NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (1/26/25)

NBA DFS lineup picks for Sunday, January 26th, 2025. Koby's top FanDuel, DraftKings daily fantasy basketball value plays.

Happy Sunday, RotoBallers! Welcome back to our daily DFS picks! We only have one game for tonight! The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers! This slate will be a bit different than our normal slate of games with it only being one game but I will walk you through it and hopefully, we can take the slate down!

I love playing the NBA showdowns daily, it has become one of my favorite forms of DFS. Nothing is more thrilling than having a lineup of players from one game and sweating it out while watching it live. There is a lot less room for error though with there being fewer options to choose from. Hopefully, with all the advanced stats, I can bring you the best analysis possible and get you some extra cash for the weekend ahead. 

I will provide you with daily fantasy basketball picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Thunder vs. Trail Blazers NBA DFS showdown slate on January 26. These NBA DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on Twitter/X @DFSKoby and please feel free to ask any questions about upcoming slates as I'm happy to answer any DMs or in our RotoBaller Discord!

MVP/Captain Plays

Jalen Williams- PF/SF, $15K (DK) $15K (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Avg. Season Stats: 20.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.14 assists with a combined 2.6 STOCK average.

The obvious play here is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and I am by no means saying not to play him here but he will likely be 90%+ owned on this slate. Jalen Williams is a way to get different and make a slightly more balanced lineup. Jalen Williams has averaged 40 FP a game this season and in their last matchup had 60 FP! His ceiling is extremely high and is a solid 3.6k cheaper than his teammate.

Deni Avdija - SF/PF, $13.5K(DK) $13.5K (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Avg. Season Stats: 14.2 points, 3.4 assists, and 6.5 rebounds with a combined 1.7 STOCK average

Even with Jerami Grant back in the lineup, Deni Avdija has been a critical piece of this Blazers team. He isn't a massive scorer but has three double-doubles in the last five games and has been massive on defense 2.33 STOCKS across those five games. He has scored 35+ in four of the last five games and putting him as captain relieves quite a bit of salary to spend elsewhere. Portland has won four straight with a large part being because of Deni being so aggressive. I expect that to continue here in this matchup.

Other Captains/MVPs: Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Isaiah Hartenstein

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DFS Flex Plays

Isaiah Hartenstein- C, $8.6K (DK) $13K (FD)

In one of his first games back this season, Hartenstein dominated the Blazers and finished with 43 FP! He has been averaging 37 FP this season and although he is coming off a calf injury, it looks like he will be 100% for this game. Hartenstein has been a big part of this OKC core and I expect him to continue scoring well against this Blazer team that has bled FP to big men this season.

Toumani Camara- SG/SF, $5.6K (DK) $9.5K (FD)

Toumani has been a bit up and down this season but he has been shooting much better recently and still is a big defensive menace for the Blazers. He is averaging just over 32 minutes a game across the last 10 games and almost three STOCKS in that time as well.

Toumani Camara ranks in the 99th percentile for perimeter isolation defense and matchup difficulty

Been an all NBA defensive player this season pic.twitter.com/yjqj9nwF6n

— 🅵🅾🆁🆃🅷🅴🅵🅰🅽🆂 🎙 (@503Blazerfans) January 15, 2025

For his price, he has a high ceiling but it also comes with a risk as he has a relatively low floor. He had 28 FP in their last matchup but could finish with 30+ the way his usage has continually gone up across the season.

Other Flex Options: Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, Cason Wallace, Jerami Grant

DFS Value Plays

Donovan Clingan - C, $5K (DK) $7.5K (FD)

Deandre Ayton will be out again, which means Donovan Clingan will likely be the value chalk on this slate. He is extremely cheap on both sites and should hit about 20 minutes in this matchup. He only needed 17 minutes to finish with 39 FP. He is a block merchant and just like in their last matchup where he started he finished with two blocks and two steals. Overall finishing with 31.8 FP in 21 minutes of play. At his price, he will likely be the optimal option.

Donovan Clingan has a BLK% of 8.6%

How good is that?

To put it into context, here are the BLK% of some well-known rim protectors this year:

Wembanyama - 10.8%
Davis - 5.9%
Turner - 5.8%
Jackson Jr. - 5.1%
Gobert - 4.2%

Cling Kong can be a FORCE one daypic.twitter.com/QMYNiNGr9h

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) January 25, 2025

Isaiah Joe - SG/SF, $4K (DK) $7K (FD)

Isaiah Joe is back from a two-game stint out with an illness. He should resume his role off the bench where he has averaged just over 20 MPG this season. Isaiah Joe has been shooting extremely well, especially from three where he hits 38% of his shots and Portland has been known for giving up threes this year at the eighth-highest rate in the league. He is a very cheap option on DK and could make a great play in a Stars and Duds style of lineup.

Other Value Plays: Aaron Wiggins, Robert Williams III, Scoot Henderson

Have a great night and let's make some cash!

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