Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, March 5th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-03-05 23:24:50 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 Wednesday!

Once the Bulls had ruled out a few key players, I decided to stack the game. I had 3 starters on the Bulls and then brought it back with Jarrett Allen and Ty Jerome. I also ended up on Paolo Banchero once Cole Anthony was ruled out. Overall, it was a solid slate. Let’s keep it going tonight.

This has been a fun week so far, as we haven’t had any huge or small slates. We have 8 games on the schedule this evening. As usual, FanDuel and DraftKings are rolling out different-sized slates. FanDuel has all 8 games included on their main slate, while DraftKings has kept the final game off of their main slate.

For the PGA DFS fans out there, the Arnold Palmer Invitational starts tomorrow. It’s a great event, and we have a lot of great content ready for consumption. I’m getting a little creative with my main lineup this week.

But we are here to talk basketball. Let’s dive into tonight’s NBA slate.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, March 5th

• 8-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards
  - 7:00 PM ET – Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Boston Celtics
  - 8:00 PM ET – Dallas Mavericks at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 9:00 PM ET – Sacramento Kings at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 10:30 PM ET – Detroit Pistons at Los Angeles Clippers
• Front end of a back-to-back: Celtics
• Back end of a back-to-back: Bucks, Cavaliers, Wolves, Clippers
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

12:20 PM ET

Keyonte George is now questionable for the Jazz. Tyler Herro is now questionable for the Heat.

Team Previews

Utah Jazz (at WAS)

We kick things off with the Jazz, who have been in tank mode since the start of the season. There are only two teams in the league with a worse record. One of which is the Wizards, who just so happen to be one of the best matchups for fantasy production. Despite missing Jordan Clarkson, John Collins, Walker Kessler, Lauri Markkanen, and Collin Sexton, the Jazz still have a team total that is higher than their season average.

This could be a first—there are 5 players on the Jazz with positive RGValues. Kyle Filipowski, Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Isaiah Collier all project well on a per-dollar basis. I know it doesn’t feel good trusting the Jazz in any capacity, but they are missing 5 of their best players and are still projected to score 113 points. We don’t need to overthink this one. I plan to have a lot of exposure to Utah.

Washington Wizards (vs. UTA)

The Wizards have been an easy team to avoid most of the season, but they find themselves shorthanded and in an elite matchup at home. This season, the Jazz are 10th in pace and dead last in defensive rating. Despite missing Jordan Poole and Malcolm Brogdon, the Wizards have a team total that is 9 points higher than their season average. We’ll have to keep an eye on Kyshawn George and Richaun Holmes, as they are both listed as questionable.

If active, George is one of the more appealing point-per-dollar plays on the slate. He has scored at least 29 fantasy points in 5 of his last 7 games and has an elite matchup at home. If George is out, Carlton Carrington, Justin Champagnie, Bilal Coulibaly, and Alexandre Sarr will all become strong options. Khris Middleton isn’t playing more than 24-25 minutes, but he could certainly have an efficient outing in this matchup.

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers

Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!