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Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Zach's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on October 27th, 2025.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! The NBA season will be a full week old after Monday night's massive slate of action. A total of 11 games are on tap for Monday night, with FanDuel including all 22 teams in their main player pool, and DraftKings focusing on just the first nine games for their main slate with the late starts at 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. ET on a separate slate. The action starts on both slates at 7:00 p.m. ET, with a pair of Eastern Conference matchups in Detroit and Philadelphia.
Of the 22 teams on the floor, 10 are playing for the second day in a row, including the Timberwolves, who lost Anthony Edwards to right hamstring tightness on Sunday night. Josh Giddey, Jalen Johnson, and Chet Holmgren are also questionable, and with all the back-to-backs, there are sure to be more injuries and status updates that impact the slate before tip-off. Be sure to stay up to date with the latest news and updates before tip-off and adjust your lineup accordingly. The picks below are based on the info we have coming into the day, and will focus mostly on the nine games on both slates.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 10/27/25. 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
Victor Wembanyama, SA - C on DK, PF/C on FD (DK $11K, FD $12.4K)
The Spurs are 3-0, thanks to a hot start from Wembanyama, who continues to add to his impressive highlight reel in every game.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA IS NOT REAL.pic.twitter.com/hkX4zZz77s
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 26, 2025
In his first game of the season, he had 40 points and 15 boards against the Mavs. He followed that up with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and nine blocks against the Pelicans, and on Sunday, he had 31 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals against the Nets. He has over 71 FanDuel points in each of those three games, since his defensive numbers are a little more valuable on that site. He has been absolutely dominant on both sites and has seemed a lock for a double-double with great defensive stats in just about every game at this point.
On Monday, he and the Spurs finish their back-to-back at home with a matchup against the Raptors, who lost on Sunday in Dallas while giving up 139 points. Former Spur Jakob Poeltl will definitely have his hands full with Wembanyama, who looks absolutely unstoppable right now. Even though he's expensive, his ceiling is too high not to include him as a core play this Monday.
Tyrese Maxey, PHI - PG (DK $9.3K, FD $8.7K)
The Sixers visit the Magic on Monday night, as Maxey looks to continue his scalding start to the season. He had 40 points and over 60 DraftKings points on Wednesday in his first contest of the year, and then had 28 points, nine assists, and over 50 DraftKings points on Saturday while leading the Sixers past the Hornets.
TYRESE TO TIE. pic.twitter.com/Db7j4Kh0hz
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 26, 2025
On Monday, he'll have more work to do with Joel Embiid (knee) sitting out the first half of the back-to-back, and there will be plenty of work in the frontcourt available since starting power forward Dominick Barlow (elbow) is also out. We'll have more value plays from Philly later in this post, but ultimately, Maxey will likely shoulder a lot of the extra usage, which gives him a very high ceiling.
Tre Jones, CHI - PG on DK, PG/SG on FD (DK $5K, FD $5.8K)
Since both Maxey and Wemby are so expensive, I'm going with a value play for my third core play for Monday. Tre Jones has started the season playing very well for the Bulls, who are in the game with the highest over/under on the board as they host the Hawks. As mentioned in the intro, Josh Giddey is questionable, and if he's out, Jones would be an even stronger play.
Jones has thrived even with Giddey available in the first two games of the year. He had 12 points, eight assists, three steals, 30.75 DraftKings points, and 32.2 FanDuel points in the season opener against the Pistons. He was even better against the Magic on Saturday, producing 40.2 DraftKings points and 43 FanDuel points on 13 points, 5 rebounds,8 assists, and 5 steals.
Jones is playing like a throwback point guard, and his assist production and great work on the defensive end make him an excellent core option to build around, especially if Giddey is out or limited.
NBA DFS GPP Pivots
Zion Williamson, NOP - PF ($9.6K DK, $9.7K FD)
Williamson looks healthy this season, and the NBA better look out (especially around the rim).
ZION.
WILLIAMSON.
AND-1.
SLAM. https://t.co/Z5VEO8Ykly pic.twitter.com/2rF5eucGB4— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2025
Williamson and the Pelicans lost that game to Wemby's undefeated Spurs, but Zion had 27 points for the second straight game to start the season. He had over 54 DraftKings points and FanDuel points in both of those contests and averaged 9.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 steals while logging 33 and 36 minutes.
When he's healthy, Zion brings an extremely high ceiling, which is exactly what we're looking for in GPP lineups. With so many big names on the board, his ownership could be a little lower since his injury history makes fantasy managers understandably jumpy. He's in a good matchup against the 0-3 Celtics on the second night of their back-to-back, so he's worth taking a shot on this Monday.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA - SF/PF ($7K DK, $6.8K FD)
Markkanen is another player who has had some injury issues in the past, but is playing well to start the season. He and the Jazz host the Suns in Salt Lake City on Monday night, looking to get another win at home. Markkanen had 20 points, six rebounds, and five assists for 36.5 DraftKings points in the season-opening win over the Clippers, and he was even better with 33 points, four rebounds, and 41 DraftKings points on Friday against the Kings in a narrow, one-point defeat.
