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Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Friday 10/25/24. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.
After a successful start to the season with Wednesday's FanDuel article, in which I highlighted multiple players who went on to have big nights, I am back with another breakdown for yet another 10-game beast of a slate on Friday night!
Two games stand out from the rest of the pack in terms of their totals tonight as the Bulls-Bucks and Warriors-Jazz games both lead the way with 233.5 point totals. The Bucks are 9.5-point favorites, so there could be a little blowout risk there, but I wouldn't count on that outcome and rule out using players from that game. The Cavs and Magic are both big favorites tonight, too, in their contests, while the closest spread comes from the Lakers-Suns late-night showdown.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/25/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EST on FanDuel.
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FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Stephen Curry, GSW – PG ($8,700)
Yes, the Warriors are running a 12-man rotation, but I'm not expecting Curry to play only 25 minutes tonight as this game should stay competitive longer than the Warriors' game with Portland did on opening night. Curry and Draymond Green sat out the entire fourth quarter and I would expect him to play closer to the 32 minutes that Kerr had said he was aiming for when asked during the preseason.
Despite only playing 25 minutes, Steph flirted with a triple-double and posted 46.8 FD points against the Blazers. He gets a great matchup here against a Utah team that struggled all last season against the point guard position and yielded a 22-5-10 line to Ja Morant on Wednesday in just 27 minutes! Curry is just too cheap tonight, and I'm locking him in as the first piece in my cash game lineups.
Jarrett Allen, CLE – PF/C ($7,500)
We have another night of Jarrett Allen with PF eligibility on FanDuel and I am planning to take advantage of that so I can play two centers in my lineups. Despite posting 37.8 FD points in just 26 minutes of the Cavs' blowout of the Raptors on Wednesday, Allen's price only went up $100.
Jarrett Allen was phenomenal last night pic.twitter.com/CEvrOB47E6
— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) October 19, 2024
The Pistons allowed the second-most blocks to centers last season, and Myles Turner got them for four swats in the opener on his way to a big night. I think Detroit showed that they will be more competitive this season in that opener, which could unlock some ceilings for Cavs players tonight. Evan Mobley was the big star for the Cavs against Toronto, but I think Allen can also dominate in this matchup.
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK – C ($7,700)
So we simply have to take advantage of the Knicks flop against Boston on opening night! FanDuel didn't move KAT's price up, in fact they dropped it by $100 and we get another chance to roster him in a much better matchup.
How good is this matchup? Well, game logs aren't everything, but Towns has crushed Myles Turner in his career. Turner is a shot-blocker but not a great overall defender, especially against a fleet-footed big man like KAT, who can also stretch the floor. Tonight, this is a huge bounceback game for KAT, and I'm building around him as my top center.
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Damian Lillard, MIL – PG ($8,600)
Dame dropped 30 points on the Sixers in the opener, shooting 50% from deep in the process. He looked good and perhaps this season we see him outscore Giannis more often that he did last year.
While I normally would be all over Giannis in this matchup against Chicago, the price on Lillard feels like a bargain considering Giannis is $11,4000.
Point guard is loaded tonight, which should lead to some reduced rostership across all the top options and I see no reason why Dame can't contend for the top point-per-dollar play. We definitely want some Milwaukee exposure as they have the highest implied team total on the board.
Paolo Banchero, ORL – SF/PF ($9,100)
Banchero was simply awesome in the Magic's opening win over the Heat on Wednesday. His scoring is what I took note of from that performance as he was able to get to the rim and also was effective in the mid-range and from deep.
Paolo Banchero starts Year 3 with a bang 💥
33 PTS | 4 3PM | 11 REB | Magic W pic.twitter.com/VESqP6daVb
— NBA (@NBA) October 24, 2024
Banchero led the team with a 34% usage rate which is like James Harden/Luka Doncic territory. If we are going to see him dominate the ball that much this season, he won't be 9k for long. He's already a great rebounder and solid passer, if he becomes an elite scorer then he could become one of the next great young players in the Association.
Anthony Davis, LAL - C ($11,000)
Speaking of great players, AD reminded everyone on opening night that he's still very much in his prime and that he is the fantasy force that has dominated the league for over a decade now. He posted 36 points and 16 boards against the Wolves in L.A.'s win while adding four assists and three blocks.
Tonight's game against the Suns will be another test for this Lakers team to prove that they're ready to take a step forward under new head coach J.J. Redick. Jusuf Nurkic doesn't stand a chance against AD and I expect him to be the main focal point of the Laker offense while LeBron continues to act as a complimentary player.
Others Under Consideration: LaMelo Ball - PG ($10,100), Trae Young - PG ($9,900), Lauri Markkanen - SF/PF ($8,100)
FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Dyson Daniels, ATL – PG/SG ($5,200)
If it ain't broke...you know the saying, right? Daniels went for 40+ FanDuel points in his first start with the Hawks, but a $1000 price hike is still not enough! Bogdan Bogdanovic is out tonight, so Daniels could end up playing even heavier minutes. This matchup against Charlotte - a fast-paced, poor defensive team - is a great one.
Tre Mann, CHA – PG/SG ($5,400)
Mann came off the bench to drop 24 points in the opener and posted the second-highest usage rate on the team (29.7%) behind only LaMelo Ball. He saw 28 minutes of action and is still too cheap for his minutes and production.
Gradey Dick, TOR – SG/SF ($5,100)
Gradey was the lone bright spot for Toronto in their opener and he posted 16 points and led all Toronto scorers in 29 minutes of action.
OKAYYY @gradey_dick 👀 pic.twitter.com/6yGqfqcuQ1
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 24, 2024
It looks like there is no Quickley tonight for Toronto, so they will need Dick to put up even more shots and help carry an already weak offense. I just hope Toronto can hang long enough for Dick to see 30+ minutes. If he does, then I think he can crush his price tag.
Bennedict Mathurin, IND – SG/SF ($5,100)
Mathurin is a "microwave" bench scorer like Mann. He scored 19 for Indiana in their win over Detroit on Wednesday and added six boards. He doesn't do much but score, but at this price, we don't need more than 25 to 30 FD points to feel good about rostering Mathurin.
Miles McBride, NYK - PG/SG ($4,400)
Sensing a theme here? McBride was the first guy off the Knicks bench on Tuesday and led the team with 22 points in 25 minutes. He's going to have to play a lot as the Knicks have a very thin bench unit, and McBride can play both on and off the ball, spelling Jalen Brunson at the point and playing the two guard alongside him.
Others Under Consideration: Yves Missi - C ($4,800), Guerschon Yabusele - PF ($4,500), Toumani Camara - SG/SF ($5,000)
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Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors (219.5 total, 4.5-point spread)
While this game has a relatively low total compared to some others, I think it can stay close, which is what we are really looking for after so many blowouts on Wednesday.
The Sixers are still without Joel Embiid and PG13, meaning we can focus on Tyrese Maxey ($9,400), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($6,200), and maybe a punt play like Yabusele while bringing in Gradey Dick and/or Scottie Barnes ($9,000) since Immanuel Quickley is doubtful for Toronto.
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets (224.5 total, 5.5-point spread)
I like this game a little better than the first one, but it's going to be expensive to stack the way we want it, with Trae Young and Ball being the must-play pieces. Secondary pieces would include Mann and Daniels, while Onyeka Okongwu ($6,600) is certainly in play here, too, after his huge game in the opener (but he did get a hefty price hike as a result).
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Karl-Anthony Towns
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Stephen Curry
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Paolo Banchero
- My favorite VALUE play: Dyson Daniels
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