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Top NBA DFS Plays & Prop Picks 3/18 | Getting Creative on Tuesday's Small Four-Game Slate!

Top NBA DFS Plays & Prop Picks 3/18 | Getting Creative on Tuesday's Small Four-Game Slate!

Tuesday, March 18th - DFS Plays & Pick 'Ems for Today's NBA Action!

Ryan Humphries
March 18, 2025

Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter/X & LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

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NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

The schedule will dial down to just four games this Tuesday. The first two games of the slate aren’t particularly exciting but the 10 o’clock ET window features a pair of excellent matchups (GSW vs. MIL and LAC vs. CLE), both of which carry a narrow three-point spread. The injury report will have some big names on it but only a few true impact players are listed as “questionable” today so we won’t be bombarded by news… nowhere close to yesterday’s level of chaos anyway. Let’s get into it! Best of luck!

Today’s Key Injuries

Hawks: T. Young - Probable, C. LeVert - OUT, C. Capela - OUT
Hornets: L. Ball - Questionable, M. Bridges - OUT, J. Okogie - OUT, M. Garrett - Probable
Nets: C. Thomas - OUT (will miss rest of season & will no longer appear in future injury reports), Z. Williams - Probable, N. Clowney - Probable
Celtics: J. Tatum - Questionable, J. Brown - OUT
Bucks: G. Antetkounmpo - Probable, D. Lillard - Probable, G. Trent Jr. - Probable, J. Sims - OUT
Warriors: S. Curry - Questionable, B. Podziemski - Questionable
Cavs: E. Mobley - Questionable
Clippers: None

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Top DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Plays

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG Trae Young, ATL | DK: $9.8k, FD: $9.6k | at CHA

We will have a handful of top tier guards to choose from on this small slate but we’ll get things rolling with a Trae Young spotlight. Outside of a dud in a blowout loss versus the Clips, Young has posted some strong performances lately. He’s averaging a stout 1.42 FPPM and 34% USG% L5Games and went for 62.75 DKFP/59.40 FDFP against this same Hornets squad when these two teams met just six days ago. The Hawks will be missing some bench production with Caris LeVert and Clint Capela both still out this evening so Young, who is known as one of the best facilitators in the NBA, should also see his fair share of shot attempts. The Hornets have allowed 1.45 FPPM to PG starters L5Games and rank 27^th versus the position in that span so, as long as this doesn’t turn into a massive early blowout, we should expect great things out of Young tonight.

PG/SG Derrick White, BOS | DK: $7.3k, FD: $7.1k | vs. BKN

The Celtics have ruled out Jaylen Brown for tonight while star forward Jayson Tatum remains questionable to play. With just Brown off the floor this season, Derrick White has taken on a team-leading +5.6% USG%. With both Brown and Tatum off, that balloons to a +10.9% USG% for White. The Celtics and Nets have ranked as the two slowest three paced teams in the NBA over their last 15 games, respectively, and Boston (-14) is yet again a heavy favorite, so the overall DFS atmosphere here isn’t looking great. That said, White’s usage increase with Brown, and potentially Tatum, off the floor is worth keeping him firmly on the DFS radar. The Nets have allowed 1.34 FPPM to PG starters L5Games so, despite the slow pace of this game, it is a strong individual matchup for White.

PG Kevin Porter Jr., MIL | DK: $3.8k, FD: $4.8k | at GSW

We’ve gotta roll the dice at some spots on a small slate and Kevin Porter Jr. is one cheap player who could bring some leverage to the table as he projects for ≤10% pOwn% on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Barring an injury or blowout, Porter isn’t likely to play more than about 20 minutes tonight but he has popped for a couple of big performances recently despite the limited playing time. Porter went for 36.75 DKFP/37.10 FDFP in just 17 minutes against the Lakers five days ago and followed that up with 30.0 DKFP/29.2 FDFP in 19 minutes versus the Pacers two days later. There is just a three-point spread (in favor of the Bucks) pinned on this game and the Warriors have been playing very well in recent weeks. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Milwaukee manages to run away with this one a bit. The Warriors are on the second leg of a back-to-back and, according to head coach Steve Kerr, Steph Curry is reportedly “exhausted” and could be a rest candidate tonight. A moderate blowout could open the door for some additional minutes for Porter but, as is, he remains an intriguing value option.

