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Welcome Back, RotoBallers! We once again have a small five-game slate on our hands. It is also tanking season, and we have to keep our eye on a couple of teams, such as the Raptors and Hornets, who are extremely volatile at this stage of the season. Everyone seems to be more of a GPP play at this point in the season.
Keeping an eye on the injury report is crucial right now. A couple of guys to keep an eye on include; LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Miles Bridges, Zach LaVine, and Jakob Poeltl.
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/20/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EDT 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.
Just like last week Damian Lillard plays the LA Lakers. He ended up finishing with 50 FP, and I wouldn’t doubt seeing him go for that again. He has played extremely well against the Lakers in the past and I think the Bucks will look to get back on track after a brutal loss to the Warriors on Wednesday.
Mikal Bridges has been a primary benefactor of Jalen Brunson being out. He’s scored 19+ points in four games since Brunson has gone down as well as 30+ FP. At 6.5k he is still a relatively cheap play for his potential output. On top of that, it’s a great matchup and as long as it doesn’t blow out early he should be good for his normal workload.
Jonas Valanciunas was slotted right back into a starting role after one game on the bench. He now gets an elite matchup against the Bulls who give up the third most points to opposing centers. Jonas has scored 30+ FP in six games as the starting center for the Kings. I would expect 40+ in this matchup with how good it is.
Top Core Plays:
- Damian Lillard, MIL at LAL ($8,600 DK; $8,500 FD)
- Mikal Bridges, NYK at CHA ($6,200 DK; $6,500 FD)
- Jonas Valanciunas, SAC vs. CHI ($7,700 DK; $7,400 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.
Like Russell, Keon Johnson sees a large bump in usage with Thomas and Johnson out. He should be one of the primary scorers and could see upwards of 20 shots in this game. He is still middle of the pack when it comes to price so that should be some solid value if he sees the production that he should.
It’s unclear at the moment if Jakob Poeltl will play but either way, play your big men against the Warriors! If Poeltl is out, then Orlando Robinson has shown he can be a reliable backup and play solid minutes for the Raptors. The Warriors give up the third most rebounds to centers this season. If Poeltl is out, Orlando makes for a great value play.
I'm not big on playing Toronto on this slate but with all their injuries, Ochai Agbaji could make for a sneaky play. Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes have played limited minutes which leaves the door open for some of the younger guys to get some solid playing time. In 25 minutes against Portland, he ended up finishing with 28 FP which is good for 7x his current price. As long as the minutes are there he has shown he can capitalize.
Top Value Plays:
- Keon Johnson, BKN at IND ($5,900 DK; $5,600 FD)
- Ochai Agbaji, TOR at GSW ($4,200 DK; $4,500 FD)
- Orlando Robinson, TOR at GSW ($4,900 DK; $5,200 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Point Guard
I’ve been very skeptical about playing Luka Doncic since joining the Lakers but, ever since LeBron left with injury, Luka has been on another level. Luka has scored 55+ in all four games without LeBron. He is still extremely steep at 12k on FD. However, he just finished with 65 FP against last week. I wouldn’t be surprised to see something similar once again. Keep an eye on the injury report though as he may rest on the second half of a back-to-back.
D’Angelo Russell should see a solid increase in usage with both Cam Thomas and Cameron Johnson out for this contest. Russell is also coming off a 35 FP performance in 28 minutes against Boston and now gets a solid matchup against the Pacers who play at an uptempo pace.
34 years old and a 2nd option Damian Lillard is putting up:
25 PPG
7 APG
4.7 RPG
45% FG%
38% 3P%
92% FT%
62% TS%Seeing way too many Buck fans talk down on this man pic.twitter.com/6sKlNu1Oba
— 🅵🅾🆁🆃🅷🅴🅵🅰🅽🆂 🎙 (@503Blazerfans) March 19, 2025
Top PG Options:
- Damian Lillard, MIL at LAL ($8,600 DK; $8,500 FD)
- Luka Doncic, LAL at MIL ($12,700 DK; $12,000 FD)
- D'Angelo Russell, BKN at IND ($5,800 DK; $6,400 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Shooting Guard
Malik Monk is back! If Zach Lavine continues to be out, then I like Malik Monk quite a bit in this matchup where the Bulls give up the third most fantasy points to opposing SGs. In his last two games, he has finished with 51 and 47 FP in much more difficult matchups. Even if Lavine plays, Monk is still a solid play but he becomes a lock if Lavine is out.
