NBA

NBA DFS Picks Today: 6 FanDuel Plays for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026

Published by Ship It Nation · 6 min read

Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates with his arms out during a game at Madison Square Garden, next to the headline “NBA DFS Picks Today.”

FanDuel’s main slate has seven games tonight, and Warriors-Spurs at 9:30 p.m. ET is the last one to tip. That puts Victor Wembanyama ($12,600) at the top of the price list, but our six favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks today come from cheaper spots: two core plays, two mid-tier plays and two valueValueValue is the fantasy production you expect from a player relative to his salary. A value play offers more production or upside than his price suggests, whether he is cheap or expensive. It is often measured in points per dollar, written as fantasy points per $1,000 of salary: a $5,000 player projected for 20 points is a 4x value, also called the salary multiplier.Identify why the salary looks wrong: workload, matchup, scoring ability or a pricing error. Then check whether that reason still holds when you submit your lineup. picks. Knicks-Pacers and Bucks-Magic tip at 7 p.m. ET, and the two latest games (Blazers-Kings and Thunder-Clippers) are not part of this slate. All information is as of 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 13, 2026.

Key takeaways

  • Hawks-Bulls has the slate's highest total at 245.5, and Johnson and Buzelis both come from it.
  • Isaiah Stewart is the best value on the slate at 6.12 points per $1,000 with Edey and Post out.
  • If Dejounte Murray sits, Jeremiah Fears jumps from 32.1 to 37.7 projected points.

Tonight’s value starts with frontcourt injuries. Evan Mobley is out for Cleveland, which hands more minutes to Jarrett Allen, and Memphis is playing without Zach Edey and Quinten Post, which opens the center spot for Isaiah Stewart. Chicago is short on bigs too, and our Usage Bump tool shows Matas Buzelis picking up most of that work.

Salaries, projections, ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that., spreads and team totalsTeam TotalA team total is a betting-market estimate of how many points, runs or goals one team will score. In DFS, it usually means an implied team total calculated from betting odds, rather than a projection of fantasy points.Recheck team totals after major news, then ask which players actually benefit. If your projections already reflect the change, avoid adding another automatic boost. all come from our NBA Stone 2.0.

What are our favorite NBA DFS picks today?

Our six FanDuel picks for the Nov. 13 main slate, grouped by salary tier, with Stone 2.0 projections and projected ownership.
Tier Player Game Salary Proj. Own
Core Jalen Johnson ATL at CHI $9,100 47.10 39.4%
Core Karl-Anthony Towns NYK at IND $8,400 42.81 31.9%
Mid-Tier Cameron Boozer MEM at NOP $7,500 38.05 25.6%
Mid-Tier Jeremiah Fears MEM at NOP $6,000 32.40 30.3%
Value Pick Matas Buzelis ATL at CHI $5,100 30.76 34.0%
Value Pick Isaiah Stewart MEM at NOP $4,000 24.47 23.9%

Core plays are $8,000 and up, mid-tier plays run $6,000 to $7,999, and value picks are anything under $6,000. All six together cost $40,100, which leaves $19,900 for your last three roster spots.

Which games matter on the main slate?

Three of the seven games produce all six picks, and Memphis-New Orleans gives us three. The spread and totals below come from the NBA Stone 2.0. When we cite a defense-vs-positionDefense vs Position (DvP)Defense vs Position (DvP) measures how much fantasy production a defense allows to players at a particular position. You use its stats or rankings to compare matchups, with scoring rules and adjustment methods varying by source.Before comparing ranks, check which end means the easiest matchup and whether the table reports totals, points per game or production per opportunity. rank, 30th means that defense gives up the most FanDuel points in the league at the position.

The seven games on the FanDuel main slate, with the spread, game total and each team’s implied total from the NBA Stone 2.0.
Game Spread Total Implied totals Picks
ATL at CHI ATL -6.5 245.5 ATL 126, CHI 119.5 Johnson, Buzelis
MEM at NOP MEM -3.5 235.5 MEM 119.5, NOP 116 Boozer, Fears, Stewart
CLE at MIA MIA -2.5 235.5 CLE 116.5, MIA 119 None
MIL at ORL ORL -9.5 223.5 MIL 107, ORL 116.5 None
UTA at HOU HOU -15.5 220.5 UTA 102.5, HOU 118 None
NYK at IND NYK -8.5 219.5 NYK 114, IND 105.5 Towns
GSW at SAS SAS -12.5 217.5 GSW 102.5, SAS 115 None

Hawks-Bulls has the highest total on the slate by 10 points, and both teams have implied totals of at least 119.5. Memphis-New Orleans is tied for second at 235.5 with a 3.5-point spread, so we are comfortable taking players from both sides. Utah-Houston and Warriors-Spurs are the blowout risks, with spreads of 15.5 and 12.5.

Which core plays are worth paying up for?

Jalen Johnson (PF, ATL)

FanDuel: $9,100 | Projection: 47.10 | Ceiling: 61.87 | Projected ownership: 39.4%

Johnson is averaging 19.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season, and FanDuel pays 1.5 points for every one of those assists. His 5.18 points per $1,000 is the best mark among main-slate players priced at $8,000 or more.

