Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, March 23rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-03-23 18:40:31 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. We have an exciting week ahead of us. The start of the MLB season is here, the second round of the NCAA Tournament is here, we are only two weeks away from the Masters, and the NBA regular season is winding down. It feels like we’ve been in the final week of the season for months now, but this is really the time of year where we need to factor in team motivations.

We have 10 games on the schedule, which is more than usual for a Monday night. Luckily, FanDuel and DraftKings both left the final 2 games off of their main slate. This means we only have to worry about 8 games this evening. Beer and I will be on Crunch Time tonight at 6:15 PM ET to break down the slate and answer any questions that you might have. I feel like we have really been on point in the last few shows we have done together.

Let’s do it. Let’s dive into tonight’s team previews.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, March 23rd

Slate Overview

• 10-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:00 pm ET – Indiana Pacers at Orlando Magic
  - 7:00 pm ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:00 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat
  - 7:30 pm ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls
  - 9:00 pm ET – Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz
  - 9:30 pm ET – Golden State Warriors at Dallas Mavericks
  - 10:00 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers (not on main slate)
  - 10:30 pm ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Clippers (not on main slate)
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

12:45 PM ET

Quentin Grimes is questionable for the Sixers. Dominick Barlow is questionable.

Anfernee Simons, Guerschon Yabusele, Jaden Ivey, and Isaac Okoro are all out for the Buls.

Ethan Thompson, Taelon Peter, and Jalen Slawson are all doubtful for the Pacers.

Team Previews

Los Angeles Lakers (at DET)

We kick off the slate with the Lakers, who have won 9 games in a row. They are 3rd in the West. They travel to Detroit to face a Pistons team that ranks 19th in pace and 3rd in points allowed per game. The Lakers have a team total of 117 points, which is 2 points lower than their season average. Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and Maxi Kleber are all questionable.

As is usually the case with the Lakers, it’s Luka Doncic or bust. Austin Reaves and LeBron James have lacked upside when all three of their superstars have been available. On an 8-game slate, we can safely avoid Reaves and James. As for Doncic, he has scored at least 70 fantasy points in 5 of his last 7 games. This is far from an ideal matchup, but Doncic has played well in tough matchups all season. He’s not my favorite spend, but he’s viable in all formats.

Detroit Pistons (vs. LAL)

The Pistons have the best record in the East. Tonight, they host the Lakers, who are 21st in pace and 15th in points allowed per game. Detroit’s team total is 117 points, which is 5 points lower than their season average. This isn’t the best game environment, but it should be a great game to watch. Cade Cunningham, Marcus Sasser, and Isaiah Stewart are all out.

In his last 2 starts with Cunningham out, Daniss Jenkins has averaged 35 minutes and 33 fantasy points per game. He’s no longer a free square at this price point, but he’s a strong mid-range option against the Lakers. Even with Cunningham out, I’m having a difficult time trusting the likes of Caris LeVert, Duncan Robinson, and Kevin Huerter. Paul Reed has been on a tear recently, but his limited playing time makes him a large-field tournament target. Jalen Duren is my favorite target from the Pistons. He should see a boost in usage and FP/min. production with Cunningham off the floor. He has 50+ fantasy point upside tonight at home.

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