. In the other two, he went for 3.9 and 15.5 FanDuel points. A matchup with the Detroit Pistons could be a boom spot for him, especially if any of the Golden State Warriors' players who are questionable end up sitting out.

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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.