Friday, March 25, wraps up the work week with a seven-game main slate beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. As always, you can head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for all the fantasy basketball content you need for any given slate.
NBA DFS Picks: Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Friday, March 25
Yahoo Play of the Day — Jerami Grant: Detroit Pistons vs. Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 31.49 | DraftKings: 31.9
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 23.8% | FanDuel 2.5% | DraftKings 6.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $24 | FanDuel $7,500 | DraftKings $7,100
It appears that Detroit is going to follow their late-season script of the last few seasons and play Jerami Grant every other game down the stretch as they look to collect more lottery ping pong balls. This every other game approach as well as some shoddy on-court results have led to the Yahoo salary algorithm giving a significant discount to the eight-year veteran. Tonight is a favorable matchup for the Pistons as they are going against a depleted Washington squad playing on the road for a second consecutive night. The fact that Detroit is currently installed as a 4-point favorite is all we need to know about the Wizards defense. Cade Cunningham is also a decent option tonight, though his salary is not as favorable as Grant’s on Yahoo.
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 53.34 | DraftKings: 57.94
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15% | FanDuel 46.3% | DraftKings 15.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $55 | FanDuel $10,400 | DraftKings $12,100
Much to the dismay of Mavericks fans, Luka Doncic has strung together three very pedestrian performances where he averaged just 37.1 fantasy points. Tonight the 21-year-old should be refreshed after resting the last game and having nearly 100 hours since last taking the court. Dallas is tied with Utah for the fourth best record in the Western Conference, which is the final slot that earns first round homecourt advantage. Minnesota is making their own push to escape the Play-In Tournament, so this should be a spirited affair. Across his last eight games, Doncic is averaging 1.46 fantasy points per minute which is right in line with his season average.
Joel Embiid: Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Clippers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 54.35 | DraftKings: 55.73
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 22.6% | FanDuel 27.2% | DraftKings 25.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $55 | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $11,200
Tonight is an island game for the 76ers who do not play again until Sunday when they head to Phoenix to take on the Suns. Philadelphia is currently tied with Boston and each team is only half a game behind Milwaukee and 1.5 in back of Miami for the top record in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers look like they will be entrenched in the Play-In Tournament, though they should only need to win one game in order to make the next step into the postseason, though they have been a pesky opponent down the stretch despite being on a four-game losing streak. Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein are simply no match for Joel Embiid who could very well flirt with 60 fantasy points tonight.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets
This game boasts a 234.5 projected point total which is the highest of the seven matchups on Friday. Portland has put a big giant stamp on the season and look to be mailing it in the rest of the way. Josh Hart (knee) and Justise Winslow (calf) have been ruled out and it would not be a surprise if both Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic are officially shut down as well. Drew Eubanks, Trendon Watford, Brandon Williams, CJ Elleby, Greg Brown, Ben McLemore and Kris Dunn are all fine options for all slates and formats tonight against the deplorable Rockets.
If the motivation is there for Christian Wood, it seems the minutes are as well as he has a pair of beauties with 59 fantasy points in 36 minutes and a 69-fantasy-point masterpiece in 34 minutes in his last five appearances. However, the other three outings were a disaster with each failing to surpass the 30-fantasy-point threshold. This relegates Wood to tournaments only and he would be best utilized in lineups with two or three Trail Blazers.
If everyone else is available for Houston, Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jae’Sean Tate and Kevin Porter Jr. are neutral options. The Rockets have the worst record in the league and are going to do everything they can to lose this game to the equally lackadaisical Blazers. If anyone comes down with a mysterious illness or injury, that will help consolidate some of the production to fewer players, which in turn would move the available Houston options up the target list.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Golden State Warriors
John Collins will be out for the next 10 to 14 days while working through a finger issue as well as a sore plantar facia. Bogdan Bogdanovic is also questionable with a sore knee. That means Trae Young will be seeing the ball in his hands on nearly every possession as the top scoring option as well as being the main facilitator on offense. Danilo Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu are two of the better fantasy point options for the Hawks across the various DFS sites. If Bogdanovic is out, Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter will be the recipient of more field goal opportunities.
If Bogdanovic is available, he should be in line for his usual 28-32 minutes off the bench. Clint Capela has been wildly disappointing without Collins, taking only six field goal attempts over the last two games with just 15 rebounds. This is going to keep his popularity in check for tournaments, which in turn brings him back into relevance with his ability to flirt with a 15/15 game.
Look to Gallinari in this matchup against the Warriors in the NBA player prop market. Currently he has a 4.5 over/under on his rebound prop, and the Awesemo NBA player projections have him for 6.2, which gives him a 74% probability of surpassing the over. Gallinari has corralled five or more rebounds in five of his last seven games.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Friday, March 25 Fantasy Basketball Slate
The seven games on the docket tonight stretch out across five start times between 7 and 10:30 p.m. ET. Be cognizant of news coming out during this expansive timeframe which could provide an edge over less diligent gamers. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
