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Zach's top DraftKings NBA DFS picks for today, Friday, 2/7/25. His favorite daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for DraftKings DFS.
As the dust settles from a wild and crazy NBA Trade Deadline, Friday night's schedule features six games on the main DFS fantasy basketball slate, which starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. The contests include some very interesting matchups and a chance to see some new looks from some teams if their recent acquisitions are available. None of the 12 teams are playing for the second night in a row although the Hawks, Thunder, Spurs, and Wizards do have another game coming up on Saturday to keep in mind. Several big-name stars are questionable, so things could change before tip-off for many teams. Even with that uncertainty, though, some strong plays stand out.
With a solid player pool of 12 teams to examine, plenty of great options are available at a variety of price points. Let's dive in and find some good options to build around from a DFS perspective on DraftKings. If you're looking for FanDuel-specific advantage, check out Thunder Dan's FanDuel picks!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/7/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on DraftKings.
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DraftKings NBA DFS Core Picks
De'Aaron Fox, SAS – PG ($8,500)
Typically, I like to give star players time to settle into their new teams before backing them in fantasy, especially as a core play. However, the Spurs' addition of Fox at the deadline is such a great fit that I'm ready to make an exception. The potential for this team with Fox at the helm is enormous and he showed he's ready to contribute right away with 57.75 DraftKings points in his debut on Wednesday.
De’Aaron Fox in his Spurs debut:
24 PTS, 5 REB, 13 AST, 3 STL, W pic.twitter.com/uUDxHIn2aW
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) February 6, 2025
On Friday, Fox and his new team take on the Hornets in Charlotte. The Hornets could get LaMelo Ball ($10,100; ankle, questionable) back, which could help keep the game more competitive and set up a nice showdown between Fox and Ball. Even if Ball doesn't play, Fox should have a good enough opportunity to put up good production with his new squad.
Evan Mobley, CLE – PF/C ($8,400)
Mobley and the Cavs added De'Andre Hunter ($5,900) in a very nice deadline move, although he may or may not be available on Friday. Either way, Mobley has been consistently excellent lately and brings a very high ceiling as the Cavs visit the Wizards, who dealt away multiple pieces over the last week.
Over his last six games, Mobley posted 42+ DraftKings points four times while averaging 42.6 DraftKings points per game and an elite 1.48 DraftKings points per minute.
He had a down game against Boston on Tuesday but stormed back on Wednesday against the Pistons and posted 60.25 DraftKings points.
MASSIVE Evan Mobley bounce-back last night, folks. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/bKszZ8CuQ6
— Across The Cavs (@AcrossCavs) February 6, 2025
Mobley will be in a juicy matchup against the Wizards, who allow the most fantasy points per game to power forwards and the most second-fantasy points to centers. He had two double-doubles and over 39 DraftKings points in their two earlier meetings this season, so he's a great way to secure a very high ceiling at a salary under $9,000 and brings roster flexibility with power forward and center eligibility.
Bilal Coulibaly, WAS – SG/SF ($5,500)
The Wizards traded away multiple pieces including Kyle Kuzma ($6,100) and Jonas Valanciunas, Marvin Bagley III, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and former first-round pick Johnny Davis. While some new faces may be joining the rotation, Kuzma's exit opens the door for more production from Coulibaly, who has established himself as one of the top parts of the Wizards young core.
On Wednesday, he showed off his upside with a nice triple-double and 47.25 DraftKings points against the Nets.
WIZARDS 20 YEAR OLD STAR BILAL COULIBALY HAD HIS FIRST TRIPLE-DOUBLE OF HIS CAREER IN THEIR WIN VS. BROOKLYN! 💪
📊 11 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 5/9 FGM, 31 MIN
After LOSING SIXTEEN STRAIGHT, Washington has WON THREE IN A ROW ‼️ pic.twitter.com/O2ZI7m4qSe
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) February 6, 2025
Coulibaly is still just 20 years old, and this is a tough matchup against the Cavs. However, I love his long-term upside and short-term potential. With Alexandre Sarr (ankle) and Malcolm Brogdon (foot) still out, he should continue to get plenty of work. He's extremely versatile and affordable, so he works in almost every roster build, making him one of my top core pieces for Friday.
