NBA DFS: DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for Friday, Jan. 26 include Paul George

SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor, a daily Fantasy pro who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest, gives optimal NBA DFS lineup advice

Luka Doncic and Trae Young will always be connected. The two top-five picks in the 2018 NBA Draft were traded for one another on draft night after being selected by the opposite teams. Both have turned into NBA superstars and are among the most coveted NBA DFS picks whenever they take the floor. They have the opportunity to go head-to-head yet again when the Atlanta Hawks host the Dallas Mavericks in one of eight games on the NBA schedule for Friday night. 

Young is averaging 20.2 points and 9.9 assists in 10 career games against Dallas, and Doncic is averaging 23.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.1 assists in eight career games against Atlanta as it's only natural the two may have a little more motivation when facing the teams that traded them away. Young (concussion) is questionable for Friday, so he'll be an injury to monitor when forming NBA DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. But should daily Fantasy basketball players try to roster both if they are active? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor.

Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.

Kaylor's approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

On Wednesday (when he last published picks), Kaylor highlighted Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Towns had 27 points and six rebounds, returning 41.5 points on DraftKings and 40.7 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.

Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, January 26

For Friday, one of Kaylor's top NBA DFS picks is Clippers shooting guard/small forward Paul George, who is listed at $8,400 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. George is averaging 23.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this season. He has at least 35 points in two of his last five contests, averaging 24 points per game over that span. The eight-time All-Star is averaging more than 23 ppg for the fourth straight season over his 14-year career.

The Clippers play the Raptors, who are a shell of the squad they started the season as. The Raptors have lost seven of their last eight games and have one of the worst defenses in the NBA after trading OG Anunoby to the Knicks and Pascal Siakam to the Pacers. Toronto is allowing 119.4 ppg over its last eight contests. George had 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a 126-120 victory over Toronto in January, and Kaylor expects another big performance from the 33-year-old on Friday. 

Another part of Kaylor's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Rockets center Alperen Sengun ($8,600 on DraftKings and $9,800 on FanDuel). Sengun had 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 137-131 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers on Wednesday. He has scored at least 30 points in two of his last three games, averaging 30.3 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists over that span.

The 21-year-old is averaging 22.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this season. The Rockets are playing the Hornets, who are allowing 116 ppg over their last five contests and 119.8 ppg this season. The Hornets are allowing 52.8 points in the paint per contest, which ranks 22nd in the NBA, and they are the third-worst rebounding team in the NBA, which should all favor the 6-foot-11 Sengun. See Kaylor's other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, January 26

Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.

Who is DFS pro Jimmie Kaylor putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest, and find out.