Other Guards to Consider

PG James Harden, LAC vs. CLE

PG LaMelo Ball, CHA vs. ATL (Currently questionable)

PG/SG Donovan Mitchell, CLE at LAC (Preferred if Mobley is out)

PG Damian Lillard, MIL at GSW

PG/SG Dyson Daniels, ATL at CHA

PG/SG Payton Pritchard, BOS vs. BKN (Boost if Tatum is out)

PG/SG Jrue Holiday, BOS vs. BKN (Boost if Tatum is out)

PG/SF Terance Mann, ATL at CHA

PG KJ Simpson, CHA vs. ATL (Only if LaMelo is out)

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

SF/PF Kawhi Leonard, LAC | DK: $8.2k, FD: $8.5k | vs. CLE
While he still receives the routine “injury maintenance” day off, Kawhi Leonard has been getting ramped back up to big minutes in recent weeks. Leonard has logged between 36 and 40 minutes in seven of his last eight games, with the lone outlier coming on Sunday where he only needed to play 27 minutes in a 35-point blowout over the Hornets. A blowout certainly isn’t expected tonight with the 56-11 Cavs in town as three-point road favorites. Even with the limited minutes on Sunday, Leonard has secured at least 44.5 DKFP/45.7 FDFP in three consecutive games and he should be in a spot to excel tonight. The Cavs have given up the most FPPG to starting PF starters L20Games and have allowed a hefty 1.43 FPPM average to the position over their last 10 games. The Cavs have also played at the 9^th fastest pace in the NBA this season and Leonard has averaged +38% more FPPG in up-pace games.

PF/C Draymond Green, GSW | DK: $6.2k, FD: $6.6k | vs. MIL

There is a bit of risk attached to Draymond due to the back-to-back factor but he didn’t log monster minutes last night (32) so I wouldn’t expect him to be too gassed. Green has upped his production to 1.20 FPPM over the last month and he has been racking up the premium stats (blocks and steals) with 4.0 STL+BLK/gm L5Games. Green has also been more productive at home this season where he’s averaging 1.09 FPPM (versus 0.98 FPPM on the road). He’ll likely be matched up with Giannis quite a bit tonight, which does increase his foul risk, but also increases his block/steal upside while going up against such a high usage player. On a small slate without many standout forward plays from the mid-range, Draymond makes about as much sense as anyone.

PF Georges Niang, ATL | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.3k | at CHA

I’ve been a bit of a sucker for Niang since he came over to Atlanta. He doesn’t always come through but he’s generally playing some very solid minutes off of the Hawks’ bench and returning some nice value on a semi-regular basis. I would expect that to continue tonight with Atlanta’s bench being a bit thin. Atlanta ran a tight nine-man rotation in their previous game on Sunday while Niang logged 27 minutes off the bench. The Hornets have allowed the most FPPG to bench players L20Games and Niang supplied 24.0 DKFP/23.3 FDFP in 26 minutes played against Charlotte when these teams met six days ago. Those aren’t huge DFS scores, of course, but if he turns in a similar performance tonight, it’d be flirting with 6x value.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at GSW

SF/PF Jimmy Butler, GSW vs. MIL (Boost if Curry is out)

SF/PF Cameron Johnson, BKN at BOS

SF/SG Moses Moody, GSW vs. MIL (Boost if Curry is out)

PF/C Al Horford, BOS vs. BKN

SF/SG Ziaire Williams, BKN at BOS

SF/PF Zaccharie Risacher, ATL at CHA

SF/PF DaQuan Jeffries, CHA vs. ATL

SF/SG Gary Payton II, GSW vs. MIL

SF/PF Wendell Moore Jr., CHA vs. ATL

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Onyeka Okongwu, ATL | DK: $7.5k, FD: $7.8k | at CHA

Okongwu loves to underwhelm when I throw him a spotlight lately, and one of those recent duds came against the Hornets last week, but it’s impossible to look past the sort of upside he can bring to a plus matchup like this one. Okongwu is on the heels of a monster 54.75 DKFP/57.50 FDFP performance against the Nets on Sunday and his minutes remain more secure with Clint Capela (personal) out for a fourth consecutive game. The Hornets check in at 26^th versus starting centers this season and just allowed a 50 FP performance from Ivica Zubac on Sunday so I could see Okongwu having similar success tonight.

