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Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Jamie Calandro's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on October 21st, 2025.
NOW the season can begin, RotoBallers! With last night's two-game opener out of the way, we finally get to focus on our first full slate, which gives us 12 games of fantasy beauty. Believe it or not, there are ALREADY injuries impacting the slate, so be sure to follow along with any other update that comes out.
Identifying early values and adjusting based on news is key in DFS. As you'll see in this article, DraftKings has already made a mistake (P.J. Washington is minimum priced). To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and also gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where our experts are talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 10/22/25. 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 FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck tonight, RotoBallers!
NBA DFS Core Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (PF/C on DK $11,100, PF on FD $11,900)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the highest-priced player on the board, but it's not without reason, and he's going to be heavily owned as a result. Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez are gone (yes, Myles Turner is there now), and Giannis had over a 38% usage rate in their absence a year ago.
Back to basketball BABY!!!! 🐺💪🏾🔥 pic.twitter.com/jWKAwmhp7U
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) October 21, 2025
Washington projects to be terrible defensively again, and ranked fourth in pace, 27th in defensive efficiency, and 29th in rebounding rate last year. Fully healthy to begin the year, Giannis should absolutely stuff the stat sheet tonight despite the Bucks being 9.5-point favorites.
Cade Cunningham, DET - PG (DK $9,900, FD $10,100)
If your lineup doesn't permit you the price tag needed to pay for Giannis, Cade Cunningham is an amazing pivot. He likely does not possess QUITE the ceiling of Giannis on this slate, but the matchup is still amazing as Chicago ranked second in pace and 22nd in defensive efficiency a year ago.
Cade averaged a robust 51.1 DK PPG last season, and the Bulls ranked 28th against opposing PGs last season. Jaden Ivey begins the season injured, so Cunningham should be able to feast from both a usage and assist rate factor.
NBA DFS GPP Pivots
Devin Booker, PHX - PG/SG ($9,600 DK, $9,100 FD)
Devin Booker isn't showing much ownership at this particular time, at least not on DK. This puts him in a prime position for GPP gold, as he has the same requisite upside as some of his comparably-priced guard counterparts.
Booker averaged 25.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 7.1 APG last season on a 28.5% usage rate last year, and that was WITH Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal there. Jalen Green was traded to Phoenix in the Durant deal, but he's not ready to begin the season either. It'll be a one-man Booker show, and the matchup is solid.
From Tuesday:
“I always expect to win games. That’s my expectation. I understand we’re young, I understand we have some learning to do, but that’s the nature of the game. We take it day-by-day.” Devin Booker.
Phoenix Suns open 2025-26 season tonight vs. Sacramento Kings. #Suns pic.twitter.com/dfsQFUsrl8
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 22, 2025
Sacramento was 23rd in defensive efficiency last season and features most of the same personnel this year. Booker offers an incredible floor/ceiling combo for all formats, but his lack of ownership at this time puts him in the category for the GPP winner of the night.
Zion Williamson, NOP - PF ($8,900 DK, $9300 FD)
Williamson showed up to Pelicans camp looking slimmed down and in good health. He played well in the preseason and should be one of the main focal points on offense for this rebuilding Pelicans team alongside Jordan Poole and Trey Murphy III. He will also help run the point while Dejounte Murray is out recovering from Achilles surgery and can rack up assists as well as boards and points.
Williamson is priced very fairly on both sites and is likely to be rostered less than bigger-name stars like Anthony Davis and Giannis. He will face a Memphis team that is banged up on the interior and could struggle to stop the big man from getting to the rim tonight.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Nicolas Claxton, BKN - C (DK $5,500, FD $6,100)
The Nets could very well be the worst team in basketball this year. However, that doesn't preclude them from bringing us fantasy goodness, as the main guys on bad teams bring high usage (looking at you, "24 Quentin Grimes). Nic Claxton is the highest remaining per-minute guy on the Nets and gets one of the better matchups of the day.
The Hornets were in the bottom ten last year in rebounds and FPPG allowed to centers, and project as a faster-paced team to start the year with LaMelo Ball healthy. Claxton averaged 10.1 PPG and 8.8 RPG in the preseason, and he's priced as a solid value on both sites.
Guerschon Yabusele, NYK (SF/PF on DK $3,800, PF on FD $4,700)
The Knicks are starting the season shorthanded against the Cavs, as Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart are both out, while Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable. Expect Yabusele to have an expanded role against the Cavs, who are known to play much bigger than most teams.
If Towns sits, Yabusele would be an absolute must, especially on DraftKings, where he carries SF eligibility. Yabu may still start even if Towns plays, given the size of Cleveland, and he has legit double-double upside in this one.
P.J. Washington, DAL (SF/PF on DK $3,000)
P.J. Washington is a DK-only value (he's $6,100 on FD), as DraftKings completely forgot about him. He's priced at the stone minimum $3k, and for that reason, he's a must in all formats. Cooper Flagg's presence is, of course, a hindrance to Washington's overall ceiling, but he'll still have a significant role.
Washington excelled last year for the injury-riddled Mavericks down the stretch, finishing with a PPG average of 14.7 and an RPG average of 7.8. The Spurs ranked 25th in overall defensive efficiency last season and were 20th against opposing frontcourts. Even if Washington doesn't start, he's still a lock.
The Dallas Mavericks could use PJ Washington and Cooper Flagg as primary ball handlers if they do, in fact, start together in the starting lineup, per @KevinGraySports pic.twitter.com/nEU4t19UTn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 21, 2025
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Pistons at Bulls (233.5 O/U)
The implied total is the second-highest on the slate, but the presence of values makes this one of the highest upside games for stacking. Squeezing in both Cade Cunningham and Josh Giddey is possible if you attack it the correct way. For Chicago, Matas Buzelis and/or Ayo Dosunmu should get ample run with Coby White out, and Kevin Huerter is in play too.
Detroit is healthy outside of Jaden Ivey, but Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren are still priced too cheaply in the mid-tier. Ausar Thompson is also viable at $6,800 with his ability to rack up defensive stats in a pace-up game.
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: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: P.J. Washington
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Devin Booker
- My favorite VALUE play: P.J. Washington
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