NBA DFS Picks: Friday 11/29/24

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections, powered by numberFire, update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800) -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only guard with a five-figure salary tonight, but he's in a tier of his own in a premier game environment against the Los Angeles Lakers. LA has been a tough matchup for PGs, but they're just 26th in defensive rating overall and play at a fast-enough pace to warrant allocating the bulk of your salary toward SGA. Our NBA DFS projections peg SGA for 51.8 FanDuel points (FP) -- most on the slate, regardless of position.

Derrick White ($7,100) -- The Boston Celtics have an implied total (127) nearly 10 points higher than the next-closest team tonight, so we're going to want to load up on Celtics against the Chicago Bulls and their 27th-ranked defense. Chicago's bled FP everywhere, but they've been especially friendly to opposing guards, giving up the most to PGs and SGs. With 35+ FP in 9 of his last 12 games, Derrick White has the right mix of floor and ceiling to warrant a low-$7K salary.

Payton Pritchard ($5,000) -- You can't go wrong playing any Celtic today -- Payton Pritchard included. Pritchard's slowed down a tad after his torrid start to the season, though he is coming off his fifth 20-point game of the year and we saw him reach for 50 FP six games back. There's a lower floor here than with, say, Jrue Holiday ($5,300), but I much prefer the upside Pritchard offers at a lower salary. It helps that he's averaged close to 30 minutes per game against bottom-10 defenses.

Others to Consider

Tyrese Haliburton ($8,800) -- Tyrese Haliburton is coming off 54.4 and 64.1-FP outings, flashing the upside that made him a fantasy superstar in the first half of last season. The Detroit Pistons have been a tough matchup for guards, but Haliburton's gaudy assist potential gives him a ton of upside if his outside shot continues to fall.

Ayo Dosumnu ($5,500) -- You don't need a bring-back for this Celtics-Bulls game, but Ayo Dosunmu would be the way to do so. Ayo's started four straight games for Chicago, clearing 27 FP three times. In the two games he saw more than 25 minutes against Boston last season, he went for 36.6 and 27.4 FP.

Wings

Top Priorities

Jayson Tatum ($10,300) -- If I'm building 10 lineups today, at least 5 will start with Jayson Tatum. Tatum's gone nearly two weeks without a true ceiling game, but a 60-FP night is more than in his range of outcomes tonight against the Bulls. He's averaging north of 45 combined points, rebounds, and assists against bottom-10 defenses, and Chicago will without their top perimeter defender, Patrick Williams (foot). He's my single-biggest priority on the slate.

Keegan Murray ($6,300) -- Keegan Murray hasn't been able to take advantage of the continued absence of DeMar DeRozan (back), but he has averaged nearly 37 minutes with him out of the lineup. That could lead to a ceiling game tonight against a Portland Trail Blazers defense allowing the most FPPG to opposing SFs. He's been heating up, too, clearing 35 FP in two of his last three games.

Dalton Knecht ($4,800) -- Dalton Knecht is one of my favorite ways to save salary on this slate, especially if you're spending up for SGA. Knecht's playing time has been trending up, and we've seen that translate to three 35-FP nights over his last six games. The Thunder have a good defense, but they've been a fine matchup for opposing wings. Notably, Oklahoma City is bottom-10 in threes allowed to SFs, allowing some scoring upside for the 'rook.

Others to Consider

Jaylen Brown ($8,500) -- Jaylen Brown is a fine contrarian play off Tatum, and he's been nearly as good against basement-dweller defenses. But he's only exceeded 50 FP once this season, so I'm not sure there's the slate-breaking upside to warrant rostering him more than Tatum at a still-high $8.5K salary.

Ziaire Williams ($4,900) -- I typically don't want anything to do with the Brooklyn Nets, but their injury report is reaching 2023-24 Memphis Grizzlies levels. That should open up plenty of shots for Ziaire Williams, though Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,500), Jalen Wilson ($4,600), or even Tyrese Martin ($3,600) would also have some appeal if active.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Domantas Sabonis ($9,300) -- Domantas Sabonis has lacked true slate-breaking performances this season, but he's cleared 40 FP in 13 of 17 games and we know the upside is there in the right matchup. Well, tonight's foe -- Portland -- is one he cracked 50 FP against twice last season. With DeRozan out again, look for Sabonis to see a usage increase, giving him tantalizing upside at $9.3K.

Myles Turner ($7,000) -- With a high total (229) and tight spread (Pacers -5.5), Indiana-Detroit is my favorite non-Celtics game on the slate. And if we can't get to Haliburton, I'm happy to grab Myles Turner against a Pistons defense he dropped 44.8 FP on in the season-opener. Our NBA DFS projections have him at 38.9 FP tonight, making him the top point-per-dollar value at center (5.56 FP per $1,000).

Deni Avdija ($5,900) -- Deni Avdija is especially appealing in Sabonis-based lineups, but his recent production has me interested in him as a one-off, too. Avdija has gone for 41, 38.6, and 36.5 FP over his last three games, and he returned to the starting lineup in Portland's most recent outing. Sacramento has surrendered the most real-world points to PFs this season, giving Deni plenty of upside at a sub-$6K salary.

Others to Consider

Anthony Davis ($11,200) -- There are other studs I prefer at salary tonight, but we can't ignore the highest-upside player on the slate -- Anthony Davis. Oklahoma City is a relatively neutral matchup for opposing bigs, but they allow the sixth-most rebounds to the position and have the lowest total rebound rate (46.8%) in the league.

Jonathan Isaac ($5,000) -- Jonathan Isaac is a per-minutes darling, and he projects very well (25.8 FP) tonight against Brooklyn's bottom-five defense. It's fair to question how much upside there is when the Orlando Magic only have a 108.5-point implied total, but Isaac doesn't need to score to be a factor in fantasy.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.