NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (11/12/25)

November 12, 2025

Free daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for today's slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Use Jamie Calandro's NBA DFS expert picks to building winning DFS lineups on November 12th, 2025.

It was another successful night across the board in DFS NBA last night! Even with Tyrese Maxey having a down game (for him), my cash lineup scored more than enough to get into the green in double-ups and win most head-to-head contests. Tonight we get a nine-game Wednesday slate with a lot of team on back-to-backs.

The injury news is already the main factor tonight. Cleveland has announced they are mass resting, Bam Adebayo continues to be out, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis have monstrous questionable tags. Be sure to hop into the RotoBaller Discord channel so you can join our analysts as we update and analyze the news in real time.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 11/12/25. 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!

NBA DFS Core Picks

Cade Cunningham, DET - PG ($10,900 DK/$10,800 FD)

Recency bias is tough to ignore, as Cade Cunningham won me a LOT of money on Monday in the Pistons' overtime win against the Wizards. He put up a monster 46-12-11 triple-double with seven stocks en route to 96 DK points, which is second only to Luka Doncic's explosion earlier in the season.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is questionable for this one, and we've seen the Bucks give him these maintenance days in the past. A sit from him would mean Cade is the top per-dollar play at almost $1k less. Over the last four, he's averaging 34.3/5.0/10.5, and the Bulls and Pistons rank second and seventh in pace, respectively.

Cunningham does have a probable tag, but it doesn't look like anything to worry about. Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Isaiah Stewart are already ruled out, and all the benefits went to Cade (and Jalen Duren) before any of the subsidiary players.

Alperen Sengun, HOU - C ($9,300 DK/$9,600 FD)

Alperen Sengun may be having the quietest amazing season of anyone in the NBA so far. He's averaging 22.9/9.9/7.3 on a career-best 26% usage rate, and it's allowed him to pop off for 50 DK PPG so far this year. Kevin Durant being on the Rockets hasn't hurt the Goon at all. If anything, his efficiency is thriving.

At his current pace, Sengun should not be under $10k in any game this year. The bonus? He gets the nuts matchup against the Wizards, who have allowed the most FPPG by FAR to opposing centers, while also ranking 29th in rebounding rate. Sengun should absolutely eat in this one, and his cost leaves a ton of meat on the bone for upside.

NBA DFS GPP Pivots

Victor Wembanyama, SAS - C on DK ($11,600), PF/C on FD ($12,200)

If Giannis Antetokounmpo plays, all of the funds for high-priced guys are going to go his way and Cade Cunningham's. That should leave us with a single-digit owned Victor Wembanyama, and this tactic has already proven to win GPPs. Four of Wemby's ten games have gone over 70 DK points, and a fifth game reached 67.

Wemby is currently one of 12 players with a usage rate over 30% this season, and the early O/U on this game is over 230. It was reported earlier on Tuesday that Draymond Green would play Tuesday night, but will be iffy for the second game on the back-to-back. His sitting would soften Wembanyama's matchup immensely, especially underneath.

Jaylen Brown, BOS - SF on DK ($8,500), SG/SF on FD ($8,500)

Jaylen Brown is playing the second night of a back-to-back, and early indications are showing the field not on him at all. Brown is playing out of his mind right now, with a massive 40.1% usage rate over his last five games. Brown is getting a massive pace-up game against Memphis (third in pace factor), and the Grizzlies are also playing their second game in a row.

Brown has averaged 30.8 PPG over his last five games and has taken a whopping 119 shots in that span. On volume alone, he meets the criteria for both floor and ceiling, and Memphis just allowed 133 points to the Knicks.

NBA DFS Value Picks

De'Andre Hunter, CLE - SF on DK ($6,500), SF/PF on FD ($6,100)

The value game is going to go completely through Cleveland tonight. The Cavaliers are mass resting for the first time this season, as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jaylon Tyson are all on the sidelines. This opens up a massive amount of usage, and the sites have not reacted quickly enough to pricing the remaining players.

De'Andre Hunter leads the way here, as he has a 28% usage rate in the small sample size with all those guys out. Hunter has scored 52 points in the last two games while playing 30 and 35 minutes. Miami is weirdly playing fast this season, ranking seventh in pace factor.

Jarrett Allen, CLE - C on DK ($6,300), PF/C on FD ($6,500)

Jarrett Allen is another must for cash. With Mobley, Mitchell, and Garland off the court last year, Allen had a 22% usage rate and 20.7% rebound rate. Bam Adebayo is out, and Miami has allowed the third-highest at-rim frequency and ranks 18th in rebounding rate. Allen would be at least $7,500 on DK if they had the time to adjust, so take this discount to the bank.

Sam Merrill, CLE - SG on DK ($4,500), SG/SF on FD ($4,300)

Continuing with the Cavs train, we have Sam Merrill. The Cleveland shooting guard already has six games where he's hit four or more three-pointers, and that's playing almost exclusively in a reserve role. Merrill played 33 minutes against Miami last game, and that's with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland active (Mitchell played 41 minutes as well). Merrill is basically a free square in cash with minutes upside into the high-30s.

Kel'el Ware, MIA - C on DK ($6,500), PF/C on FD ($6,600)

We'll go away from the Cavaliers for one more value play, but stay right in the same game. In the three games Bam Adebayo has missed for Miami, Kel'el Ware has an 18% usage rate and a 19.1% rebound rate. This includes a 20-board game against these same Cavs last game. Evan Mobley, the reigning defensive player of the year, is out, which should give Ware a MUCH softer matchup underneath.

Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks

Bulls at Pistons (234.5 O/U) - This game features the #2 and #7 ranked teams in pace factor, and has a tight spread and high O/U. The Pistons have multiple key pieces injured, so the usage funnels down to the rest. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren are in smash spots, and Ron Holland II and Javonte Green are fantastic values in this stack. Josh Giddey's status looms large for the Bulls, as they're ranked first in half-court offense with him.

Cavaliers at Heat (238.5 O/U) - Despite all the high-usage players missing from this game (on both sides), it still has an O/U of 238.5, which is the highest of the night. The Heat are bizarrely a top-ten pace team this season, and no one is priced above $7,300 on DK and $6,700 on FD. It's easy to get 2-3 pieces from each side and still fill the rest of your lineup with viable players.

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: Cade Cunningham
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Jarrett Allen
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Victor Wembanyama
• My favorite VALUE play: Jarrett Allen

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis