Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, March 2nd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-03-02 22:10:35 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 Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine would have been considerably better had Shane Lowry not choked away a 3-shot lead in the final few holes of the Cognizant Classic, but what can you do? The PGA DFS model has been on point the last few weeks, so I’m looking forward to this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.

As for the association, we have about 6 weeks left in the regular season. I know it has felt like the final week of the season for months now, but we are nearing the end. Personally, I can’t wait to have a playoff slate where half the teams aren’t actively trying to lose. I’m also excited for rotations to tighten up in the postseason. Until then, we’ll do our best to figure out this nightly puzzle. It’s difficult, though, as it’s almost like the pieces don’t actually fit together.

We only have 4 games on the schedule tonight. Let’s dive into the team breakdowns.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, March 2nd

Slate Overview

• 4-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards
  - 7:30 pm ET – Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks
  - 9:00 pm ET – Denver Nuggets at Utah Jazz
  - 10:00 pm ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors
• 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

Houston Rockets (at WAS)

We kick off tonight’s small slate with the Rockets, who have the 3rd-best record in the Western Conference. Tonight, they travel to Washington to take on the Wizards, who are 6th in pace, 30th in rebounding rate, and 29th in points allowed per game. Houston’s team total is 6 points higher than their season average. Steven Adams, Jabari Smith, and Jae’Sean Tate are all out.

With Smith out, we have Reed Sheppard projected to start and play 32 minutes. He has averaged over a fantasy point per minute and draws an elite matchup against a team that can’t defend the 3-point line. He’s one of the best point-per-dollar options on the board. Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun are both viable spends, although their ceiling is going to depend on the competitiveness of the Wizards. In terms of their recent play, KD has been the more productive of the two. He has topped 54 fantasy points in back-to-back games. Tari Eason is affordable and should push for minutes in the mid-30s. Amen Thompson hasn’t flashed a ton of upside this season, but he should be the forgotten player on the Rockets if you are looking for a low-owned play.

Washington Wizards (vs. HOU)

The Wizards are one of the many tanking teams in the NBA. They have lost 7 of their last 10 games and are 15.5-point underdogs against the Rockets. This is a brutal matchup for fantasy production, as Houston is 29th in pace, 1st in rebounding rate, and 3rd in points allowed per game. Washington’s team total is 8 points lower than their season average. Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, Alex Sarr, Cam Whitmore, and Trae Young are all out, while Kyshawn George, Tristan Vukcevic, and Anthony Gill are all questionable.

The Wizards seem to have a different rotation each week, so it’s tough to truly rely on them in DFS. However, Will Riley has averaged 29 fantasy points over his last 3 games and is projected to play 31 minutes at a cheap price point. If Gill is active, we have him projected for 27 minutes. If he’s out, more minutes will open up in the frontcourt, especially since Vukcevic is questionable as well. If one of the two is out, we have to assume the other will benefit. We don’t have anyone else on the Wizards projected for more than 23 minutes.

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