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Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Tuesday - 2/4/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.
Tuesday night brings us a seven-game slate and some very interesting matchups in both real life and fantasy. The Celtics and Cavs meet again to vie for Eastern Conference dominance while the Sixers could welcome back Joel Embiid to the lineup. Anthony Davis will not make his Dallas debut just yet, while LeBron James will attempt to put the Lakers on his back until his new sidekick Luka Doncic is ready for his L.A. debut.
I always make it a point to recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/4/25. 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 EST on FanDuel.
FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Kel'el Ware, MIA - C ($6,200)
If you haven't seen what the impressive rookie big man has been doing since entering the starting lineup, then tonight might be a great night to tune in.
Ware is coming off a few rocky outings but has some major upside here against the Bulls who have allowed the sixth-most FD points to centers this season. They've been particularly bad over their last 15 games, allowing 25 points, 17 boards, and six assists to centers per game.
The price is nice here on Ware and I'm a big believer in his ability. His energy on the offensive glass is likely going to be too much for Chicago to handle and I think we get something closer to 35 to 40 FD points from him tonight.
Amen Thompson, HOU - SG/SF ($8,600)
Thompson was in spectacular form last night as he led the Rockets with a huge triple-double against the Knicks. With Fred VanVleet out for a while, we are going to get point-Thompson initiating the offense, so his assists are going to be on the rise, and he was already double-doubling with relative ease with his rebounding prowess.
Amen Thompson had 25 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST and these ridiculous highlights! pic.twitter.com/9OmHPqPLrl
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 4, 2025
The Rockets are in a stretch with five games in seven days and banged up with Alperen Sengun also potentially out tonight. I expect Thompson to continue to be the main character for Houston tonight in a game they need to win against Brooklyn to stay within a few games of the Grizzlies in the Southwest Division.
Deni Avdija, POR - SF/PF ($7,000)
Deni was in vintage form last night as he posted 24-8-5 in another Portland win. He played 43 minutes and posted 40 FD points. He's such a crucial piece of Portland's recent success and is no longer just a guy we plug and play when they have injuries in Portland.
With the mid-tier being loaded with options tonight and not too many high-priced studs to have to pay for, I like the idea of rolling with Deni at a very fair price in what should be a very competitive game with Indiana (who is also playing their second game in as many nights).
Others Under Consideration: LeBron James - SF/PF ($10,300), Karl-Anthony Towns - C ($9,700)
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
P.J. Washington, DAL - PF ($7,700)
Washington might have to slide over to small forward soon with the arrival of Anthony Davis or come off the bench. But tonight he should still be starting at power forward and is set to have a big role as the Mavs take on a Philly team that may be welcoming back Joel Embiid to the lineup.
Washington has been rolling lately with 40+ FD points in four of his last five games and he's still a tad underpriced for how good he's been. The Sixers will be without Paul George so he's going to draw some lesser defenders and could be ready to pop off for another big outing. He was rested last game as the Mavs punted against the Cavs, so he should be ready to roll tonight.
Norman Powell, LAC – SG/SF ($7,500)
Powell is another player who is coming off an extra day of rest as he sat out the Clippers contest with Toronto on Monday night. Like Washington, Powell is priced in the mid-tier but brings a very safe 35 FD point floor and a solid 45 to 50 FD point ceiling on a nightly basis.
The Clippers get the Lakers tonight and it should be interesting to see how the Lakers defend without Anthony Davis (and now Max Christie, too). I expect Powell to get to the rim on drives and find himself open for plenty of threes, too.
Darius Garland, CLE - PG ($7,800)
The Cavs point guard is heading to the All-Star game again, an honor that is much deserved as he, along with Evan Mobley, has taken a big leap this year for Cleveland. The Cavs are not reliant on Donovan Mitchell to score 30 points a night and can kill you with four different scorers on offense as well as a deep bench.
CLE to SF ✈️
Darius Garland is an #NBAAllStar! pic.twitter.com/OM181XE3o2
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 30, 2025
Garland is about a thousand bucks cheaper than Mitchell tonight, and he's coming into this big game in excellent form. If the Cavs pull off the win, it's likely because Garland is hitting shots and dropping dimes. I know he will be anxious to atone for his poor shooting performance earlier this season in Cleveland's loss to Boston.
Others Under Consideration: Evan Mobley - PF/C ($8,500), Jalen Brunson - PG ($8,800)
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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Terry Rozier, MIA – PG/SG ($5,100)
Rozier has two solid 33 FD-point performances in a row and now has the best matchup on the slate against a Bulls team that allows the most FD points per game to opposing PGs.
Dillon Brooks, HOU - SG/SF ($4,800)
The Rockets need all hands on deck and Brooks played 39 minutes last night. He can get there with a hot shooting night from behind the arc or he can still make value with his rebounding and defense, too.
Cam Whitmore, HOU – SG/SF ($4,100)
More Rockets! Whitmore was gunning off the bench last night, going for 18 points and 33.5 FD points in 22 minutes. Look for him to continue to be very involved tonight.
Nikola Jovic, MIA – PF ($5,500)
Jovic continues to be a very effective and efficient player for Miami in his sixth-man role. They need his offense and passing in a big way and he's quite capable of going for 30+ FD points with his ability to shoot the long ball and rack up peripheral stats.
Tari Eason, HOU - SF/PF ($5,500)
Eason drew the start last night for Houston, finishing with 31.7 FD points in 33 minutes. That's pretty low for him based on his per-minute rates, so he could easily exceed that tonight against Brooklyn with a similar amount of playing time.
Others Under Consideration: Duncan Robinson - SG/SF ($4,500), Jaxson Hayes - C ($4,600), Thomas Bryant - C ($4,600) - if Myles Turner sits out
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: Amen Thompson
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Kel'el Ware
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: P.J. Washington
- My favorite VALUE play: Terry Rozier
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