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It’s great to be back in the swing of things in the NBA, RotoBallers. In these articles, I focus on the top plays, traditionally geared toward cash games. However, with over a decade of NBA DFS experience under my belt—and as someone who rarely dives into cash formats—I'm selecting picks that also typically come with high upside. That means they offer the steady floor needed for cash games while packing the high ceiling we need for tournaments.
We have a light five-game slate on tap in the NBA tonight, featuring two games with high implied totals and fast projected pace in the Hawks-Raptors and Pacers-Celtics showdowns. The Grizzlies-Thunder matchup should also be fast-paced, but Memphis (fifth-best defensive rating) and OKC (first) are among the best defensive teams in the league. The Heat-Rockets and Spurs-Wolves affairs are much less appealing from a game environment perspective, but we'll need to mine them out for potential options on this short slate.
The key to succeeding in NBA DFS is making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always essential to have a game plan and zero in on the best players and spots before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and access our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/29/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 6 p.m. EST on DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Today's NBA DFS Core Picks
Here is a look at some of the higher-priced players we can use as building blocks for cash and GPP contests.
I typically go the "stars and scrubs" route in daily fantasy basketball as long as there is enough value to make it work. We have enough value on the board for tonight's action, but I'm favoring balanced builds with our player pool options. Victor Wembanyama is always a great GPP play as he has 70-80+ DK point potential, but I have my eye on a group of slightly underpriced players who are popping out in the optimizer, and I want to get to more than one of them in each lineup.
Jalen Johnson, Anthony Edwards, and Tyler Herro are the players I will rotate around in balanced builds (Non-Wemby lineups). Johnson has stepped up recently, averaging 50.7 DK PPG over his last five contests while spiking for over 58 DK points in his previous two outings. The Raptors are the second-worst team on the slate at defending bigs, and they allow the eighth-most fantasy points per game overall. On top of that, this is the top game environment on the slate with the highest implied total and fastest projected pace.
Edwards has had an inconsistent season, but he's now at a salary where he needs a modest 43.5 DK points to hit 5x value. The Spurs allow the seventh-most fantasy points per game to SGs this season, so I'm more than willing to bet on a breakout game from the young star in Minnesota. Herro has been on fire since Jimmy Butler got injured, averaging 45.4 DK PPG over his last five games. Houston is a tough matchup, but Herro can get hot against anybody.
- Jalen Johnson, ATL @ TOR - PF ($9,300 DK; $9,200 FD)
- Anthony Edwards, MIN vs. SAS - PG/SG ($8,700 DK; $8,900 FD)
- Tyler Herro, MIA @ HOU - PG/SG ($8,000 DK; $8,000 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Value Picks
This is where we talk about saving salary. Whether it's a severely underpriced backup or even as simple as a guy playing like someone who should be priced higher, this is where you'll find guys who make lineups work.
Sorting the best value picks of the day by fantasy points per dollar:
I'm a big fan of an underpriced Scotty Pippen Jr. He has been as productive as last year, producing at a 1.22 FPTS/min clip and going off when given a starter-level workload. He went for 44.75 DK points over 33 minutes in the last game Ja Morant was out (12/21/24), and while we shouldn't expect that tonight, he should crush value at his salary.
Zach Edey is also firmly in play for the Grizzlies, while Donte DiVincenzo, and Devin Vassell are other pieces I will heavily mix into lineups. DiVincenzo is a favorite of mine, as he is finally starting to find his groove in Minnesota and gets a favorable matchup against a leaky Spurs backcourt. He put up 41 DK points last game and has games of 27.5 and 34.5 DK points over his previous five outings.
Clint Capela could turn into a decent value against the Raptors, but I'll only go there if we get the news that Onyeka Okongwu is sitting. Even then, I prefer Edey by a mile.