Others Under Consideration: Trae Young - PG ($9,600), Darius Garland - PG ($8,000), Bam Adebayo - PF/C ($8,200), Victor Wembanyama - C ($11,000)
DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Joel Embiid, PHI - C ($10,000)
Embiid has only played 14 of the Sixers' 50 games this season, but welcome to DFS, where all that matters is that he's playing on Friday against the Pistons and brings a very high ceiling. When he has played, he has been productive, averaging 44.6 DraftKings points in just 29.5 minutes per game for a production rate of 1.51 DraftKings points per minute.
He showed off his still-high ceiling with a triple-double in his first game in a month on Tuesday against the Mavs, totaling 62.25 DraftKings points on 29 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Embiid has at least 50 DraftKings points in each of his last five games, but the sad part for his fans is that he has only played five games since Christmas. Since he's playing Friday, though, he brings a high enough upside to be a tournament play.
Damian Lillard, MIL – PG ($8,700)
The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800; calf, questionable) on Wednesday after his calf tightened up during pregame warmups, resulting in him being a late scratch. Lillard stepped up with Giannis out and contributed 29 points, 12 assists, and 58.0 DraftKings points to lead the Bucks to a win over the Hornets.
Damian Lillard tonight:
29 Points
12 Assists
4 Rebounds
2 Steals
50% FG pic.twitter.com/BsYJCIpBnE— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 6, 2025
Lillard has put up over 50 DraftKings points in four of his last seven games and averaged 45 DraftKings points in his two matchups against the Hawks earlier this season. Since Atlanta plays at one of the fastest paces in the NBA, look for Lillard to get plenty of usage and production on Friday whether he has to carry the offense himself or gets some help from Giannis coming back or Kuzma being available. He becomes a higher risk without those two stars, but he also has a higher ceiling since he will have to carry more of the scoring load.
Scottie Barnes, TOR - PG/SF ($9,100)
The Raptors were very active at the trade deadline, but Barnes will still have to carry the workload for the team in a tough matchup in Oklahoma City on Friday night. Immanuel Quickley ($5,700) is not on the injury report and should play but RJ Barrett (concussion) and Jakob Poeltl (hip) are out.
In his 38 games this season, Barnes produced 1.29 DraftKings points per minute with a 27.4% usage rate. Over his last 10 games, he averaged 1.30 DraftKings points per minute and 43.6 DraftKings points per game. He also had 43.5 DraftKings points in his first matchup this season with the Thunder. He has had a couple of rough shooting nights in his last two games, but he has the potential to have a big bounce-back performance on Friday, especially with so many other players unavailable.
Zaccharie Risacher, ATL - SG/SF ($4,800)
The values section below is stuffed with low-cost, high-ceiling options, but I can't totally pass on Risacher, so I moved him into my tournament plays since he brings such boom-or-bust potential with an extremely high ceiling.
The No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft has a clearer path to playing time and usage after the Hawks' moves at the deadline, and he has been very solid since returning from an adductor injury that cost him seven games in January.
He had over 25 DraftKings points in four straight games after returning, highlighted by a 30-point performance against the Cavs when he totaled 39.25 DraftKings points in just 25 minutes.
Zaccharie Risacher has had a 25.3% USG percentage in his three games since returning from injury 👀
19.3 PTS
4.3 REB (8.9%)
2.0 AST (14.7%)
1.3 STL (2.6%)
0.7 TOV (4.4%)
55.3% FG
58.8% 3P
50.0% FT
68.4% eFG
67.0% TS130 ORtgpic.twitter.com/DuwNDzrnvW
— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) February 3, 2025
Risacher has the potential to get more minutes and usage and bounce back from Wednesday's down game with a strong performance against the Bucks on Friday. He could be a steal under $5,000.
Others Under Consideration: Dyson Daniels - PG/SG ($7,200), Cade Cunningham - PG ($10,500), Tyler Herro - PG ($8,400), Jarrett Allen - C ($6,400), Jalen Duren - C ($6,300), Devin Vassell - SG/SF ($6,500), D'Angelo Russell - PG/SG ($6,400)
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DraftKings NBA DFS Value Picks
Moussa Diabate, CHA – C ($4,300)
The Hornets traded Mark Williams and Nick Richards before the NBA Trade Deadline, leaving Diabate and Taj Gibson ($3,000) as their leading big men coming into Friday's matchup with Wemby and the Spurs. Jusuf Nurkic was acquired from the Suns, but there is no word on when he'll make his debut, and even when he does, Diabate is expected to start.
