FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Friday 3/14/25

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Jamal Murray ($8,000)

The Los Angeles Lakers' defensive rating (DRTG) is 119.7 in two games without LeBron James (groin). We're back to targeting them in DFS.

Of course, we need few excuses to fire up Jamal Murray against the Lake Show. Including the postseason, he's torched L.A. for 25.9 points and 6.7 assists per game in his last 15 contests.

Murray is part of a tight, inclusive Denver Nuggets rotation with the team down Aaron Gordon (calf). He's logged 39.7 FanDuel points (FDP) per 36 minutes with A.G. off the floor this season.

Our NBA DFS projections expect 41.8 FDP in 37.9 minutes from the Canadian tonight, forecasting him to play a sizable role in Denver's 122.5-point team total.

Chris Paul ($5,800)

Unfortunately, the hits keep coming for the San Antonio Spurs.

De'Aaron Fox (finger) is now on the shelf in a lost season for San Antonio, which should open the backcourt for Stephon Castle and Chris Paul.

The latter is more intriguing in DFS since he's averaged just 26.9 minutes per game since February 5th when it was 29.1 minutes before the Fox deal. In competitive affairs, it's not crazy to expect a full role.

We might actually get one Friday, too. The Spurs are three-point home favorites over one of the few teams they could beat, the Charlotte Hornets.

Paul's 28.5-FDP projection might not be high enough. Charlotte's DRTG has really tanked in March (116.1).

Others to Consider

Fred VanVleet ($6,700)

We'll have to watch Fred VanVleet closely at this salary -- especially with Amen Thompson (ankle) sidelined for the moment. He's missed 16 of the last 18 games due to an ankle injury of his own, but any return close to his 35.3 minutes per game this season creates a high floor against a reeling Dallas Mavericks squad.

Russell Westbrook ($6,200)

The Nugs are a five-man band with Gordon sidelined, and Russell Westbrook is one of those. He posted 30.3 FDP in 33 minutes on Wednesday in a tougher matchup, and his 30.3% usage rate with Nikola Jokic off the floor gives brief windows to pour on fantasy points.

Ty Jerome ($5,200)

Donovan Mitchell (groin) will sit out Friday's up-tempo clash with the Memphis Grizzlies, opening the door for Ty Jerome to encroach 30 minutes. Jerome has been Mitchell's one-for-one replacement all year, averaging 46.3 FDP per 36 minutes when he's on the pine.

Wings

Top Priorities

Kawhi Leonard ($8,400)

Slowly but surely, we're starting to see the Kawhi Leonard that had a $9,700 salary at one point last season.

Leonard's topped 41 FDP in two of his last three games, including a 36-point effort against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. He'll draw another high-paced, quality matchup in the form of the Atlanta Hawks tonight.

Atlanta's 103.9 pace is second-highest in the NBA, and their DRTG has slipped to 117.1 in March. They've also allowed the most FDP per game to opposing small forwards (44.9) this season -- a stat not improving with Jalen Johnson (shoulder) done for the year.

Among options over $8,000, Leonard's 5.30 value score in our projections sticks out like a sore thumb, but one of the Boston Celtics guys could join him if the other sits from dual questionable listings.

Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,100)

Players like Dorian Finney-Smith in NBA DFS can make your temples hurt, but there's a reason to keep going back to the well in tournaments.

Finney-Smith has topped 28 minutes in eight straight for the Lakers, and it's only going to push toward 40 per game with LeBron out of the lineup. He's a crucial component to L.A.'s defense with James sitting.

The problem? He's topped 20 FDP just once in that span.

The formula is there, though. An 11.8% usage rate with James off the floor is actually higher than his scoring totals would suggest. He's been plagued by 32.9% shooting from deep since February 1st, and he's added 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 stocks per 36 with LBJ on the pine.

FDR's projections expect 22.5 median FDP. It's really hard to crush you in cash games at his salary, too.

Others to Consider

Bradley Beal ($6,300)

Quietly, Bradley Beal has topped 34 FDP in five of his last nine, and he's got another great matchup on Friday. The Sacramento Kings' DRTG has fallen to 117.1 in March, which is why tonight's game against the Phoenix Suns' awful D has a 233.0-point total despite just modest tempo.

Caris LeVert ($5,500)

One of the wings replacing the aforementioned Johnson is Caris LeVert, who has topped 27 FDP in five of his last eight. LeVert's bench role to dodge Kawhi's defense early in the game certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Dillon Brooks ($5,000)

Amen Thompson's injury is going to make it that much tougher to pull Dillon Brooks, seeing 32.2 minutes per game this season, off the floor. This salary is a touch higher than you'd hope, but Brooks has topped 30 FDP on 10 different occasions this year.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Mark Williams ($7,900)

With the awkward trade behind him, Mark Williams has got back to hooping.

Despite missing some time with a "foot" issue that might also be related to Charlotte wanting Cooper Flagg, Williams has averaged 50.5 FDP per 36 minutes in March and should encroach around 30 in tonight's matchup with the Spurs if the game stays tight.

Without Victor Wembanyama (shoulder), San Antonio's paint presence is gone. They're a bottom-three club in paint points (56.7) and second-chance points (18.6) per game in their 12 contests since Wemby was announced as done for the year.

Williams has topped 28 minutes in three of his last five, and the exceptions were blowouts. It's a bit sneaky how quality a $7,900 salary is for him.

Jabari Smith ($5,300)

Power forward is incredibly weak despite 10 games on the slate, so we'll use wings there more often than not.

Jabari Smith is one of the few decent power-forward-only options on the slate worth mentioning. At the very least, Thompson's injury has reinserted the defensive stud into 32-plus minutes in consecutive contests.

He should re-emerge in DFS, as well. Smith broke 30 FDP in 10 games before the calendar turned 2025. Due to Thompson's breakout and a hand injury of his own, his playing time has plummeted to the point where he's only now done that once since January 1st.

Dallas is allowing the fourth-most points and seventh-most rebounds to power forwards this season, too.

Smith's projection of 27.0 FDP works in a pinch. This 220.0-point total isn't a stellar environment, but a big Jabari night is coming with Amen sidelined.

Others to Consider

Nikola Jokic ($12,800)

I can't ever blame anyone for setting and forgetting Nikola Jokic at the pivot. He's impossibly gone over 61 FDP in six of his last nine, including a near-100-FDP outing (94.1) a week ago. The Lakers stymied him to 39.6 FDP last month, but that was with a healthy James to execute their traps.

Lauri Markkanen ($6,800)

John Collins' breakout has really hindered Lauri Markkanen, and Markkanen has played without J.C. in only 11 games this season. Collins' absence on Friday due to a back issue is a big deal; Lauri sees an increase of 3.1 percentage points in usage rate with him off the floor.

Orlando Robinson ($5,400)

The Toronto Raptors are on the other side of Markkanen's Utah Jazz, and there's been a shift at center for them with Jakob Poeltl (rest) out. Orlando Robinson posted 47.4 FDP in 32 minutes on Wednesday without Poeltl, and his productive days as a member of the Miami Heat imply that could stick as long as he's the main man.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.