Atlanta has a 126-point implied total, the highest on the slate, and Chicago ranks 22nd against power forwards in FanDuel points allowed. At 39.4% projected ownership he is the most popular player on the slate. That is the price of the best game environment, and we are fine paying it.

Karl-Anthony Towns (C, NYK)

FanDuel: $8,400 | Projection: 42.81 | Ceiling: 56.69 | Projected ownership: 31.9%

Towns is averaging 20.9 points and 13.5 rebounds in 11 games, so even a quiet shooting night comes with a big rebounding floor. He projects for 5.10 points per $1,000, second only to Johnson among players at $8,000 or more.

Indiana ranks 14th against centers, so the matchup is neutral. The risk is the 8.5-point spread. New York has a 114-point implied total, and Towns should produce whenever he is on the floor, but his ceiling depends on Indiana keeping the game close enough for him to play late.

Which mid-tier plays fit best?

Cameron Boozer (PF, MEM)

FanDuel: $7,500 | Projection: 38.05 | Ceiling: 50.98 | Projected ownership: 25.6%

The rookie is averaging 15.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 32 minutes a game. That rebound and assist volume is exactly what FanDuel scoring rewards, and it gives him a high floor on nights when his shot is off.

New Orleans gives up the most FanDuel points in the league to power forwards, 55.8 a game. Edey and Post being out leaves more rebounds for Boozer, and at 25.6% projected ownership he is less popular than either of our core plays.

Jeremiah Fears (PG, NOP)

FanDuel: $6,000 | Projection: 32.40 | Ceiling: 44.17 | Projected ownership: 30.3%

Fears is averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 28.8 minutes a game. At $6,000 he projects for 5.40 points per $1,000, and he gives you a piece of the New Orleans side of a game we are already stacking with two Grizzlies.

Dejounte Murray is out tonight with a left ankle sprain, and he asked for a trade on Friday, so Fears is running the offense. Our Usage Bump tool moves him from 32.1 to 37.7 projected points with Murray out, a 5.6-point bump. Memphis ranks 16th against point guards, so the matchup is neutral, and the minutes are what you are paying for.

Which value picks free up salary?

Matas Buzelis (SF, CHI)

FanDuel: $5,100 | Projection: 30.76 | Ceiling: 42.22 | Projected ownership: 34.0%

Buzelis is averaging 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes a game. With Tobe Awaka and Caleb Wilson out, our Usage Bump tool moves him from 27.4 to 31 projected minutes and from 27.2 to 30.8 projected points.

He projects for 6.03 points per $1,000, the second-best value on the slate, and he plays in the highest-total game. Atlanta ranks 27th against small forwards and 29th against power forwards. At 34.0% projected ownership he is the most popular value play, and Johnson and Buzelis together cost $14,200.

Isaiah Stewart (C, MEM)

FanDuel: $4,000 | Projection: 24.47 | Ceiling: 34.61 | Projected ownership: 23.9%

Stewart is the best value on the slate at 6.12 points per $1,000. With Edey and Post out, our Usage Bump tool moves him from 18.3 to 25 projected minutes and from 17.9 to 24.5 projected points. He was questionable earlier this week with a right knee bone bruise, so make sure he is active.

New Orleans gives up the most FanDuel points in the league to centers, 62.2 a game. Stewart is the cheapest way into that matchup, and at 23.9% projected ownership he is the least popular of our six picks.

What news should you check before lock?

Murray is out, and Herb Jones ($3,800) moves from 17.7 to 25.7 projected points in our Usage Bump tool, which makes him one of the best values on the slate.

Cleveland is the other place to look. With Mobley out, Jarrett Allen ($5,800) and Jaylon Tyson ($3,900) are strong value pivots, and Donovan Mitchell ($8,200) is the core pivot if you want to fade Johnson’s ownership. Pelle Larsson was downgraded to doubtful for Miami, and if he sits, Giannis goes from 52.8 to 56.2.

Check the final reports about 30 minutes before each game. The 8, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. tips give you room to swap late.

Want to talk through the slate before lock? Our NBA DFS Process show goes live on YouTube at 4:30 p.m. ET, and past episodes are on our Shows page. Our NBA DFS hub has the rest of the tools, and the full Stone 2.0 breakdown comes with a Ship It Nation membership.

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Common Questions

Who are the best FanDuel NBA picks today?

Our six picks for the Nov. 13 FanDuel main slate are Jalen Johnson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Cameron Boozer, Jeremiah Fears, Matas Buzelis and Isaiah Stewart.

What is the FanDuel NBA roster format?

FanDuel lineups have nine players under a $60,000 cap: one point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center, plus a G/F flex, an F/C flex and two UTIL spots.

How does FanDuel score NBA DFS?

FanDuel pays 1 point per point, 1.2 per rebound, 1.5 per assist and 3 for each steal or block, with turnovers costing 1 point. There are no double-double or triple-double bonuses.

Need a term explained? The Ship It Nation DFS glossary covers every DFS term we use in plain language.

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Ship It Nation was founded in 2023 by Tyler Tamboline and Mike Petta to give DFS players the tools, projections, content, and community they need to build a winning process. Today, we're a fully remote team of active DFS players, analysts, and builders.

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