Top Value Plays:
- Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM @ OKC - PG ($5,300 DK; $5,700 FD)
- Zach Edey, MEM @ OKC - C ($5,400 DK; $6,000 FD)
- Donte DiVincenzo, MIN vs. SAS - PG/SG ($4,100 DK) DraftKings Only
- Devin Vassell, SAS @ MIN - SG/SF ($5,500 DK; $5,800 FD)
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Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
We've already covered Pippen Jr., DiVincenzo, and Herro, so we'll cover some additional options we can discuss at the position. Mike Conley looks good in the optimizer, but he hasn't done enough for me to have confidence in him at this point in the season. I'd rather pay up a bit for Terry Rozier, who has averaged 26 DK PPG since Butler went down. Houston allows the eighth-most fantasy points per game to PGs this season, so I'll take shots on him getting hot from the field.
Top PG Options:
- Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM @ OKC ($5,300 DK; $5,700 FD)
- Donte DiVincenzo, MIN vs. SAS ($4,100 DK) DraftKings Only
- Anthony Edwards, MIN vs. SAS ($8,700 DK; $8,900 FD)
- Tyler Herro, MIA @ HOU ($8,000 DK; $8,000 FD)
- Terry Rozier, MIA @ HOU ($4,700 DK; $5,200 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
In addition to DiVincenzo and Edwards, Devin Vassell will be one of my core SG plays tonight. He hasn't lit the world on fire - hence the mid-range salary - but he's playing heavy minutes and has spiked for 30-38 DK points occasionally this season. The Wolves have a shutdown defense overall, but they're allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to SGs over their last seven games.
Top SG Options:
- Donte DiVincenzo, MIN vs. SAS ($4,100 DK) DraftKings Only
- Anthony Edwards, MIN vs. SAS ($8,700 DK; $8,900 FD)
- Devin Vassell, SAS @ MIN ($5,500 DK; $5,800 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
This position is ugly tonight. Vassell will be my most rostered player, and I like Lu Dort, but we'll have to see if Dort is playing tonight as he holds a "Q" tag. Keldon Johnson, Jaden McDaniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are some value pieces to consider, though none are appealing from a potential ceiling perspective.
Top SF Options:
- Devin Vassell, SAS @ MIN ($5,500 DK; $5,800 FD)
- Lu Dort, OKC vs. MEM ($4,500 DK; $5,100 FD)
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN vs. SAS ($3,800 DK) DraftKings Only
- De'Andre Hunter, ATL @ TOR ($5,700) FanDuel Only
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
Power forward also lacks options, though I will be getting lots of exposure to my core piece in Jalen Johnson. He's playing too well, and this spot is too juicy to ignore, so I'll be riding with the young stud out of Duke. Naz Reid is an acceptable piece, but like NAW and McDaniels, he's too volatile, and his ceiling is too low for me to be in love with him in this spot.
Top PF Options:
- Jalen Johnson, ATL @ TOR ($9,300 DK; $9,200 FD)
- Naz Reid, MIN vs. SAS ($4,600 DK; $5,000 FD)
- Keldon Johnson, SAS @ MIN ($3,700 DK) DraftKings Only
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
It's Zach Edey here. I don't want to mess around with trying to figure out the Okyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela split, and it's not even a slam dunk for Capela if Okongwu is out. Edey put up 50 DK points against Toronto three days ago, and he has seen exactly 27 minutes in four consecutive games. Fire him up in all formats tonight.
Top C Options:
- Zach Edey, MEM @ OKC ($5,400 DK; $6,000 FD)
- Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC vs. MEM ($7,700 DK; $7,700 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Hawks @ Raptors (o/u 240.5)
- Pacers @ Celtics (o/u 233.5)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
The centers in the Heat-Rockets game. Bam Adebayo has been underwhelming recently, finishing with less than 40 DK points in five of his last six contests. Alperen Sengun has spiked for a few ceiling games, but he's also putting up 34 DK point games too often. On top of this, the game environment is the worst on the slate, and both teams defend centers exceptionally well. It's a hard pass for me.
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: Jalen Johnson
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Scotty Pippen Jr.
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Anthony Edwards
- My favorite value play: Scotty Pippen Jr.
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