NBA DFS Picks: Sunday 12/29/24

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. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Trae Young ($9,100)

I love buying stars after an off night, and Trae Young had himself an off night on Saturday.

He scored just 11 points on 23.1% shooting against a stingy Miami Heat defense, but the Toronto Raptors are an entirely different story. Toronto combines the NBA's sixth-highest pace with its fifth-worst defensive rating (DRTG), which is why this game has a gaudy 240.5-point total at FanDuel.

Dyson Daniels (illness) didn't play yesterday, taking a few more high-quality shots out of this Atlanta backcourt. Young is primed for a return to form against a Raptors squad allowing the 12th-most FanDuel points (FDP) per game to opposing point guards (49.3).

Devin Vassell ($5,800)

Knowing the risks of anyone in Gregg Popovich's rotation, Devin Vassell is definitely trending up in fantasy basketball.

Vassell has done the hard part. He's moved back into the starting lineup and topped 31 minutes in four of his last five games. The easy part will be correcting some of his poor shooting outputs; the former lotto pick has shot 40.0% or worse from the field in six of nine December outings.

At this salary, I can't ignore his upside when he's topped 33 FDP in five of those nine games despite the shooting struggles. FanDuel Research's NBA DFS projections expect 30.6 FDP in 32.9 minutes on Sunday, smashing required value at this mark.

Others to Consider

Fred VanVleet ($7,200)

Fred VanVleet is finally paying off his hefty floor of minutes, topping 35 FDP in four of his last five games. Miami just locked down Trae Young, but the back-to-back situation might help those concerns.

Donte DiVincenzo ($4,900)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are begging for consistency out of Donte DiVincenzo to spell Mike Conley more often, and he earned a December-high 33 minutes in his last game. DiVincenzo's excellent production last season (35.0 FDP per 36 minutes) should always be front of mind when full-time work is plausible.

Wings

Top Priorities

Scottie Barnes ($9,000)

Small forward is typically NBA DFS's weakest position. How about a listed point guard?

That's how the Raptors are classifying Scottie Barnes at the moment, and I won't complain. Barnes has topped 40 FDP in 6 of his last 10 games entering this marquee spot against a Hawks team that allows the 5th-most points and 10th-most rebounds to opposing point guards.

His assist potential could be quite high, too. Atlanta allows the most three-point attempts per game in the NBA (41.6). Toronto has also topped 119 points scored in every game against a top-five squad in pace this year, and Atlanta (3rd) qualifies.

The Hawks playing yesterday won't help matters. At 43.6 expected FDP in our projections, Barnes stands out at a weak position on this small slate.

Amen Thompson ($6,900)

We've known all along that Amen Thompson could be an awesome fantasy producer if his rotation just got out of the way.

Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg) have each sat the last three games, paving the way for Thompson to log at least 30 minutes and 37 FDP. At a rate of 40.3 FDP per 36 minutes this season, it really was that simple.

While the Heat allow the fourth-fewest FDP to opposing small forwards, I'm willing to buy into that changing with Jimmy Butler (illness), Dru Smith (Achilles), and Josh Richardson (heel) all likely missing this one. Jalen Johnson, a similar bouncy wing, posted 57.1 FDP last night.

You'll want to confirm Brooks and Eason are out again tonight, but if they are, the mid-range has an excellent option.

Others to Consider

Jaylen Wells ($4,300)

Marcus Smart (finger) and Santi Aldama (ankle) are the recent additions to the Memphis Grizzlies' laundry list of injuries that allowed Jaylen Wells to log 32 minutes in his last game. He's one of two useful value plugs to get to top stars on the slate.

Haywood Highsmith ($4,000)

Here's another. Those Heat injuries led to more minutes on Saturday for Haywood Highsmith (36) than Jaime Jaquez Jr. (21), yet the latter got the salary bump. Erik Spoelstra's rotation is always volatile, but Highsmith's salary is small enough to take the plunge.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Jaren Jackson Jr. ($8,300)

There's a two-step flowchart to Jaren Jackson Jr. smashing this sort of salary, and yet, he just stays put here.

First, he's got to avoid foul trouble. That's not a given with four of his last seven games under 30 minutes. Memphis might have no choice to push it tonight, though, with Aldama on the shelf.

Secondarily, he needs Ja Morant (shoulder) to sit as he will on Sunday. Triple J is averaging 53.2 FDP per 36 minutes with Ja off the floor this season in a sizable, 486-minute sample.

Jackson is closer to a five-digit-salary stud if he can just stay on the floor, and Aldama's absence is one less domino that could fall against that outcome. I love him in a high-paced matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Clint Capela ($5,200)

The Hawks might be left with no option than to play Clint Capela in a full role.

Onyeka Okongwu has been on the shelf with a knee issue, but Larry Nance Jr. (hand) seems to have picked up an injury last night. If he can't go, Capela is the last man standing at Atlanta's pivot.

There's a risk the Hawks and Raptors just go without bigs given Jakob Poeltl (groin) is questionable in this one, but the Swiss center doesn't need much floor time to pay off $5,200. He's averaging 40.3 FDP per 36 minutes this season.

Toronto allows the most FDP per game to opposing centers (60.7), so we're projecting Capela as tonight's top value at center before confirming Okongwu and Nance out. If they sit, I'm not sure how you can avoid him.

Others to Consider

Jabari Smith ($5,600)

Last week, I dubbed Jabari Smith as "Mr. Floor", and he's kept on rolling. Topping 25 FDP in 7 of his last 11, the former No. 3 pick is high-floor plug with a huge size edge over Nikola Jovic. Smith's crept into the 40s in terms of minutes without Brooks and Eason, too.

Al Horford ($4,900)

Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) hasn't returned yet from a Christmas Day sprain, clearing the way for additional Al Horford minutes against a Indiana Pacers team that always plays with size. I haven't mentioned this game a ton when preferring the under in today's NBA best bets.

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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.