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

Tyrese Maxey ($9,600) -- While Tyrese Maxey carries a hefty salary on Wednesday, Joel Embiid and Paul George have been ruled out for the season opener. Maxey produced a career-best 28.0% usage rate last season (that went up to 31.7% when Embiid was off the court), and the Milwaukee Bucks surrendered the fifth-most FanDuel points (FDPs) per game to PGs in 2023-24 with Damian Lillard not interested in playing much defense.

Tyrese Haliburton ($8,800) -- Wednesday's matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons carries the highest total by a decent margin, making Tyrese Haliburton a fantastic option at a sub-$9,000 salary. Haliburton averaged 43.9 FDPs per game a season ago, and our NBA DFS projections have him pinned as the fifth-best point-per-dollar play at PG on the main slate.

Marcus Smart ($5,500) -- With Jaren Jackson Jr. ruled out for the Memphis Grizzlies, the team will need other players to step up alongside Ja Morant. Even though Marcus Smart isn't viewed as a scorer, he can provide plenty of fantasy points via steals and peripheral stats against a Utah Jazz team that allowed the most FDPs per game to PGs and fifth-most FDPs per game to SGs last year.

Others to Consider

Brandin Podziemski ($5,200) -- Upon Klay Thompson departing this offseason, Brandin Podziemski will seemingly get the first crack at replacing him in the starting lineup alongside Stephen Curry. Of the guards playing on the main slate, Podziemski is slotted in as the second-best point-per-dollar play, according to our projections.

Dyson Daniels ($4,200) -- Dyson Daniels is expected to replace Dejounte Murray in the starting lineup for the Atlanta Hawks, so we may not get him at this salary again moving forward. Daniels averaged 3.0 stocks (steals plus blocks) per 36 minutes a season ago, and he should get plenty of run in his Hawks debut versus the Brooklyn Nets.

Forwards

Top Priorities

Lauri Markkanen ($7,800) -- The Grizzlies aren't going to have Jaren Jackson Jr.'s presence on the defensive end of the floor, presenting Lauri Markkanen a perfect opportunity to explode in the season opener. Markannen posted 38.8 FDPs per game last year with 23.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.4 stocks per game, and our projections have him forecasted for the seventh-most FDPs (35.8) among forwards on Wednesday.

Pascal Siakam ($7,700) -- Besides Haliburton, Pascal Siakam is another member of the Pacers I'm interested in ahead of a favorable matchup against the Pistons. Despite Haliburton being the primary ball handler for Indiana, Siakam registered a higher usage rate (25.2%) than the All-Star guard (24.6%) as he became the focal point of the offense whenever Haliburton missed time due to injury.

Kelly Oubre ($6,400) -- Kelly Oubre has never seen a shot he didn't like, and he'll likely get the green light to shoot plenty alongside Maxey in Wednesday's season opener sans Embiid and George. While it's hard to predict his role to begin the season, Oubre managed to record a 24.3% usage rate with 19.4 PPG and 5.9 RPG per 36 minutes when Embiid was out last year.

Others to Consider

Norman Powell ($5,200) -- The absence of Kawhi Leonard should allow Norman Powell to draw a start for the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Whenever Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Leonard were off the court for the Clippers in 2023-24, Powell logged a 28.5% usage rate, so he could see the ball plenty alongside James Harden.

Brandon Clarke ($4,400) -- We've seen Brandon Clarke be one of the best point-per-minute options in DFS in recent years, and he should benefit from Jackson being out for the Grizzlies. Ahead of Wednesday's meeting with the Jazz, our projections have Clarke listed as the second-best point-per-dollar play among all forwards on the main slate.

Centers

Top Priorities

Alperen Sengun ($8,600) -- There doesn't appear to be any restrictions for Alperen Sengun to begin the season after he suffered an ankle sprain to conclude the 2023-24 campaign. Sengun produced an elite 27.0% usage rate while tallying career-best marks in PPG (21.1), RPG (9.3), APG (5.0), and SPG (1.2) a season ago, and he'll square off against a Charlotte Hornets team that permitted the sixth-most FDPs per game to centers last year.

Evan Mobley ($7,700) -- Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen ($7,400) are both stellar options today, but I'll give the slight edge to Mobley despite the higher salary. I expect Mobley to take another step forward in his development on the offensive end of the floor to begin his fourth year in the NBA, and his 2.8 stocks per game per 36 minutes last season is plenty enough to do damage against a Toronto Raptors squad that allowed the third-most FDPs per game to PFs and seventh-most FDPs per game to Cs in 2023-24.

Deandre Ayton ($7,000) -- In his first year with the Portland Trail Blazers, Deandre Ayton notched a solid 36 FDPs per game. Ayton should continue starting at center -- and operate as one of the primary options -- for the Trail Blazers despite the team selecting Donovan Clingan ($4,900) in this year's draft.

Others to Consider

Zach Edey ($5,300) -- Zach Edey should draw the start at center for the Grizzlies on Wednesday, and his size allows him to fill up the stat sheet quick with stocks. If Edey proves to have chemistry with Ja Morant out of the gate, there's a good chance his salary will be increased drastically moving forward.

Trayce Jackson-Davis ($4,700) -- The Golden State Warriors could elect to start Trayce Jackson-Davis at center on Wednesday to combat the size of Ayton, who showed signs of not wanting to get to the free-throw line in 2023-24 with a career-worst 1.4 free-throw attempts per game. Besides Ayton's unwillingness to draw fouls in the paint -- which should allow Jackson-Davis to avoid foul trouble -- the Trail Blazers surrendered the second-most FDPs per game to Cs last season.

From the opening tip to unbelievable buzzer beaters, you can watch it all with NBA League Pass on us! All FanDuel customers who bet $5 will get a 3 month trial of NBA League Pass. See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.