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Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Wednesday - 1/15/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.
We are back with a big Wednesday night slate, as we have 11 games from which to choose our players tonight on FanDuel. There's still a lot of injury info we will need by lock, but we can certainly start circling our favorite matchups and targets early, so we are ready to make those last-minute pivots when the time comes.
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. If you want DraftKings picks, see who Zach Thompson likes by reading his piece here.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 1/15/25. 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.
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FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Trae Young, ATL - PG ($9,600)
UPDATE: Young was ruled out around 2:00 PM. The Hawks are also missing Jalen Johnson, DeAndre Hunter, and rookie swingman Zaccharie Risacher, too. That puts the rest of their active guys pretty much all in consideration tonight, with Bogdan Bogdanovic the most likely to function as the lead guard.
Young has been in excellent form lately and has his Hawks playing well, even though they have been missing Jalen Johnson for five out of the last six games.
Trae was on fire last night, pouring in 43 points against Phoenix and racking up 57 FD points. He's now gone over 50 FD points in five of his last nine games, and tonight will get the second-best matchup for point guards in the NBA - the Chicago Bulls.
Trae has faced the Bulls three times this season, averaging 22 points and 14 assists across those contests. He's $600 cheaper than LaMelo Ball tonight on FD and I think he brings a comparable floor and ceiling.
Onyeka Okongwu, ATL - PF/C ($5,400)
We will need confirmation that De'Andre Hunter and/or Johnson are out again tonight, but if even one of those guys misses then Okongwu becomes a core play for me, especially with his PF eligibility on FanDuel.
Okongwu had a Barbara Walters game last night (22 points, 21 boards) against Phoenix and is clearly outplaying Clint Capela. He's so athletic and aggressive on the glass and has a much smoother offensive game than Capela. He has a legit 10x ceiling on this price tag and a very reliable 5-6x floor as long as he plays around 20-22 minutes.
Jalen Green, HOU - SG ($7,500)
Green has been fantastic over the last two weeks and continues leading the way for the upstart Rockets. Green's scoring prowess has been impressive as he's now scored 27 or more points in five straight, capping that run off with a huge 42-point outing against Memphis on Monday.
Jalen Green scores 42 points on 72.2 FG% in the @HoustonRockets W!
He joins Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in Rockets history to total 40+ PTS on at least 70 FG% in a game before turning 23 🤯 pic.twitter.com/F8PwLys5Sg
— NBA (@NBA) January 14, 2025
Denver allows the third-most FD points to opposing shooting guards, and it's hard to imagine Green slowing down in this spot tonight, which could end up being a high-scoring, close contest against the Nuggets.
Others Under Consideration: LaMelo Ball - PG ($10,200), Kyrie Irving - PG/SG ($8,200)
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Kristaps Porzingis, BOS - PF/C ($7,900)
I've been playing Porzo the last three slates he's been on and reaping the rewards as he's posted 50, 40, and 41 FD points in those games while being priced under 8k. For some reason, FanDuel doesn't want to raise his price despite him being back to full health and playing 30+ minutes.
Against Toronto, Porzo has a fantastic matchup as the Raptors allow the second-most FD points per game to opposing bigs. As long as Toronto keeps this one close (and I think they can), then Porzingis is in a great spot to hit his ceiling here.
Mark Williams, CHA – C ($6,500)
It's not chasing here by clicking on Williams tonight. Yes, he's coming off a career night against Phoenix in which he went for 24 points and 16 boards, but he's flashed that type of potential before, and tonight's matchup is equally advantageous as he faces Utah on the road.
Mark Williams is a mean machine. Throw it down on his former teammate, Mason Plumlee pic.twitter.com/7aISSurgb8
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) January 13, 2025
The Jazz allow the most FD points per game to opposing centers and Williams has emerged as a legit scoring threat in the post for Charlotte and a formidable pick-and-roll partner for LaMelo. He's simply too cheap for the 50+ FD point upside that he possesses in this spot.
Trey Murphy III, NO - SG/SF ($7,600)
Murphy showed no signs of being slowed down by a recent injury that caused him to miss three games. He's scored 30 and 32 actual points against Boston and Charlotte in his first two games back which was good for 40 and 57 FD points in those contests.
He's emerged as the top scorer for this Pelicans team that is more competitive now that Zion Williamson is back in the lineup. His price is creeping up there, but he has shown that he can still hit 6x value at this price, too.
Dallas and New Orleans both played last night, so this one could get sloppy and high-scoring. While I prefer Green for 100 bucks less in cash, I will also have shares of Trey in tourneys, too.
Others Under Consideration: Paolo Banchero - SF/PF ($9,500), Victor Wembanyama - PF/C ($11,800)
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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Day'Ron Sharpe, BKN – C ($4,400)
Nic Claxton missed last night's game against Portland, which led to Noah Clowney logging some time at center, and Sharpe still played just 17 minutes off the bench. Even a modest increase in playing time would give Sharpe a big boost, as he's a phenomenal point-per-minute player who dropped 39 FD points in just 22 minutes against the Pacers as recently as last week.
Isaiah Collier, UTA - PG ($4,600)
Collin Sexton is resting tonight and Jordan Clarkson remains out. Keyonte George could return to action but would likely slot in at shooting guard, with Collier being more of a pass-first player.
He's been trending up in a big way and is coming off his best outing of the season - a 23-7-7 line against Brooklyn on Sunday night.
Vit Krejci, ATL - SG ($4,400)
The Hawks are on a back-to-back tonight but have a great matchup against the Bulls. Krejci has filled in admirably lately and had a very solid game last night against Phoenix, posting 36 FD points and playing 34 minutes.
Jonathan Isaac, ORL – PF/SF ($4,800)
Keep an eye on Goga Bitadze's status tonight. He went down early in the game against Philly on Sunday, and Isaac finished the game by posting a massive 20 points and 11 rebounds in a season-high 27 minutes. He's a defensive whiz who can rack up boards and get easy buckets on the offensive glass, so if there's any reason to think he will play more than 20 minutes, he's a lock at this price.
Ziaire Williams, BKN – SF ($5,300)
The Nets continue to be undermanned and lack many scorers. Williams has seen his role increase over the last week and has been good for 25+ FD points in five of his last six.
Others Under Consideration: Kyle Filipowski - PF/C ($4,300), Chris Boucher - PF/C ($4,700), Garrison Mathews - SG ($3,900)
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: Trae Young
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Onyeka Okongwu
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Mark Williams
- My favorite VALUE play: Isaiah Collier
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