Kevin Porter Jr. is a big boom-or-bust play. He is only playing about 18 minutes but has shown he can do a lot in his time on the floor. Including 30 FP against Indiana and 37 FP against the LA Lakers last week. At 4.8k we don't need him to do a lot but if he can push into that 30 FP range again then that would be huge for us.
Jamal Shead 🤝 Ochai Agbaji pic.twitter.com/5wXYUzdmF9
— Pensare Basketball (@PensareBBall) March 16, 2025
Top SG Options:
- Malik Monk, SAC vs. CHI ($7,600 DK; $7,900 FD)
- Ochai Agbaji, TOR at GSW ($4,200 DK; $4,500 FD)
- Kevin Porter Jr., MIL at LAL ($3,700 DK; $4,800 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Small Forward
Bennedict Mathurin is a great play if Tyrese Haliburton is out. He has played extremely well and has scored nearly 6x his price in the last two games with 35 and 31 FP performances. Mathurin sees a near 5% usage increase with Haliburton off the floor and at his price, a 30+ performance would be a solid night.
Bennedict Mathurin dropped 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, going a perfect 4/4 from the field and 8/8 from the free-throw line in the win 👏 pic.twitter.com/hD3wWDaVJ2
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) March 20, 2025
Top SF Options:
- Mikal Bridges, NYK at CHA ($6,200 DK; $6,500 FD)
- Bennedict Mathurin, IND vs. BKN ($5,200 DK; 5,500 FD)
- Keon Johnson, BKN at IND ($5,900 DK; $5,600 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Power Forward
Jimmy Butler has been cruising with his new team! He has five 40+ FP nights across the last seven games and now gets a struggling Toronto team. The only worry I have here is the potential for a blowout in this one. At this point in the season, that is a risk with a lot of games unfortunately. If Toronto can keep this within a reasonable distance, then Jimmy should have no issue hitting 5x his price.
Pascal Siakam has been big across the last four games, scoring 40+ in all four and averaging just over 26 PPG. Brooklyn isn't a great matchup for his position but with how poorly Brooklyn has played, I don't see Siakam having too much of an issue in this one and should be able to continue his hot streak especially if Haliburton remains out for this one.
Trendon Watford makes for sneaky, low-owned PF options. With Cameron Johnson out, he should see a slight boost in minutes and usage. He is also dirt cheap at only 4.4k on FD. He isn't a super high FPPM guy but when given the minutes he can produce some decent value. Plus he gets a decent matchup against the Pacers who give up the sixth most fantasy points to opposing PFs.
Top PF Options:
- Jimmy Butler, GSW vs. TOR ($8,200 DK; $8,200 FD)
- Pascal Siakam, IND vs. BKN ($8,300 DK; $8,000 FD)
- Trendon Watford, BKN at IND ($4,600 DK; $4,400 FD)
Today's NBA DFS Picks: Center
We already mentioned JoVal along with Jakob Poeltl and Orlando Robinson. Make sure you keep an eye on the injury report for the Raptors as who they start at center is going to be who I want to focus on playing against the Warriors.
Since coming back from injury Jaxson Hayes has played much better, scoring 30+ FP in two games and he is still relatively cheap at 5.2k. Milwaukee makes for a tough matchup but if he keeps getting fed like he has been, he should have no issue hitting his value.
+23% Last Week 🚨
Orlando Robinson is flying off the waiver wire
📈 37.5 FPTs
📈 47.4
📈 34.2
📈 27.9
📈 25.4pic.twitter.com/zBS98Fw6N1— NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) March 15, 2025
Top C Options:
- Jonas Valanciunas, SAC vs. CHI ($7,700 DK; $7,400 FD)
- Jakob Poeltl, TOR at GSW ($6,000 DK; $7,100 FD)
- Jaxson Hayes, LAL vs. MIL ($5,000 DK; $5,200 FD)
- Orlando Robinson, TOR at GSW ($4,900 DK; $5,200 FD)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
- Bulls at Kings (235.5 o/u)
- Nets at Pacers (226.5 o/u)
- Bucks at Lakers (225.5 o/u)
Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids
On small slates like this one, I would keep a lot in play. I am going to be lighter on Toronto and Charlotte as both teams have actively been tanking and I would prefer not to guess whether or not their starters are going to play full minutes.
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: Damian Lillard
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Luka Doncic
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Jimmy Butler/Pascal Siakam
- My favorite value play: Keon Johnson/Orlando Robinson
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