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Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use ZT's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on November 24th, 2025.
Welcome Back, RotoBallers! Monday night tips off Thanksgiving week in the NBA with 10 games on the NBA scoreboard. DraftKings separates the 10 games into two slates, with the first seven games of the night on the main slate and the three late games on the "night" slate. FanDuel has all 10 games on the board, but be sure to check the injury report carefully since there are seven teams finishing a back-to-back set on Monday, including two in that later wave of games.
Almost every NBA team is dealing with some injuries by this point in the season, and this year, there seems to be more high-profile players down with injury than usual. Giannis Antetokounmpo (groin) and Ja Morant (calf) are still out on Monday, and Kevin Durant (personal) will be away from the Rockets. Anthony Davis (calf) is doubtful, and Jaren Jackson Jr. (ankle) is questionable. Tyler Herro (ankle) is also questionable, but plans to make his season debut when the Heat finish their back-to-back by hosting the Mavericks. RJ Barrett (knee) left Sunday's game with a knee sprain, and he's one of the many names to check for as injury reports come out for all the teams playing the second game of their back-to-back.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 11/24/25. 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!
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NBA DFS Core Picks
Deni Avdija, POR - PF on DK, SF/PF on FD ($9.3K on DK/$9.7K FD)
The Portland Trail Blazers have been without Jrue Holiday (calf) and Shaedon Sharpe (calf), leaving more work for Avdija and the rest of the rotation. The team is finishing a back-to-back on Monday in Milwaukee, but Avdija only played 24 minutes on Sunday in a blowout loss to the Thunder, so he should still be fresh enough to be a good play on Monday.
Before his quieter game on Sunday, Avdija posted at least 50 DraftKings points in three of his four previous games. He had a monster triple-double with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, and 72.75 DraftKings points on Wednesday of last week against the Bulls, showing off his high ceiling.
Deni Avdija full highlights vs. Chicago Bulls tonight (121-122 L):
32 Points on 11/22 FG, 3/7 from 3 (42.9%), 7/12 FT (58.3%), 11 Rebounds (1 Off. Reb), a career-high 11 assists (3 TOV), 2 Steals, 1 Block, 2 PF, and a +/- of +6 (2nd best on his team) in 37:30 minutes played… pic.twitter.com/hPV6O8Nksj
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) November 20, 2025
He struggled from the floor (4-of-16) on Sunday, but he should be able to bounce back in a very favorable matchup against the Bucks without Giannis. He'll have a heavy workload once again in one of the better scoring environments on the board.
Bennedict Mathurin, IND - SG on DK, SG/SF on FD ($6.7K DK/$7.3K FD)
Mathurin has stepped right back into a huge workload for the Pacers since returning from his toe injury a week ago. He has scored over 20 points in all five games he has played this season and is averaging 26.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He has produced 1.13 FanDuel points and 1.2 DraftKings points per minute. His 28.3% usage rate gives him a very high ceiling as he settles into a regular role, and he has a very high ceiling since he's getting so much work.
Bennedict Mathurin is such a good scorer. He's got all the shots. Catch-and-shoot, off movement and spot-up. Off-the-dribble. Drive and finish. And he's crafty too. Watch him slow down here to draw the contact from the defender to draw the and-1. Good stuff from Mathurin! pic.twitter.com/ev5PfBj9zo
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) November 20, 2025
The Pacers still play fast and give him plenty of opportunities, so getting him at this lower salary is a great place to start your lineup construction for Monday. Mathurin and the Pacers will have a tough matchup against the Pistons in Indianapolis, but look for Mathurin to put up plenty of points as he tries to get his team a huge home upset.
Derik Queen, NOP - C on DK, PF/C on FD ($5.8K DK/$6.8K FD)
The New Orleans Pelicans are 2-15 and have lost nine straight, but for fantasy basketball, they have some exciting rookies to build your lineup around, especially in an outstanding matchup against the Bulls, which has the highest point total on the board this Monday.
Along with fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears, first-round pick Derik Queen has been a huge source of optimism and fantasy production over his last few games. He moved into the starting lineup five games ago, and he has scored at least 20 points in four of his last seven games, while consistently adding excellent rebounds, assists, and defensive contributions.
Derik Queen is 1 of 1 pic.twitter.com/YFqpAlTVR9
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 22, 2025
Over his last seven games, he has produced 1.26 FanDuel and DraftKings points per minute, and he has gone over 40 FanDuel and DraftKings points in each of his last three games. He had 30 points against the Nuggets to start that three-game stretch and then a double-double with 20 points and 11 assists against the Mavericks. Both of those two games were starting alongside Zion Williamson, who is expected to play Monday, allowing Queen to have an even higher ceiling in this smash spot.
He's so much fun to watch and comes at an amazing value given his multi-category production.
NBA DFS GPP Pivots
Cade Cunningham, DET - PG ($10.5K DK/$10.8K FD)
Cunningham is getting plenty of deserved MVP attention for leading the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference so far and 12 straight wins (and counting) as they roll into Indy. Cunningham has six straight double-doubles and has at least 25 points in seven straight games.
He missed three games during that stretch with a hip contusion, but came back and posted 52 and 59 DraftKings points in his two games after the injury. A pace-up spot against Indiana gives him an extremely high ceiling on Monday, and if you're paying up for a superstar to anchor your lineup, he's a very solid centerpiece to consider with both a high ceiling and a high floor.
