NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (10/21/25)

Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Max Kulish's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on October 21st, 2025.

WELCOME BACK, ROTOBALLERS!!! It is my honor and pleasure to kick off the 2025 NBA regular season DFS slate with you all. Tonight we have a two-game slate headlined by what could be a preview of this year's Western Conference Finals. These articles focus on the overall best plays, which are typically more suited for cash games. However, some exceptions may apply, depending on the size of the slate.

The key to being successful in NBA DFS comes down to making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always really important to have a game plan and the best players and spots circled first before making those adjustments. 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!

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 10/21/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:30 p.m. EST on FanDuel and DraftKings. Good luck tonight, RotoBallers!

NBA DFS Core Picks

Luka Doncic, LAL – PG (DK - $11K, FD - $11.7K) 

For his first opening night on the Lakers, following one of the biggest NBA trades of all-time, Luka looks likely to be tonight's most popular play. After an off-season where every workout and calorie was tracked by the media, Doncic admittedly does look in excellent shape. It's pretty crazy to think a guy who averaged 28.2/8.2/7.7 last year could legitimately take a step forward with improved conditioning.

While Doncic made news off the court during the NBA offseason, the big story on the court tonight on this slate is the absence of LeBron James. In the five games Doncic was on the Lakers that LeBron didn't play in, Doncic averaged 30.4/10.2/8.8. Pricing for this slate came out weeks ago, before LeBron's injury was announced, so $11k feels like a steal for Doncic

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC – PG (DK - $10.3K, FD - $11.1K)

After a season loaded with hardware, the reigning Finals MVP and the league's best scorer looks to be an excellent play tonight. He won't be as popular as Luka, but much like Luka, he is also missing the #2 option on his team - Jalen Williams. The only knock on SGA from a fantasy perspective is how deep the Thunder are, and while that still remains true, not having Williams is certainly a positive for SGA's fantasy outlook.

RE-LIVE SGA'S RUN TO WIN IT ALL🤩

⛈️ 29.9 PPG
⛈️ 6.5 APG
⛈️ 5.3 RPG
⛈️ 1.7 SPG

WCF MVP 🏆
NBA Finals MVP 🏆
NBA Champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yh4dAxcFeE

— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2025

In five games against Houston last year, SGA averaged 33./6/6 with 2.5 steals per game. Houston was one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, and while they should remain an elite defensive unit, going from Dillon Brooks to Kevin Durant in the starting 5 is definitely a downgrade on the defensive side.

NBA DFS Pivots

Stephen Curry, GS – PG (DK - $9.3K, FD - $8.1K) 

Curry has historically always performed well against the Lakers, averaging 23.3/4.8/7.1 across 47 career regular-season matchups (and don't forget, those averages include the early stages of Steph's career). Last year, he averaged 31.3/3/6.3 in five games.

Steph in under 15 minutes vs. the Lakers:

14 points
5-7 shooting
3 triples

Chef Curry cooked in the Dubs' 1st preseason W! pic.twitter.com/8GbUTAlZjY

— NBA (@NBA) October 6, 2025

He's projected to be significantly less owned than the other two previously mentioned PGs on the slate, but can match their ceilings. He has all of the makings of a textbook GPP play tonight.

Austin Reaves, LAL – SG (DK - $7.3K, FD - $7.9K) 

Reaves is coming off a true breakout season in which he averaged career-highs across the board. Luka isn't the only one who balled out when LeBron missed time last season. Reaves set a career high with 45 points in a game that both Doncic and LeBron sat out, and during the five-game stretch where he and Luka played together without LeBron, Reaves averaged 25/6.4/6.6.

The Lakers project to be the most popular team from an ownership standpoint, but Reaves can legitimately be the highest scoring guard on this slate, or at least keep pace with Luka while saving $3.7K, which naturally makes him an interesting pivot to consider when looking at overall roster construction.

NBA DFS Value Picks

Alex Caruso, OKC – SF (DK - $4.6K, FD - $4.7K)

Caruso is the basketball equivalent of a 5-tool player in baseball. He just does whatever the coaching staff asks of him, and he always seems to do it well. He's projected to be a starter, filling in for the aforementioned Jalen Williams. He and Lu Dort are essentially a coin flip, and even though Caruso is $200 more expensive, I lean towards him due to his capability to contribute in more categories.

Jabari Smith Jr., HOU – PF/C (DK - $5.2K, FD - $5K)

Smith is a player Houston is banking on taking a step forward this year with his introduction into the starting lineup. Speaking of that Houston starting lineup, they have an average height of 6'10". Smith intrigues me because it figures that he'll be asked to space the floor more, considering three of his fellow starters shoot sub-30% from 3 (Thompson, Sengun, Adams).

The average height for the Rockets' starting lineup is 6 feet 10.2 inches tall! 🤯🚀 pic.twitter.com/2Kj03k9F88

— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) October 20, 2025

One of the biggest storylines from Houston is that Durant has taken Smith under his wing this offseason since arriving. Durant has been seen doing shooting practice with Smith at practice,s and if he's learned anything from KD about offense, he could absolutely smash this slate and in all fantasy formats this year.

Marcus Smart, LAL – PG/SG (DK - $4.2K, FD - $4.3K)

Somewhat surprisingly, Gabe Vincent was revealed to be the Lakers' fifth starter for tonight. Obviously, the Lakers need a defensive presence on the perimeter because Luka and Austin Reaves do not fit that bill, and those two will be relied on on the offensive end. Smart has had a productive preseason, improving in each game, so I expect him to finish with more playing time than Vincent, even if he's coming off the bench to start the game.

Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks

Warriors at Lakers (225.5 total)

Although the implied total is two points fewer than the Rockets at Thunder game, I like every angle of this game more. LeBron being out for this game has catapulted nearly all of the Lakers' rotation into favorable price tags for their projections. On the Warriors' side, all of their options help provide differentiation from more popular plays across the other three teams on the slate. I think this game has a great chance of outscoring the HOU/OKC game, and personally, I'll be betting the over.

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: Luka Doncic
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Luka Doncic
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Stephen Curry
• My favorite VALUE play: Jabari Smith Jr

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis