Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, March 3rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-03-03 23:34:21 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career and has long been one of the top NBA DFS minds in the industry. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Their Core Plays LIVE article will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, Core Plays LIVE has everything you need for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was good, albeit not too exciting. We moved a lot of my girlfriend’s stuff into my house and worked on a few house projects. I’m happy to report there weren’t any mishaps. I didn’t shatter any lights or have any arguments with drywall anchors. We have officially painted every room of the house, replaced almost every light fixture, installed a laminate floor and the trim, cleaned the carpets, and put in new drapes and rugs. Now, all we have to do is wait for the baby.

We are at the point of the season where we know the motivations and intentions for each NBA team. Some are battling for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, some are hoping to avoid the Play-In Tournament, some are battling to get into the Play-In Tournament, and some are trying to tank for a better draft pick. We’re at the time of the season where we should be aware of motivations.

There are 7 games on the schedule tonight and providentially, FanDuel and DraftKings have both included all of the games on their respective main slates. Let’s dive into the team previews!

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, March 3rd

• 7-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:30 PM ET – Washington Wizards at Miami Heat
  - 8:00 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 8:00 PM ET – Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder
  - 8:30 PM ET – Sacramento Kings at Dallas Mavericks
  - 9:00 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Utah Jazz
• Front end of a back-to-back: Warriors, Sixers, Hawks, Rockets
• Back end of a back-to-back: Blazers, Heat, Thunder, Jazz
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

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News Updates

2:05 PM ET

Jerami Grant has been ruled out for the Blazers, which is good for Shaedon Sharpe, Anfernee Simons, and Toumani Camara. Kel’el Ware has been ruled out for the Heat.

Team Previews

Portland Trail Blazers (at PHI)

We kick off the slate with the Blazers, who have a slow-paced matchup against the Sixers on the road. They are playing on the second half of a back-to-back but come into the game with a team total that is 2 points higher than their season average. We don’t have an injury report yet, but we know they’ll be without Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams.

One key injury to monitor here is Jerami Grant. If he’s unable to suit up, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe, and Toumani Camara will all see minutes in the mid-30s with increased usage. Avdija is my favorite of the three, as he offers the highest ceiling. He has topped 44 fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 full games.

Philadelphia 76ers (vs. POR)

The Sixers have a mediocre matchup against the Blazers, but this game projects to be played at a snail’s pace. Surprisingly, the Sixers have a team total that is 7 points higher than their season average. Joel Embiid, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, and Jared McCain are out, while Paul George is listed as questionable.

As it stands right now with George in the projections, there are 4 players with slightly positive RGValues — George, Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre, and Quentin Grimes. I likely won’t get to any of them in my main lineup if George is active, but they are certainly all viable in tournaments. If George is out, we can look to those 3 (Maxey, Oubre, and Grimes) in small-field tournaments and cash games.

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