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

Luka Doncic ($11,900) -- On most nights, Luka Doncic is going to carry the highest ceiling in DFS given his 36% usage rate or higher in each of his last five seasons. To begin the new campaign, Doncic gets to face a San Antonio Spurs squad that surrendered the second-most FanDuel points (FDPs) per game to PGs and SGs a season ago.

Kyrie Irving ($8,100) -- Kyrie Irving draws the same matchup as Doncic on Thursday, and while he doesn't carry the same upside, our projections have him finishing with the most FDPs (39.6) among the PGs with a salary of $8,100 or lower. Even with Irving playing alongside Doncic last season, he still had a 28.1% usage rate while producing 41 FDPs per game.

Derrick White ($7,000) -- In the game with the highest total on Thursday, I'll back Derrick White to have a notable outing despite the Boston Celtics being double-digit favorites over the Washington Wizards. White tallied 36.6 FDPs in a blowout victory on opening night, and the Wizards allowed the most FDPs per game to SGs in 2023-24.

Others to Consider

Alex Caruso ($5,300) -- Alex Caruso should join the starting lineup for the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the backcourt. Our projections have Caruso as the best points-per-dollar play at the guard position with a projection of 2.4 stocks (steals + blocks).

Russell Westbrook ($4,800) -- Upon joining the Denver Nuggets, Russell Westbrook should operate as the primary ball handler off the bench, and we know he can stuff the stat sheet in that role after he averaged 25.3 FDPs per game last year. We're going to need some value if we're going to fit the high-salary studs into our lineups on Thursday.

Forwards

Top Priorities

Jaylen Brown ($8,200) -- Even after witnessing Jayson Tatum rack up an impressive 61.8 FDPs (compared to Jaylen Brown posting only 34.9 FDPs) on Tuesday night, there shouldn't be a $1,900 gap in salaries. Either one of them can be the No. 1 option on any given night, and this is a potential pace-up game for the Celtics as the Wizards played at the fastest pace in 2023-24.

Julius Randle ($7,300) -- There are likely more productive days ahead for Julius Randle as he's expected to be the second-leading scorer on the Minnesota Timberwolves alongside Anthony Edwards. While his 18.9% usage rate on opening night would be the lowest of his career since his rookie year, Randle did play 34 minutes and Thursday's Timberwolves-Sacramento Kings matchup carries the lowest spread, so he should see plenty of action again.

Michael Porter Jr. ($6,400) -- During the preseason, Michael Porter Jr. looked like a much-improved player as he seemed more aggressive when it came to attacking the basket en route to putting up 16.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.2 SPG in only 22 MPG in exhibition contests. Porter has already been a high-volume and efficient three-point shooter in recent years, but if he can contribute in other areas, there is value in taking him at $6,400 in what is expected to be a competitive game versus the Thunder.

Others to Consider

Jeremy Sochan ($5,800) -- Greg Popovich is always tough to predict with starting lineups, but Jeremy Sochan is expected to start at PF for the Spurs to begin the year. Having Chris Paul as his PG should help Sochan focus on being more of a two-way forward to tip off the 2024-25 campaign against a Mavericks team that allowed the eighth-most FDPs per game to PFs last year.

Christian Braun ($4,700) -- With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope no longer on the Nuggets, Christian Braun is projected to join the starting lineup to begin the year. Per 36 minutes last season, Braun recorded 13.1 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and a total of 1.7 stocks per game on 38.4% shooting from three-point range, making him a worthwhile value play if he gets around 30 minutes on Thursday.

Centers

Top Priorities

Victor Wembanyama ($11,500) -- Among all players on Thursday, Victor Wembanyama is the one I want to start most of my lineups with following a rookie campaign where he logged 26 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 4.7 APG, and a combined 5.8 stocks per game per 36 minutes on a 32.2% usage rate. According to our projections, Wembanyama is slated for the most FDPs (55.9) on tonight's slate as he's forecasted for 5 stocks -- which would give him 15 FDPs without even accounting for his points, rebounds, and assists.

Domantas Sabonis ($9,800) -- You could certainly make the argument for Nikola Jokic on any given night, but I prefer Wembanyama on Thursday, and Domantas Sabonis does have a modest salary for his upside. Even though the arrival of DeMar DeRozan could impact his usage, Sabonis should remain the primary playmaker for the Kings after averaging career-high marks in RPG (13.7) and APG (8.2) in 2023-24.

Others to Consider

Al Horford ($5,500) -- The Wizards permitted the second-most most FDPs per game to PFs and the most FDPs per game to Cs, and there isn't reason to believe that will drastically change despite Washington bringing in Jonas Valanciunas. While the Celtics want to monitor his minutes at 38 years old, Al Horford earned 28.1 FDPs in Tuesday's lopsided win over the New York Knicks in only 26 minutes of action.

Naz Reid ($5,100) -- Naz Reid is going to be the first big off the bench for the Timberwolves, and it was a positive sign to see him play 26 minutes on opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers. I would likely avoid playing Julius Randle and Reid in the same lineup as they don't correlate much.

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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.