Today's NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel DFS Lineups, Values, Stacks (Thursday, 3/5/26)

March 5, 2026

Today's free NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (March 5th, 2026). Zach's daily fantasy basketball lineups, values, stacks, pivots, sleepers for NBA DFS.

Welcome Back, RotoBallers! The NBA continues a busy week with nine games on Thursday night, and the first six of those games make up the main DFS slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel. At this point in the season, playing NBA DFS is usually a wild ride that requires last-minute adjustments and tweaking lineups right up until tip-off. Some players are great options coming into the day, though, and they can anchor your lineup while you fine-tune the details and the last few roster spots before contests go live.

One critical factor to monitor throughout the day is the injury report. Some important players like Stephen Curry, Lauri Markkanen, Kyshawn George, Egor Demin, and Norman Powell have already been ruled out. Key contributors like Cooper Flagg, Amen Thompson, Anthony Black, Alperen Sengun, Josh Giddey, Jabari Smith Jr., and Trey Murphy III are all questionable to play, and their availability will have fantasy implications for the rest of their teammates. Keep an eye on the injury reports throughout the day.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 3/5/26. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab the RotoBaller Premium Pass, which is highly discounted and includes DFS, betting, props, and season-long tools like the Team Sync platform. Also, gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where our experts are talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

Today's NBA Projections

Let's take a quick peek at our RotoBaller projections for tonight's slate with all players that are $8k or higher. Victor Wembanyama, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Duren are all firmly in play in this premier Detroit-San Antonio matchup, while Anthony Edwards and Scottie Barnes are also spend-up options in the Minnesota-Toronto game.

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NBA DFS Core Picks

Jalen Duren, DET - C

• DraftKings: $8,200
• FanDuel: $8,300

In one of the best matchups of the night, Duren and the Pistons are in San Antonio to face Wembanyama and the Spurs. The two teams met in a thriller a couple of weeks ago, with the Spurs winning in Detroit, 114-103.

The Pistons will look to avenge that loss, and they'll lean heavily on Duren to make that possible. Duren had 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 48 DraftKings points in the first meeting and has been on a great run since the All-Star break.

Jalen Duren was OUTSTANDING in Detroit's OT win!

33 PTS (ties career-high)
16 REB
3 BLK pic.twitter.com/vUt3Sy6ypU

— NBA (@NBA) February 28, 2026

Since returning from his two-game suspension, he has averaged 25.5 points, 13.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 32 minutes per game. In those six games, he's averaging 50 DraftKings points and 49.2 FanDuel points per game.

He should be motivated by the head-to-head matchup with Wembanyama, like he was two weeks ago, and Duren can be a great anchor to build your lineup around this Thursday.

Will Riley, WAS - SF/PF

• DraftKings: $5,600
• FanDuel: $5,800

The Wizards are hosting the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back, and it should be a great matchup for Washington, with plenty of value and production available on both sides of this matchup. The Wizards have already ruled out George, along with Alexandre Sarr, Tristan Vukcevic, and Jamir Watkins in the frontcourt.

While Trae Young is set for his Wizards debut in the backcourt, Riley should continue to carry a large workload up front and brings great value at his salary under $6K.

NASTY work from Will 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/p6imSIcxwz

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 4, 2026

Riley had 19 points and 34.75 DraftKings points against the Magic on Tuesday in the second game of his team's back-to-back, and he has at least 25 DraftKings points in five of his last six games. The rookie gets an elite matchup against the Jazz and should continue his emergence as a key piece of the Wizards' future.

NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Paolo Banchero, ORL - PF/SF (FD)

• DraftKings: $9,600
• FanDuel: $9,500

If you're looking for a pay-up star to build around, Banchero is a great option to consider as he leads the Magic against the Mavericks, who may still be very shorthanded without Flagg. With or without Flagg on the other side, Banchero brings a very high ceiling, coming off 37 points, six assists, and five rebounds for 51.75 DraftKings points on Tuesday against Washington.

Paolo Banchero with an efficient night in Orlando 💫

🏀 37 PTS (15-21 FGM)
🏀 5 REB
🏀 6 AST
🏀 Magic W pic.twitter.com/WQj1vDBukS

— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2026

Banchero has scored at least 24 points in five of his seven games since the All-Star break and has posted three double-doubles as well. With Franz Wagner out and Black and Wendell Carter Jr. questionable, Banchero will have to once again step up and carry the load against Dallas. In this favorable matchup, Banchero brings an elite ceiling if you're looking for pure upside in your GPP builds.

Brandin Podziemski, GS - PG/SG

• DraftKings: $7,200
• FanDuel: $7,000

Without Curry, Jimmy Butler III, and Kristaps Porzingis, Podziemski has stepped into a huge role for the Warriors, and with Moses Moody now joining them on the sideline, Podziemski could get even more usage and responsibility on Thursday against the Rockets.

Podziemski has been doing great work on the glass in addition to his scoring load over the last nine games. During that stretch, he has averaged 14.2 field goal attempts in 32.8 minutes per game and produced  15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.0 steals for an average of 34.5 FanDuel points and 35.8 DraftKings points per game.

He can be a streaky shooter in addition to his multi-category contributions, and with so much work likely coming his way on Thursday, he has both a high ceiling and a high floor.

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Today's NBA DFS Value Picks

Danny Wolf, BKN - PF/C on DK, SF/PF on FD

• DraftKings: $4,800
• FanDuel: $5,000

The Nets are getting first-round rookie Danny Wolf plenty of playing time, and the 21-year-old is turning in consistent value production. He has hit double-digit points in nine of the last 12 games (one start), averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game.

Wolf has the potential to go off for even more production as he showed with 23 points, nine boards, and over 45 DraftKings points against the Cavs last Sunday, but even in his typical role, he brings good multi-category production at this salary.

Dylan Harper, SA - PG/SG

• DraftKings: $4,700
• FanDuel: $4,900

Harper is another rookie who is stepping up in regular playing time and brings good value on Thursday night. Most of the value seems to be coming from the frontcourt early in the day, but Harper can be a nice fit in either guard spot as his Spurs host the Pistons.

Over the last 10 games, Harper has averaged 26.6 FanDuel points and 26.0 DraftKings points per game on 13.1 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. He had a rare down game against the Pistons in the last meeting, but he will look to have a better showing at home in the rematch. Even with the Spurs at full strength, they're finding plenty of minutes and opportunities for Harper, who is making the most of his chances.

Julian Reese, WAS - C/PF (FD)

• DraftKings: $3,700
• FanDuel: $3,900

Reese was given an opportunity by the Wizards, who signed him to a two-way contract on Saturday and put him right into the starting lineup on Monday. He fouled out of that game with just 11 DraftKings points in 28 minutes, but he looked much better with nine points, eight rebounds, three assists, and 23 DraftKings points in 33 minutes against the Magic on Tuesday.

With Vukcevic and Sarr still out, Reese should at least share minutes with Anthony Gill (illness), who is questionable. If Gill is out, Reese would get all the minutes he can handle in a great matchup against the Jazz, who have been an outstanding matchup for centers all season.

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Jalen Duren
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Will Riley
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Paolo Banchero
• My favorite VALUE play: Will Riley

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis