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Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Friday 11/29/24. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.
After the massive 14-game slate on Wednesday night, we have just half as many games tonight (7) in the Association as Emirates Cup group play continues and three NBA games tip-off during the afternoon or early evening hours. The team to watch for injury info is Brooklyn today - I didn't write up any of their players but they are already down Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas (their top two scorers) and their third-best player, Cameron Johnson, is questionable. There could be some value from Brooklyn tonight, but for now, it's a bit of a mess to sort out.
I recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs in today's edition while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. Read my buddy Zach Thompson's article for advice on the DraftKings NBA slate!
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 11/29/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:30 p.m. EST on FanDuel.
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FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Deandre Ayton, POR - C ($6,000)
Despite returning to the lineup on Wednesday night and posting a double-double and three blocked shots, Ayton's price did not move one dollar, and he looks like a free square to me for cash games. Ayton scored 41 FD points in 33 minutes on Wednesday and should have little competition for minutes again tonight as Robert Williams III is doubtful and Donovan Clingan remains out.
Portland is only a six-point underdog and the Kings have played pretty poor defense this season, so I think Portland can keep this one close and if they do, this game is loaded with potential. Sabonis is a fine offensive player, but he doesn't defend all that well and Ayton is one of the more talented offensive centers in the game.
Ayton needs just 30 FD points for 5x his value and I think 40+ FD points is a much more likely outcome tonight making him one of the best plays on the board.
De'Aaron Fox, SAC - PG ($8,700)
Staying in the same game we have De'Aaron Fox without DeMar DeRozan tonight - which has been a formula for some huge Fox outputs so far this season.
With DeRozan off the floor, Fox has a massive 37% usage rate and an equally impressive 35% assist rate. We've seen Fox have some huge scores this season while DeRozan was out and it certainly helps that this matchup is excellent, as Portland allows the fourth-most FD points to opposing point guards this season.
Fox should be a chalky play tonight, but I wouldn't overthink this one. He's far too cheap for his increased role with DDR out and as I mentioned with Ayton, I think this game stays close enough to where we can get some ceilings from players on both teams.
Scottie Barnes, TOR – SF/PF ($8,900)
I'm going back to Scottie Barnes tonight, even if it is in a tough matchup against a pretty good defensive team in Miami. Barnes and R.J. Barrett are dominating the ball on offense and combined for 38 shots in Wednesday's win in New Orleans. Barnes had a "floor game" but still posted 40 FD points, despite shooting 7-23 from the field.
Scottie Barnes stats throughout his career so far. Feels like this season hasn’t even started yet for him. Hopefully we see him taking a leap! pic.twitter.com/qdOkKbpc0E
— Swish (@TalkRaptors) November 28, 2024
Scottie has such a high floor thanks to his elite rebounding and assist numbers, so if we get a better offensive showing tonight, he should be able to push for 50+ FD points again. He also averages over two blocks/steals a game which only adds to his potential ceiling. He really should be around 10k in this current role for his depleted Toronto team.
Others Under Consideration: Domantas Sabonis - PF/C ($9,300), Franz Wagner - SF/PF ($9,900), Anthony Davis - PF/C ($11,200)
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Tyrese Haliburton, IND - PG ($8,800)
Haliburton is heating up! The Pacers' star point guard had a slow start to the season, but lately, he's been reminding everyone of just how talented of a player he is with some huge fantasy outings.
Haliburton has had to play more minutes and be more assertive on offense due to some injuries to several other Indiana guards, with the results being an average of 53.6 FD points over his last three games.
The best players in the last seven days, per HoopsHype's Global Rating.
Tyrese Haliburton at No. 4 👀 pic.twitter.com/oyMhoW8pcY
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) November 29, 2024
I'm hoping Cade Cunningham returns for Detroit tonight so that the Pistons will give more resistance and be able to keep it close as they've been spiraling lately and dealing with their slew of injuries. If Cunningham plays, I love Haliburton in tournaments he's priced very fairly on this slate.
Deni Avdija, POR – SF/PF ($5,900)
I mentioned that Portland is dealing with injuries earlier and their usual starting forward, Jerami Grant, is also doubtful to play tonight. Avdija has been fantastic while filling in and played 41 minutes on Wednesday night. He's been good for 36 or more FD points in three straight games and while I usually try not to play two teammates in cash games, it's very tempting to just slam him and Ayton into my main lineup tonight.
For tournaments, I will be playing both Avdija and Ayton together with some exposure to their teammates Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, and the Sacto trio of DeAaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis.
Jalen Williams, OKC - SF/PF ($9,000)
Williams left Wednesday's game against the Warriors at halftime but is set to return to the lineup tonight without restrictions. It's a shame that he missed that second half because he put up 37 FD points in 16 first-half minutes and was tracking for 70+ FD points in that game!
The move back to PF suits him well as the Thunder now have Isaiah Hartenstein back to bang with the opposing big men. Williams has been so effective on a per-minute basis this season that the thought of him playing 35 minutes in a very competitive game against the Lakers tonight gets me pretty dang excited.
Other than Haliburton and Barnes, I don't think there's another player on this slate at 9k or below that has a 60+ FD point ceiling.
Others Under Consideration: LeBron James - SF/PF ($9,700), Bam Adebayo - C ($7,900), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG (10,800)
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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Malik Monk, SAC – PG/SG ($5,400)
No DDR again, so fire up Monk who gets a big boost as he becomes the third scorer on this team. He had a massive 51 FD-point performance on Wednesday and played a whopping 34 minutes off the bench. This is a lock-button type play, it's hard to imagine him failing in this spot.
Ja'Kobe Walter, TOR - SG ($3,600)
The rookie got the call-up from the G-league and immediately got a start for Toronto on Wednesday. He poured in 14 points to go with 11 boards and five assists. That was good for 37 FD points, which is 10x value at this price. I'm guessing he starts again and he should be able to smash this price tag even if he doesn't perform as well as he did Wednesday.
Quenton Jackson, IND– SG ($4,300)
Jackson has started and played 31 and 32 minutes in each of Indiana's last two games. He's not going to light up the scoreboard, but he can do enough across the stat sheet to get there as he's averaged 26 FD points in those two starts.
Dalton Knecht, LAL – SF ($4,800)
Knecht moved back into the starting lineup for the Lakers on Wednesday after hitting the bench for two games when Rui Hachimura returned. He responded well, scoring 20 points and grabbing 8 boards, so I am guessing the Lakers might stick with him as the starter and bring Hachimura off the bench where he could boost the second unit. If he starts, this price tag is far too cheap.
Others Under Consideration: Scoot Henderson - PG ($5,000), Jonathan Isaac - SG/SF ($5.000), Tyrese Martin - SG ($3,800)
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: DeAndre Ayton
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Jalen Williams
- My favorite VALUE play: Ja'Kobe Walter
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