C Moussa Diabate, CHA | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4.1k | vs. ATL

There isn’t much standout center value at the moment but I believe it’s at least a possibility that Moussa Diabate could step into the starting lineup tonight and spend some time playing power forward in place of the resting Miles Bridges. Diabate has been very productive at times when given some spot starts or increased minutes. The remaining healthy forwards on the Hornets’ roster are also lackluster players, to say the least, which further increases my belief that Diabate may find his way to a more meaningful role tonight. He’s been struggling to find playing time lately behind usual starting center Mark Williams and backup center Jusuf Nurkic. But if Diabate switches to a power forward role and earns a spot start, he’ll be well worth a dart throw. This is the eariest tipoff on the slate so we will know what the Hornets’ lineup looks like ahead of lock. If he’s not listed as a starter, then consider Diabate to be a low-floor/high-risk cheap play.

Other Centers to Consider

C Ivica Zubac, LAC vs. CLE

C Mark Williams, CHA vs. ATL

C Jarrett Allen, CLE at LAC

PF/C Dominick Barlow, ATL at CHA

PrizePicks NBA Power Play of the Day ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

No picks from me today but, as usual, Tyler & Shannon have some great recommendations in the props video posted at the top of this newsletter!

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI for NBA – available for LineStar Premium users! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

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That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!

Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter & LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

🫡 Check out our revamped BetFully Cashback App (iOS only sorry) and get up to $200 cashback for trying new Sportsbook, DFS, horse-racing apps and playing games! ✔️✔️✔️

NBA DFS & Props Shows w/ Tyler & Shannon

DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

It’s another busy day in the NBA. Eleven games reside on the Wednesday schedule -- DraftKings will exclude the two late games (PHX/OKC and ORL/SAC) from their main slate while FanDuel will feature the full menu. Trades continue to go down with the biggest move today involving the Bucks and Wizards trading Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma. The injury report is also a complete fiasco so keep those eyes and ears peeled for all the news that drops throughout the afternoon and evening! Let’s jump into the chaos! Best of luck!

NBA Trade Tracker

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/transactions/trade/

Today’s Key Injuries

Spurs: C. Paul - Questionable, C. Bassey - OUT
Hawks: C. Capela - OUT, B. Bogdanovic - OUT
Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - Probable, D. Lillard - Probable, B. Portis - Probable, K. Middleton - OUT (traded), AJ Johnson - OUT (traded)
Hornets: L. Ball - OUT, J. Okogie - OUT, V. Micic - Questionable, T. Mann - OUT, C. Martin - OUT
Cavs: D. Mitchell - Questionable, D. Wade - OUT, I. Okoro - OUT
Pistons: None
Wizards: K. Kuzma - OUT (traded), A. Sarr - OUT, P. Baldwin Jr. - OUT (traded)
Nets: C. Thomas - OUT, N. Clowney - OUT, D. Sharpe - Questionable, T. Watford - OUT
Grizzlies: D. Bane - OUT, B. Clarke - Questionable, M. Smart - Questionable, J. Konchar - Questionable, V. Williams Jr. - Questionable
Raptors: RJ Barrett - OUT, J. Poeltl - OUT, I. Quickley - OUT, C. Boucher - Questionable
Heat: J. Butler - OUT, D. Robinson - Probable, H. Highsmith - Probable
76ers: J. Embiid - OUT, P. George - Doubtful, A. Drummond - Doubtful, Q. Grimes - Questionable (trade pending), E. Gordon - Questionable, K. Lowry - Questionable
Bulls: L. Ball - OUT, T. Jones - OUT, Z. Collins - OUT, T. Horton-Tucker - OUT, K. Huerter - OUT, D. Terry - Questionable
Timberwolves: J. Randle - OUT, D. DiVincenzo - OUT
Warriors: A. Wiggins - Probable, J. Kuminga - OUT, D. Green - Probable, M. Moody - OUT
Jazz: L. Markkanen - Questionable, C. Sexton - OUT, C. Williams - OUT
Pelicans: B. Ingram - OUT, J. Alvarado - Questionable, D. Theis - OUT (traded)
Nuggets: R. Westbrook - OUT, A. Gordon - Questionable, P. Watson - OUT