Markkanen brings a high ceiling from his mid-range salary against the Suns, who will remain with Jalen Green (hamstring) and may also be without Dillon Brooks (groin, questionable). The Suns have allowed 129 and 133 points in their two losses on their current road trip, so Markkanen and the Jazz could be a good source of upside in the game with the second-highest over/under on the board on Monday.
Payton Pritchard, BOS - PG on DK, PG/SG on FD ($6.7K DK, $6.1K FD)
Pritchard has had to step into a much larger role this season for the Celtics, as expected. With Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out and several key pieces from the rotation traded, Pritchard has started all three games for Boston this season and has a 19.7% usage rate.
Only one Celtic has had a game of more than 8 rebounds, and it's the same Celtic that leads the team in defensive rebounds (15) through the first three games.
It is of course the smallest player on the roster.
Payton Pritchard.
— Sean Grande (@SeanGrandePBP) October 27, 2025
Despite his team's 0-3 start, Pritchard has had a solid start to the season with three games of over 25 DraftKings points. He had a double-double against the Pistons on Sunday, pulling in an impressive 10 rebounds to go with his season-high 21 points. He finished with 41.5 DraftKings points, and he's in a good spot to stay hot against Zion and the Pelicans, who are a little thin on defensive options in the backcourt.
Pritchard is the kind of player I like to target for GPP since the potential is always there for a monster, multi-category game if he goes off.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Donte DiVincenzo, MIN - PG/SG (DK $5.2K, FD $5.1K)
As mentioned above, the Timberwolves may be without Edwards on Monday, and if they are, that could set up a big game for DiVincenzo while also boosting the upside of Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Mike Conley.
DiVincenzo would likely be the most direct beneficiary, though, since he would likely have to take over as the primary point guard. He stepped up with 17 points on Sunday against the Pacers to help the Wolves get the win, even in Edwards' absence.
Justtttt in time!
Donte DiVincenzo (14 PTS) beats the shot clock 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Wb29snRMIP
— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2025
The Wolves are at home on Monday against the Nuggets in what should be a great Western Conference showdown. He can be turnover-prone at times, but he also has a very high ceiling as both a scorer and a playmaker, with more work coming his way on Monday.
Adem Bona, PHI - C (DK $3.8K, FD $3.7K)
Bona has had a very quiet start to the season, coming off the bench. He had no points and three boards in Wednesday's win over Boston, and he only had one point, no rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Saturday. He is a great value on Monday, though, despite his slow start, since he'll be asked to step up with Embiid and Barlow out.
In the past, when given more work, Bona has stepped up, and he was productive in his preseason work after a strong finish last season. He's a bit of a flier with so little work to this point in the season, but his upside is enormous. Andre Drummond could get more attention after his big game on Sunday, but I think Bona has the brighter potential on Monday, especially since he comes at such a low salary that he doesn't have to do much to return elite value.
Royce O'Neale, PHX - SF/PF (DK $4.4K, FD $4.1K)
Without Green and potentially Brooks, O'Neale could be poised for a heavy workload in a homecoming game against the Jazz, where he played the first five seasons of his career. O'Neale has played a season and a half for the Suns and has been coming off the bench to start the year. That could change on Monday, though, if Brooks is out.
O'Neale is a multi-category contributor and has averaged 10.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in his first three games of the season. He had double-digit points and at least 24 DraftKings points in two of those contests, and he should be able to reasonably reach those levels with even more upside available on Monday against his former team. He's not a flashy, young bargain, but the wily vet play can still be an awesome value to round out your Monday night lineups.
Jake LaRavia, LAL - SF/PF (FD $4.2K)
The Lakers game isn't on the main slate for DraftKings, but on FanDuel, LaRavia is definitely worth a look if you need a bargain forward. He had 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and 26.7 FanDuel points in 32 minutes on Sunday night and has seen much larger workloads in the last two games for the Lakers. Even if Luka is back, LaRavia's expanded role at forward could continue if Gabe Vincent (ankle) is unable to play on Monday after leaving the arena on Sunday in a walking boot.
Steven Adams, HOU - C (DK $4.4K, FD $5K)
The Big Kiwi has started the year with back-to-back big games for the Rockets. He had four points and 13 boards against the Thunder on opening night and followed that with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Pistons last Friday.
The Rockets are still figuring out their jumbo rotation and how the pieces will fit best together, but they seem set on starting Adams in the middle, which gives him lots of upside at this salary, especially on DraftKings, where he's a great bargain for Monday's matchup with the visiting Nets.
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Hawks @ Bulls (240.5 O/U)
Suns @ Jazz (233.5 O/U)
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: Tyrese Maxey
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Tre Jones
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Victor Wembanyama
- My favorite VALUE play: Adem Bona
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