After trading Mark Williams and Nick Richards, the Hornets will promote Moussa Diabate to their new starting center.
Diabate is averaging 6.3 points and 11.3 rebounds in games he logs at least 20 minutes.
Jusuf Nurkic will be Charlotte’s backup center. pic.twitter.com/EXFt7YTBHr
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) February 7, 2025
Diabate had a double-double on Wednesday with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 30.25 DraftKings points in 23 minutes. He has over 25 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and should thrive in his expanded role. The Hornets may try to go small in some matchups, but this doesn't look like a good spot for that since the Spurs typically play so big.
Gradey Dick, TOR – SG ($4,200)
With so many absences for the Raptors, Dick is also set up for an increased workload. He had 13 points and 22.75 DraftKings points on Wednesday even though he made just five-of-17 shots from the field. He scored double-digit points in five straight and 12 of his last 13.
💥 @gradey_dick 💥 pic.twitter.com/XA9HBl5KA0
— NBA (@NBA) January 29, 2025
He may eventually lose playing time when Brandon Ingram (ankle) joins the rotation, but for now, he brings lots of upside at this low salary.
Bub Carrington, WAS – PG/SG ($3,300)
Carrington's minutes have been inconsistent, but the 19-year-old rookie moved back into the starting lineup on Wednesday and had an outstanding performance, earning 41 DraftKings points.
Bub Carrington 16pts + 10ast highlights v. BKN pic.twitter.com/fi8rKkWV6B
— Hooper. (32-17) (@heisnotahooper) February 6, 2025
If Carrington gets another start while Khris Middleton ($5,300) settles in, he will be an elite bargain play in the backcourt against the Cavaliers.
Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR – SG/SF ($4,000)
Walter was the Raptors' first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and has taken on more of a role over the last few weeks. Toronto cleared playing time for him moving forward with their deadline moves, and he should be a good value at $4,000 on Friday.
Walter has scored double-digit points in four straight games and has moved into the starting lineup for each of the Raptors' two most recent contests, posting 18.75 DraftKings points against the Knicks followed by 26.25 DraftKings points against the Grizzlies.
Others Under Consideration: Ochai Agbaji - SF/PF ($3,300), Richaun Holmes - C ($3,500), Kyshawn George - SF/PF ($3,800), Vit Krejci - SG/SF ($4,500), Jeremy Sochan - PF/C ($4,700), KJ Simpson - PG ($4,300)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stack
Bucks at Hawks (241.5 total)
The Bucks may or may not have Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800) and Kyle Kuzma ($6,100) for this matchup, which is why Damian Lillard is one of the strongest options on the board. If either or both of those starters are out, there will be usage and minutes available for Bobby Portis ($5,500), Brook Lopez ($5,400), Andre Jackson ($3,500), and Gary Trent Jr. ($3,900). Portis had a massive 61.75 DraftKings points Monday and will be an elite play if Giannis is out again.
For the Hawks, Trae Young ($9,600) and Dyson Daniels ($7,200) lead the way while Zaccharie Risacher ($4,500) and Vit Krejci ($4,500) bring strong value under $5,000. Onyeka Okongwu ($6,300) has also been very solid while Larry Nance Jr. ($4,200) will continue to serve as his backup with Clint Capela (back) out.
Cavaliers at Wizards (236 total)
The Cavs are in a great spot against the Wizards, so all their stars are good plays. I highlighted Evan Mobley ($8,400) as my favorite place to start the stack above, but you can also include Darius Garland ($8,000), Jarrett Allen ($6,400), and Ty Jerome ($4,700). Donovan Mitchell ($8,600; shoulder, probable) is expected to return which is why I lean a little more towards Mobley instead of the backcourt. It's also important to watch if DeAndre Hunter ($5,900) is ready for his Cleveland debut.
The Wizards offer plenty of young legs to consider with Bilal Coulibaly ($5,500) as the center of my favorite Wizards stacks. Jordan Poole ($6,800) will still dominate usage but Bub Carrington ($3,300) and Kyshawn George ($3,800) are also great plays under $4,000. Richaun Holmes ($3,500) will also be lined up for more work after the Valanciunas trade. Keep an eye on if any of the new additions are ready to play, but especially if not, the young Wiz should be a great value source.
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: De'Aaron Fox
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Damian Lillard
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Bilal Coulibaly
- My favorite VALUE play: Moussa Diabate
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