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

Suns: K. Durant - OUT
Thunder: C. Holmgren - OUT, C. Wallace - OUT
Magic: J. Suggs - Doubtful
Kings: None

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Top DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Plays

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG/SG Jamal Murray, DEN | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.3k | vs. NOP

The Nuggets lead the slate with a lofty 124.8 implied team total so the Denver studs will make plenty of sense today. Jamal Murray has been playing very well of late, averaging 1.21 FPPM L5Games and scoring at least 42.0 DKFP/44.0 FDFP in four of those last five games. He has secured 40+ FP in all three previous meetings with the Pelicans this season and, given their 29th-ranked DEFRTG and 29th-ranked DvP versus starting PGs L20Games, Murray’s expectations should be high once again this evening.

PG/SG Isaiah Collier, UTA | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.2k | vs. GSW

Perhaps not the most exciting DFS play, but Isaiah Collier has provided some quality value in recent weeks, routinely returning 6x value at these low-$5k price points. Collier’s minutes and role should be more secure with Collin Sexton (ankle/out) expected to be sidelined for at least a week -- with Sexton only playing three minutes in Monday’s game, Collier went on to supply a point/assist double-double in 32 minutes versus the Pacers. Collier has also shot it significantly better at home this season with a 48.5% FG% versus a 32.6% FG% on the road. This may not be the best match-up but Collier did post a quality 12/6/9 stat line and 31.0 DKFP/28.7 FDFP against the Warriors just last Tuesday, and that was with Sexton active and putting up 30 points of his own.

SG Gradey Dick, TOR | DK: $4.2k, FD: $4.6k | vs. MEM

The Raptors will be shorthanded today with RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickley ruled out. Gradey Dick has seen a notable +4.5% USG% boost with those three players off the court this season along with a +5.8 FP per 32 minutes increase. Both teams in this game rank top 10 in pace, with Memphis ranking 1st in the NBA, so there will be plenty of possessions to go around. If the Raptors (+10.5) hope to pull off the upset, Gradey Dick will likely need to be heavily involved in the scoring.

Other Guards to Consider

PG Cade Cunningham, DET vs. CLE

PG Tyrese Maxey, PHI vs. MIA

PG/SG Anthony Edwards, MIN vs. CHI

SG/SF Trey Murphy III, NOP at DEN

PG Darius Garland, CLE at DET (Boost if D. Mitchell is out)

PG/SG Dyson Daniels, ATL vs. SAS

PG Josh Giddey, CHI at MIN

PG Jordan Poole, WAS at BKN

PG Keyonte George, UTA vs. GSW

SG/SF Bilal Coulibaly, WAS at BKN

SG/SF Christian Braun, DEN vs. NOP

PG/SG Keon Johnson, BKN vs. WAS

PG Ty Jerome, CLE at DET (Preferred if D. Mitchell is out)

PG Jamal Shead, TOR vs. MEM

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SG/SF Devin Booker, PHX at OKC

PG/SG Malik Monk, SAC vs. ORL

PG/SG Cole Anthony, ORL at SAC

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM | DK: $8.3k, FD: $8.7k | at TOR

Over the last two games, JJJ has led the Grizzlies in scoring, with 31 and 37 points, as well as usage rate, with 31.8% USG% and 43.8% USG%. One of those games was without Ja Morant, but the other was without Desmond Bane, who will be out once again tonight. For a big man, Jackson is not a very prolific rebounder, but he can rack up multiple blocks and steals on any given night and he’ll draw a strong individual match-up. The Raptors have ranked 27th versus starting PFs L20Games and when these teams met in late December, Jackson dropped 50.25 DKFP/49.2 FDFP. I believe we can get a similar result out of him this evening.

