Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Friday, March 6th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-03-06 19:19:05 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. So, who better to walk you through the madness of NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Friday!

We’ve had one of the warmest winters in history, but it’s finally snowing here in Utah.

As far as the NBA schedule goes, there are 7 games on tap. The IND/LAL game doesn’t start until an hour after the rest, and FanDuel and DraftKings decided to leave it off of their main slates, so we only have 6 games to worry about.

TJ and I will be on Crunch Time at 6:15 PM ET to break down the slate and answer any questions from chat.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Friday, March 6th

Slate Overview

• 6-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:00 pm ET – Dallas Mavericks at Boston Celtics
  - 8:00 pm ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets
  - 9:00 pm ET – New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns
  - 9:00 pm ET – New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets
  - 9:30 pm ET – Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:30 pm ET – Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers (not on main slate)
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Miami Heat (at CHA)

The Heat are playing on the second half of a back-to-back after beating the Nets last night. They draw a tough matchup on the road against the Hornets, who are 26th in pace and 10th in points allowed per game. Miami’s team total is 9 points lower than their season average. We don’t have their injury report yet, but they should at least be without Norman Powell, Simone Fontecchio, and Nikola Jovic.

Kel’el Ware is the only player on the roster with a positive RGValue. He hasn’t been the most consistent player this season, but he has scored 57, 39, and 36 fantasy points over the last 3 games. He certainly feels underpriced given his recent play, but my interest in him will depend on his ownership projection. Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have both flashed upside recently, but they feel overpriced for this matchup. Andrew Wiggins is a safe cash game option, as he has scored over 30 fantasy points in 4 of the last 6 games.

Charlotte Hornets (vs. MIA)

The Hornets have been terrific over the last month and have vaulted up to 9th in the East. If they keep it up, they could potentially sneak into the 6th seed and avoid the Play-In Tournament. They have a favorable matchup at home against the Heat, who are 1st in pace and 20th in points allowed per game. Charlotte’s team total is 1 point higher than their season average. All of their key players should be available.

LaMelo Ball hasn’t topped 30 fantasy points in any of his last 7 games, but we have him projected right on that number tonight. He should benefit from a pace-up matchup against the Heat, and it’s likely that very few are going to look his way since he’s been so volatile this season. Brandon Miller has topped 50 fantasy points in 2 of the last 8 games and is likely the safest target from the Hornets. And don’t forget about Kon Knueppel, who has topped 35 fantasy points in 3 of the last 7 games. The Hornets aren’t a priority for me, but all three of their high-usage players are viable in tournaments.

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