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Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Zach's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on November 17th, 2025.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! The NBA has eight games on the scoreboard to tip off the new work week. Four of the 16 teams in action are playing for the second day in a row, and the Pistons are the only team on the front half of their back-to-back. The main slate on FanDuel includes all eight of the games, while DraftKings leaves off the latest game between the Bulls and the Nuggets. Whichever site you're playing on, there are plenty of good DFS fantasy basketball options to consider. In this post, I'll focus on picks that work for both sites, but be sure to mix in the Nuggets and Bulls as well if you're playing on FanDuel.
As always, watching the injury report updates will be critical to finalizing your strategy. Some big, slate-changing names are uncertain coming into the day, including Cade Cunningham (hip), Paul George (knee), Bennedict Mathurin (toe), and Ausar Thompson (ankle), who are all questionable. Zion Williamson (hamstring) was questionable for Sunday's game and could return Monday, depending on the Pelicans' injury report (not yet released). Among the big names already ruled out, Anthony Davis, Jalen Brunson, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Darius Garland, and OG Anunoby will all start the week on the sidelines.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 11/76/25. 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. 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!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
NBA DFS Core Picks
Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK - PF on DK, PF/C on FD (DK $9.5K, FD $9.5K)
Without Brunson and Anunoby available for the Knicks, Towns will clearly be the focus of the team's offense as they visit the Heat in Miami. KAT was the key contributor on Friday in the first game of this home-and-home set as he carried the Knicks to an eight-point win at Madison Square Garden. He scored 31 points in the first half and finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 38 minutes.
Karl-Anthony Towns scores 39 in NYK's victory 👏
Knicks move to 1-1 in @emirates NBA Cup East Group C play! pic.twitter.com/641UZv5R2d
— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2025
He has posted eight straight double-doubles and finished with over 50 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and five of his last seven. He has a great ceiling in this rematch on Monday, when he'll likely carry another heavy workload. He won't have to deal with Adebayo, who remains out, and after the 140-132 game on Friday, this matchup also has the highest point total on the board.
Towns will likely be a popular play on this slate since he brings such a high ceiling, but he's a great centerpiece to build around if you can find other places to differentiate your lineup. With so much usage, he has both a high ceiling and a high floor.
Donovan Mitchell, CLE - SG on DK, PG/SG on FD (DK $9.2K, FD $9.3K)
The Cavaliers are also going to be a little short-handed for their matchup on Monday with the Bucks. Darius Garland (toe) and Jaylon Tyson (concussion) will both be missing their fourth straight game. Without Garland, Mitchell has had to take on more play-making responsibility in the backcourt, which raises both his ceiling and his floor. In the last two games he played without Garland, Mitchell had 31 points and 51 DraftKings points against the Raptors and then posted 30 points and 47.8 DraftKings points against the Grizzlies.
Donovan Mitchell came up CLUTCH in Cleveland's victory over Memphis:
🕷️ 30 PTS (14 in 4Q)
🕷️ 5 AST
🕷️ 4 3PM@cavs move to 9-5 on the season! pic.twitter.com/N0gVTymHnM— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2025
On the season, he's averaging 48.7 DraftKings points and 46.7 FanDuel points per contest, and he has at least 47 DraftKings points and 45 FanDuel points in each of his last seven contests.
The Bucks have been a good matchup for opposing guards this season, ranking in the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to both point guards and shooting guards. Luka Doncic just posted a big game against them on Saturday, and Mitchell will look to light them up again on Monday. The Cavs beat the Bucks by five points earlier this season, and they'll be looking for another statement win against the Bucks at home on Monday night. Mitchell's increased workload makes him another start to build around on Monday.
Immanuel Quickley, TOR - PG on DK, PG/SG on FD ($6.7K DK, $6.7K FD)
While he doesn't have the ceiling of the first two core plays in this post, Quickley is a very solid midrange play to build around confidently on Monday night. He and the Raptors host the Hornets, who should have LaMelo Ball back in action, making for a high-scoring, close game potentially.
Quickley had a slightly down game on Saturday against the Pacers, but he was rolling before that with three straight games over 20 points. He had over 35 DraftKings points and 33 FanDuel points in his previous five games before Saturday.
Quickley beats the buzzer AGAIN! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0jSuTBKNDt
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 16, 2025
The Raptors-Hornets matchup has the second-highest game total on the DraftKings slate and the third-highest on FanDuel, and getting the point guard at the helm of the Raptors offense is a great option to consider since he should be poised for a bounce-back night and comes at a salary that is easy to work into your lineups.
NBA DFS GPP Pivots
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL - PF (DK $11.8K, FD $12.3K)
Giannis is extremely expensive but has been extremely productive so far this season, so he's my preferred pay-up play to consider if you have the salary available to go with a mega star. He is probable with a knee injury, but as long as that doesn't slow him down, he should be in a good spot against the Cavs.
His Bucks had a disappointing loss to the Lakers on Saturday, but Giannis still had 32 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in just 31 minutes since the game turned into a blowout. He is averaging at elite 1.89 DraftKings points and 1.79 FanDuel points per minute, and in his first matchup this season against Cleveland, he feasted with 40 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, 80.3 FanDuel points, and 80 DraftKings points in 33 minutes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo 40 PTS, 9 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 70% FG, 1/1 3FG, 33 MINS in Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday pic.twitter.com/uBfZzFCrAf
— Recent NBA (@recentnba) October 27, 2025
James Harden, LAC - PG on DK, PG/SG on FD (DK $9.9K, FD $9.5K)
With Kawhi Leonard (foot/ankle) still out, Harden has been carrying the load for the Clippers, especially in his last few games. He has turned back the clock with three games over 60 DraftKings points in his last four contests, highlighted by his 41-point triple-double on Friday against the Mavericks. He finished with 87 DraftKings points and 80.3 FanDuel points in that contest, showing he still has that elite ceiling.