SF/PF Michael Porter Jr., DEN | DK: $6.4k, FD: $6.6k | vs. NOP

MPJ has mostly been a solid floor play throughout this season but he erupted for 36 points and 52.75 DKFP/49.4 FDFP against this same Pelicans team on Monday. I believe the Peyton Watson (knee/out) injury is a bit underrated in regards to Porter’s role. Watson has been a key piece off of the Nuggets’ bench this season and, with Watson sidelined the last two games, Porter has played 40+ minutes in each contest. We can’t expect a repeat performance from Monday but I’d say 40+ FP is well within Porter’s wheelhouse tonight.

PF Matas Buzelis, CHI | DK: $4k, FD: $4.2k | at MIN

The Bulls took Buzelis with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. With Zach LaVine shipped off to the Kings and none of the recently acquired players (Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Tre Jones) ready to make their Chicago debut, Buzelis will have a chance to continue playing in an expanded role. He logged a season-high 31 minutes off of the bench in last night’s game versus the Heat and went on to score 24 points and 32.0 DKFP/31.4 FDFP. Buzelis has averaged a respectable 0.92 FPPM L5Games and, should he flirt with 30 minutes again tonight, he’ll be a great bet to return some nice value.

Other Forwards to Consider

PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at CHA

SF/PG Scottie Barnes, TOR vs. MEM

PF/C Evan Mobley, CLE at DET (Boost if D. Mitchell is out)

PF/C John Collins, UTA vs. GSW

PF/C Naz Reid, MIN vs. CHI

PF/C Guerschon Yabusele, PHI vs. MIA

SF/PF Zaccharie Risacher, ATL vs. SAS

SF/PF Justin Edwards, PHI vs. MIA

SF/SG Corey Kispert, WAS at BKN

SF/PF Gregory Jackson, MEM at TOR

SF/PF Justin Champagnie WAS at BKN (Preferred if starting)

SF/SG Ja’Kobe Walter, TOR vs. MEM (Preferred if starting)

FanDuel Main Slate Only

PF/SF Paolo Banchero, ORL at SAC

SF/SG Grayson Allen, PHX at OKC

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Rudy Gobert, MIN | DK: $6.8k, FD: $6.9k | vs. CHI

Gobert continues to play some of his best basketball of the season following a 19/13/3 (plus two blocks and a steal) stat line against the Kings on Monday. He has now scored at least 37.0 DKFP/36.5 FDFP in five of his last six games, including three games of at least 47.25 DKFP/48.1 FDFP in that span. Gobert has averaged +4.6 FP per 32 minutes with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo (both out) off the floor this season and, as always, the Bulls represent an elite match-up for opposing centers, ranking 29th against the position this season. Gobert’s DFS salaries are on the up and up but there’s still some real upside at his sub-$7k price points.

C Kelly Olynyk, TOR | DK: $3.3k, FD: $4k | vs. MEM

There is some pretty clear value here with Kelly Olynyk expected to start in place of the injured Jakob Poeltl. In his only other start this season, which also came against the Grizzlies in late December, Olynyk averaged 1.20 FPPM and scored 27.75 DKFP/25.50 FDFP. Olynyk only played 23 minutes in that game but I believe he could get closer to 26-28 minutes as the starter tonight. Either way, he won’t have to do much to pay off these bottom-of-the-barrel salaries tonight.

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. NOP

C Victor Wembanyama, SAS at ATL

C Mark Williams, CHA vs. MIL

C Jalen Duren, DET vs. CLE

C Kel’el Ware, MIA at PHI

C Zach Edey, MEM at TOR

C Kevon Looney, GSW at UTA

C Quinten Post, GSW at UTA

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C/PF Domantas Sabonis, SAC vs. ORL

C Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC vs. PHX

PrizePicks NBA Power Play of the Day ⚡

No picks from me today but, as always, Tyler & Shannon have some great recommendations in the props video posted at the top of this newsletter!

🔥 Props AI 🔥

That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!