Amen Thompson, HOU - PG/SG on FD ($8.1K FD)
Thompson could get more work on offense with Kevin Durant away from the team, and he and the Rockets are in what should be a great matchup in Phoenix, against KD's former team. Thompson has averaged 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 36.1 FanDuel points per game this season, and he posted over 40 FanDuel points in five of his last nine games, with a high point of 54.5 FanDuel points in a double-double against the Grizzlies.
With Durant not available, Thompson has a much higher ceiling since he should be a more involved scoring option. Alperen Segun and Reed Sheppard are also excellent plays from this matchup without Durant if you're playing on FanDuel, where this game is on the main slate.
Amen Thompson low gather + layup. pic.twitter.com/JKlb1n17gL
— Rockets Clips (@Rockets_Clips) November 22, 2025
Cooper Flagg, DAL - SF on DK, PG/SG/SF on FD ($7.4K DK/$6.9K FD)
Flagg has been boom-or-bust over his last few games with the Mavericks, but the No. 1 overall pick works great for GPP lineups since his ceiling is so high. He also comes with unique positional versatility on FanDuel, where he has a great salary as well.
As the Mavericks visit Miami, he'll have a good matchup against the Heat, who have allowed the most FanDuel points per game to point guards this season. Flagg has been able to move more to the wing lately, but with Brandon Williams (back) questionable, he could have to slide back over to more point guard responsibilities.
Flagg has at least 42 DraftKings points in four of his last seven games, with 49.2 DraftKings points against the Bucks and 48.2 DraftKings points against the Pelicans in two of his best games. He didn't have a double-double in either of those games, but he has consistently contributed solid numbers in non-scoring categories and has flashed the upside that makes him an exciting young prospect for the Mavs to build around going forward. That same upside makes him a great GPP option on Monday.
COAST-TO-COAST COOP 💥
Mavs-Grizzlies: https://t.co/p7L5rOjNnw pic.twitter.com/iFyn4gqhbB
— NBA (@NBA) November 23, 2025
Immanuel Quickley, TOR - PG on DK, PG/SG on FD ($6.8K DK/$7.2K FD)
Quickley could help pick up more work for the Raptors if Barrett is out after leaving Sunday night's game with an injury. On the season, Quickley is averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 34.0 DraftKings points per game. His Raptors have won seven straight games, and he has over 35 DraftKings points in five of those contests.
He had 25 points and six assists when the Raptors beat the Cavs earlier in this winning streak, and if Barrett is out, even more offensive work should come his way on Monday, giving him a very high ceiling at home against Cleveland.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Reed Sheppard, HOU - PG/SG on FD ($5.3K FD)
Sheppard could move into the starting lineup with Durant out on Monday, and whether he does or not, he should be a top value at this salary on FanDuel. Sheppard's usage rate increases by over five percentage points to 25.6% with Durant off the floor this season, and he has produced 1.21 FanDuel points per minute in that situation.
He's a value that has to be included in most roster builds on FanDuel this Monday since he brings both a high ceiling and a high floor in a very exciting offense. The Suns and Rockets game will be one of the most exciting contests of the night, and Sheppard should be right in the middle of the action for the Rockets all night long.
Caleb Love, POR - PG/SG ($4.5K DK/$4.9K FD)
Love signed with the Blazers on a two-way contract as an undrafted rookie after a strong Summer League session. He has come up huge for Portland with Holiday and Sharpe out, producing 25 points and 46.8 DraftKings points on Friday against the Warriors. He slowed down on Sunday in Oklahoma City with only 13 DraftKings points, but he still had plenty of opportunities, going 3-for-13 from the field.
With that kind of volume coming his way on a regular basis, he brings a high ceiling as a value play for as long as he's helping absorb so much usage in the Blazers' backcourt.
Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR - PG/SG on DK, SG on FD ($3.3K DK/$3.7K FD)
If Barrett is out on Monday, one player who has a very high ceiling stepping into a larger role is 21-year-old Ja'Kobe Walter. In his second season in the NBA, he's played 14 games off the bench for the Raptors and has been stepping into a larger role in his last three games.
He had 16 points on Sunday against the Nets while helping to fill in after Barrett left, and he posted over 15 DraftKings points in three straight games. With his salary so near the minimum, he doesn't have to do much to be a great value play on Monday against the Cavs.
Ja’Kobe Walter is HOOOPPPINNNNGGGGGG
- 16 points
- 6/6 from the field
- 4/4 from three pic.twitter.com/Su7cDE0wQc— Raptors Lead (@RaptorsLead) November 24, 2025
Jalen Smith, CHI - C ($4.1K DK/$4.3K FD)
Smith has consistently returned value all season as the Bulls' backup center behind Nikola Vucevic. He's averaging 22.1 DraftKings points and 21.4 FanDuel points per game and has gone over that average in four of his last five games and six of his last eight.
He has a great matchup against the Pelicans in what should be a high-scoring game, and he has proven that he can put up a quick double-double or a big scoring outburst in favorable matchups like this one.
Today's Top Game Stacks
- Bulls at Pelicans (244.5 O/U)
- Mavericks at Heat (241.5 O/U)
- Jazz at Warriors (239.5 O/U) (FD Only)
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: Derik Queen
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Bennedict Mathurin
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Immanuel Quickley
- My favorite VALUE play: Reed Sheppard (FD), Ja'Kobe Walter (DK)
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