James Harden over the last four games:
34.0 PPG
9.8 RPG
8.8 APG
47.1% FG
41.9% 3P
90.5% FT
39.3 MPG https://t.co/hvBgTVxN7K pic.twitter.com/DCR8DUJVO2— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 16, 2025
He'll be back in Philly to face the Sixers, so it's a possible revenge spot for him against one of his many former teams. He's a little higher risk than the options in my core plays for the night, but he definitely brings a high enough ceiling to make him a top consideration for GPP lineups.
Kon Knueppel, CHA - SG/SF ($6.6K DK, $6K FD)
Knueppel has been excellent in the early going for the Hornets, and he posted a career-high 32 points on Friday in their overtime loss in Milwaukee. That was the one game recently that LaMelo Ball played, so Knueppel is showing he can gel well with the star point guard.
He played fewer minutes and had only eight points in the second night of the back-to-back without Ball against the Thunder, but he has shown a very high ceiling with at least 40 DraftKings points in five of his last seven games, which makes him a very strong mid-range option with a high ceiling as the Hornets swarm North of the border to try an take down the Raptors in a favorable game environment.
Andre Drummond, PHI - C ($5.9K DK, $5.7K FD)
With Embiid out, Drummond has stepped into the starting lineup for the Sixers for each of the last three games and played over 33 minutes. He posted three double-doubles, averaging 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds. He has also mixed in more three-pointers in an interesting addition to his game this year. He has made six three-pointers in his first 11 games this year, which is already a career-high for the 32-year-old veteran.
On Monday, Drummond and the Sixers host the Clippers, who are on the second night of a back-to-back. With Adem Bona (ankle) sidelined along with Joel Embiid (knee), Drummond should be set up for plenty of minutes and be a solid mid-range play at center. Embiid was a full participant in practice on Sunday, indicating he could return soon, but for now, Drummond should stay busy enough to be in your GPP builds.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Bogdan Bogdanovic, LAC - PG/SG on DK, SG/SF on FD (DK $4.1K, FD $4.4K)
Bogdanovic has stepped into a larger role for the Clippers, and he could play an even larger role if anyone is sidelined on the second night of the team's back-to-back. he was actually a healthy scratch for a few games before the season-ending injury to Bradley Beal opened up playing time for him.
In each of the last five games he has played, he has scored at least 11 points and produced at least 18 FanDuel points and 20 DraftKings points. His best game during that stretch was Friday in Dallas, where he had 21 points and four steals in a season-high 37 minutes.
As long as he is lined up for good minutes against the Sixers, he should be one of the best bargains on the board, and he brings good upside with his multi-category upside.
Derik Queen, NOP - C on DK, PF/C on FD (DK $4.7K, FD $5.5K)
The Pelicans' rookie big man has been posting strong fantasy numbers consistently over the last few weeks, but his role could shift when Zion is ready to re-enter the mix. For Monday, though, Queen still brings plenty of upside since Williamson will likely be eased back in carefully against the Thunder, even if he is available.
The No. 13 pick from last year's draft has averaged 13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in 26.6 minutes per game over his last seven contests. He moved into the starting lineup for the first time this season on Sunday, which was also the first game for James Borrego as the interim coach. If Borrego sticks with Queen in the starting five, the rookie should continue to blossom, even if he is in a smaller role next to Zion going forward.
Derik Queen 9 Points, 7 Rebs, 6 Assists full highlight vs Warriors I 25-26 NBA Season pic.twitter.com/VLSXiuCzIu
— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) November 17, 2025
Queen can bring a high ceiling to your Monday night lineups, even though the Pelicans face a tough home matchup with the rolling Thunder.
Landry Shamet, NYK - SG/SF on DK, SG on FD (DK $4.4K, FD $5K)
Especially on DraftKings, Shamet still seems very underpriced given his expanding role in New York. He lit up the Heat for 36 points on Friday, totaling 45.5 DraftKings points and 41.9 FanDuel points.
UNREAL FROM LANDRY SHAMET. pic.twitter.com/NobNUvwVoz
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) November 15, 2025
In addition to Brunson and Anunoby on the sidelines, Miles McBride (personal) is questionable, which could lead to even more minutes for Shamet on Monday. Even before Friday's monster game, Shamet was trending up with at least eight points in five of his previous six games and some decent non-scoring contributions as well.
He is unlikely to have another huge game like Friday's for a while, but he is likely to return solid value at his salary in the rematch against Miami on Monday, especially since the Heat give up the second-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards.
Moussa Diabate, CHA - C (DK $4.4K, FD $5.8K)
Even though Ryan Kalkbrenner returned on Saturday after missing a game for a personal matter, Diabate posted his second straight double-double. He only needed 24 minutes to rack up 13 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists against the Thunder. He has over 29 DraftKings points and 30 FanDuel points in four of his last five games. He's averaging 10.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in his 13 games this season, and he's getting enough work to be a good, affordable big-man play from the Hornets' second unit. He'll have a good matchup in Toronto on Monday night.
Today's Top Game Stacks
Knicks at Heat (241.5 O/U)
Hornets at Raptors (238.5 O/U)
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: Donovan Mitchell
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Karl-Anthony Towns
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: James Harden
- My favorite VALUE play: Derik Queen
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