Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, March 9th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-03-09 18:24:25 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 Mine would have been a lot better had Rory McIlroy not withdrawn from the Arnold Palmer Invitational after being in the top 10 after the first 2 rounds. While I’m tilting some golf, I have to point out that THE PLAYERS Championship is this week. It’s not a major championship, but it’s the closest event to one. DraftKings and FanDuel both have massive prize pools with buy-ins at all levels. Make sure to check out all of our great premium content this week.

I have a couple of important dates for you. First, the end of the NBA regular season is April 12th, so we essentially have one more month until the playoffs start (hallelujah!). And second, the start of the MLB season is March 26th, so it’s right around the corner. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to have a big run in the PGA, NBA, and MLB streets over the next few months.

Let’s dive into tonight’s 5-game NBA slate.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, March 9th

Slate Overview

• 5-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:30 pm ET – Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder
  - 7:30 pm ET – Memphis Grizzlies at Brooklyn Nets
  - 9:00 pm ET – Golden State Warriors at Utah Jazz
  - 10:00 pm ET – New York Knicks at Los Angeles Clippers
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

1:15 PM ET

VJ Edgecombe has been ruled out for the Sixers. Cam Payne, Kelly Oubre, and Quentin Grimes are all strong plays.

Donovan Mitchell and Dean Wade are expected to play for the Cavaliers, while Jarrett Allen has been ruled out.

Team Previews

Philadelphia 76ers (at CLE)

We kick off the slate with the Sixers, who are currently 8th in the East. They draw a mediocre matchup against the Cavaliers, who are close to the league average in pace, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. Philly’s team total is 1 point higher than their season average. Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid are all out, while VJ Edgecombe is listed as questionable.

This game has blowout potential (12.5-point spread), but the Sixers are missing their three best players, so there’s naturally a lot of usage and minutes to go around. Cameron Payne is projected to start at point guard. While he’s unlikely to play huge minutes, we did see him log 25 minutes a few games ago with Maxey active. Quentin Grimes is coming off his best game in quite a while, scoring 40 fantasy points against the Hawks. I’ll side with Edgecombe over Grimes if the former is active, but the latter will be a strong option in all formats if Edgecombe can’t suit up. Kelly Oubre could be lower-owned than both Grimes and Edgecombe, which makes him an interesting tournament play.

The minutes at center will be split between Adem Bona and Andre Drummond. They are far from core plays, but I’ll have interest in whoever draws the start. For large-field tournaments, there’s a path here for Dominick Barlow and Trendon Watford to play well at cheap price points.

Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. PHI)

The Cavaliers get a favorable home matchup against the 76ers, who play at a slower pace (19th) but are middle-of-the-pack defensively (14th in points allowed). Cleveland’s team total is sitting at 120 points, which is higher than their season average. This is a back-to-back situation, so we are still waiting on their injury report. However, Jarrett Allen is dealing with a knee injury, and there are some potential rest candidates here (Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and Dean Wade).

With Mitchell and Mobley both in the projections, James Harden is the only player on the roster with a positive RGValue. I have a hard time prioritizing him at this price point, as he’s been held under 45 fantasy points in 8 straight games. I suppose this is a revenge game, but I’m not sure that will lead to much more motivation. If Mitchell is out, Jaylon Tyson and Harden should benefit. If Mobley is out, Allen should benefit. If Allen is out, Mobley should benefit.

For now, let’s take a wait-and-see approach with the Cavaliers.

Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium!

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