NBA DFS Picks: Tuesday 1/7/25

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 ($9,200) -- Trae Young draws a fantastic matchup on Tuesday against a Utah Jazz team that is giving up the second-most FanDuel points (FDPs) per game to PGs (54.9). Additionally, the Jazz are 30th in adjusted defensive rating (117.2), 25th in effective field-goal percentage allowed (55.7%), 22nd in assist rate allowed (65.1%), and 30th in steal rate allowed (10.3%).

Fred VanVleet ($7,200) -- We always want to have players who face the Washington Wizards in our lineups, and they are permitting the most FDPs per game to PGs (56.2), which makes Fred VanVleet an enticing option on Tuesday. Washington also plays at the 4th-fastest pace while ranking 27th in adjusted defensive rating (116.0), 21st in assist rate allowed (65.1%), and 23rd in steal rate allowed (9.2%).

Jalen Green ($6,500) -- At the moment, Jalen Green is questionable with a knee injury, but he's someone to prioritize at his salary if he suits up versus the Wizards as he's tallied 37-plus FDPs in three of his last six outings. If Green is unable to suit up for the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, then Cam Whitmore ($4,500) becomes a viable salary-saving option.

Others to Consider

Derrick White ($7,100) -- Derrick White always carries a solid floor/ceiling due to his ability to rack up stocks (steals plus blocks), and he's notched multiple stocks in 12 of his last 15 contests. Along with liking White, I don't mind playing Dyson Daniels ($7,000) at a similar salary as both players are involved in games with totals of 235-plus points against teams who struggle against guards.

Donte DiVincenzo ($5,200) -- On Monday versus the Los Angeles Clippers, the Minnesota Timberwolves inserted Donte DiVincenzo into the starting lineup over Mike Conley, and he supplied a modest 25.3 FDPs. Assuming DiVincenzo remains in the starting five on Tuesday, he'll be squaring off with a New Orleans Pelicans team that is ceding the fifth-most FDPs to PGs (50.9) and seventh-most FDPs per game to SGs (43.5).

Wings

Top Priorities

Anthony Edwards ($9,000) -- In his two games since talking about not wanting to pass the ball as much with teams double-teaming him often, Anthony Edwards is averaging 30 shot attempts and 57.8 FDPs per game. Edwards should have a chance to be ultra-aggressive again on Tuesday when the T-Wolves take on a Pelicans squad that is 28th in adjusted defensive rating (116.2), 29th in effective field-goal percentage allowed (56.4%), and 24th in three-point percentage allowed (36.9%).

Amen Thompson ($7,100) -- Jabari Smith is going to miss time for the Rockets, and Tari Eason is doubtful to suit up with a leg injury on Tuesday, so Amen Thompson should be on our radars given how well he's performed in recent games. Thompson has recorded a double-double in four of his last five contests -- supplying 37-plus FDPs in each of those outings -- while the Wizards are 28th in offensive rebound rate allowed (27.2%) and 21st in block rate allowed (10.5%).

Naji Marshall ($4,400) -- Upon returning from a four-game suspension, Naji Marshall notched 31.7 FDPs in 32 minutes of action on Monday versus the Memphis Grizzlies. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both sidelined for the Dallas Mavericks, Marshall figures to remain in the starting lineup ahead of a matchup against a Los Angeles Lakers team that is allowing the seventh-most FDPs per game to SFs (43.8).

Others to Consider

Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($4,800) -- The Miami Heat elected to replace Nikola Jovic in the starting lineup with Jaime Jaquez Jr. in their last game, and it resulted in Jaquez posting a triple-double en route to scoring 60.4 FDPs. There's no reason Jaquez shouldn't be starting again on Tuesday as the Heat continue to seek a trade partner for Jimmy Butler, who is currently suspended by the team.

Brice Sensabaugh ($4,700) -- While I like Brice Sensabaugh a bit more if Lauri Markkanen is ruled out for the Jazz, it's worth noting that Sensabaugh has supplied 20-plus real-life points and 29-plus FDPs in each of his last three appearances where he's gotten 24-plus minutes. On top of that, the Hawks are 28th in effective field-goal percentage allowed (56.0%), 26th in three-point rate allowed (43.9%), and 30th in three-point percentage allowed (38.3%).

Bigs

Top Priorities

Nikola Jokic ($12,900) -- No one on this slate possesses the floor/ceiling combo that Nikola Jokic does as he's averaging 65.4 FDPs per game and logged 80-plus FDPs in three of his last four outings. Even though facing the Boston Celtics isn't ideal, the game boasts the second-highest total on the slate, and our projections have him forecasted for the most FDPs (57.7) by a decent margin.

Anthony Davis ($11,600) -- Anthony Davis is expected to finish with the second-most FDPs (52.8), per our projections, as he's posted 59-plus FDPs in each of his last four appearances for the Lakers. Considering that Davis has snagged 13-plus rebounds in seven of his last eight games, it's worth mentioning that the Mavericks are 25th in offensive rebound rate allowed (26.1%).

Alperen Sengun ($9,100) -- Along with attacking the Wizards with guards, playing centers against them has provided fruitful results as they are giving up the third-most FDPs per game (59.2) to the position. Despite Alperen Sengun putting up fewer than 29 FDPs in back-to-back games, he had 47-plus FDPs in each of his previous three outings, and the Wizards are 28th in rim field-goal percentage allowed (66.6%).

Others to Consider

Walker Kessler ($6,900) -- Not only will John Collins be out for the Jazz due to a personal matter, but Walker Kessler will get to face a Hawks team that is permitting the fifth-most FDPs per game to Cs (58.0). Kessler has produced 32-plus FDPs in three of his last four contests, and he's grabbed 11-plus rebounds in seven of his last nine games.

Dereck Lively ($6,300) -- If Daniel Gafford is unable to play on Tuesday after exiting early in Monday's game with an ankle injury, then Dereck Lively becomes a formidable sub-$7,000 option. Lively has registered 38-plus FDPs in two of his last three appearances while the Lakers are 25th in rim field-goal percentage allowed (65.9%) and 24th in offensive rebound rate allowed (25.9%).

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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.