FanDuel NBA DFS Picks for Today (Friday, 3/14/25): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Friday - 3/14/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.

There are ten games in the Association tonight and FanDuel has included all of them on their main NBA DFS slate. We continue to wade through a huge list of injuries and players resting daily to find the top scorers every night and there is no shortage of good spots to target tonight either.

I always make it a point to recommend some higher-priced players for cash games and GPPs while highlighting some of my favorite value plays and game stacks. If you want DraftKings picks, see who Zach Thompson likes by reading his piece here.

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 3/14/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:30 p.m. EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

James Harden, LAC - PG ($9.7K) 

Kawhi Leonard will return for the Clippers tonight after resting in the second half of a back-to-back against Miami. But the Clippers are still missing a big chunk of their offense with Norman Powell out and James Harden has been the model of consistency lately in helping to pick up the slack.

Harden has 50+ FD points in five of his last six games and is in a good spot here tonight against Atlanta in a game that features a 231.5-point total and only a 3.5-point spread.

Atlanta's interior defense has gone downhill this season. The loss of Jalen Johnson midseason hurt and Clint Capela's (who is out tonight) move to the bench has left the Hawks without much rim protection. Over the last 15 games, the Hawks are allowing the second-most FD points to opposing point guards. Dyson Daniels is great, but he can only guard one player at a time, and Harden should find plenty of success on the pick-and-roll tonight.

Evan Mobley, CLE - PF/C ($8.5K)

The Cavaliers continue to cut through the rest of the league like a hot knife through butter. They have their second 15-game winning streak on the line tonight against Memphis and will attempt to keep it going without Donovan Mitchell, who is nursing a minor injury and will take advantage of Cleveland's huge lead over everyone else in the East to rest.

The Cavs are 5-0 this year in games that Mitchell has missed and while we normally might look to Darius Garland (who is still a fine play) to pick up Mitchell's slack, I will be firmly focused on Evan Mobley who has averaged 23-10-4 in those games and sees an uptick in his usage and assist rate.

Players this season with a total of 400 Defensive Rebounds and 90 Blocks:

— Victor Wembanyama
— Evan Mobley

DPOY. pic.twitter.com/1p80yBNKwm

— CavsMuse (55-10) - x (@CavsMuse) March 13, 2025

Memphis could get Jaren Jackson back tonight, but even with JJJ, they have been a subpar defensive team this season, allowing the fourth-most FD points to opposing power forwards.

Miles Bridges, CHA - SF/PF ($9.1K)

Miles Bridges can not be stopped! The Charlotte swingman has taken over this offense with LaMelo Ball taking a backseat. Bridges has a massive 31.5 usage rate over the last six games and has registered 50+ FD points in five of those games.

This game means nothing for the standings but should be very fantasy-friendly as neither team plays much defense as evidenced by the 235.5 opening total. Bridges should find success against the Spurs here who have not been able to stop anyone in the paint since Wemby went down.

San Antonio has allowed the second-most FD points to power forwards over the last month. Bridges is a red-hot player in a great spot, keep riding him on this slate, especially in cash games.

Others Under Consideration: Luka Doncic - PG ($11.9K), Darius Garland - PG ($7.5K)

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Walker Kessler, UTA - C ($7.4K)

The Jazz will rest John Collins tonight, so Kessler will only have to share minutes with Kyle Filipowski who will also back up Lauri Markannen at the four.

WALKER KESSLER TONIGHT:

18 POINTS
25 REBOUNDS
8 BLOCKS
72% FG

CRAZY NUMBERS pic.twitter.com/Z87uTGPZkQ

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 8, 2025

This matchup is one that Kessler annihilated just a week ago when he scored 18 points, pulled down 25 rebounds, and blocked eight shots against the Raptors. Toronto is in full tank mode and will continue rolling out plenty of youngsters who probably don't know any better than to attack the rim that Kessler will be protecting.

Stephon Castle, SAS – PG/SG ($6.5K)

The big news out of San Antonio this week is that De'Aaron Fox has an injury that will force him to be shut down for the rest of the season. It was only a matter of time before that happened with Victor Wembanyama being shut down a few weeks ago and the Spurs having nothing left to play for this season.

The future for this team is bright, however, if Wemby can make a full recovery for next year as their first-round pick Stephon Castle has looked impressive in his rookie campaign.

Castle was viewed as a very raw prospect coming out of UCONN after only one season, but his physicality has translated well to the NBA and he continues to improve his ball-handling, shooting, and overall basketball IQ.

It's probably going to be more than one guy absorbing the shots and assists that Fox was getting nightly with Chris Paul, Devin Vassell, and Keldon Johnson all chipping in more often, but I think Castle has the most to gain in terms of regular minutes and increased productivity.

Castle sees a modest usage bump without Fox and Wemby on the floor and a big uptick in his assist rate. I think he will be featured by the Spurs down the stretch and take this opportunity to showcase his emerging skillset. This price is very fair for a player with his ability in a game that should pop off for a lot of points.

Quentin Grimes, PHI - SG/SF ($7.6K)

Who would have thought we would willingly pay over 7k for Quentin Grimes at any point this season? Maybe you still won't, but I think you should consider it tonight as Grimes continues to be the one guy on the Sixers who is pouring in buckets on a nightly basis.

This season is officially over for Philly as Embiid was shut down weeks ago, Tyrese Maxey is essentially done and Paul George is seeing a specialist - meaning he's done, too. Kelly Oubre Jr. will suit up tonight, but Grimes should continue to function as the top dog in this offense and has poured in 40+ FD points in three of his last four games.

The only big risk here is that the Sixers are heavy underdogs and could get blown out, but that's what makes Grimes a GPP-only play and could also hold his rostership down.

Others Under Consideration: Austin Reaves - SG/SF ($8.2K), Alperen Sengun - C ($9K)

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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Jared Butler, PHI – PG ($4.9K)

The Sixers are going to be without all their starters (other than Oubre) and will also be missing Lonnie Walker IV, who was playing a lot lately and taking a ton of shots. That should pave the way for Jared Butler to draw another start at point guard and probably get up more shots than he has been.

Butler went 9-6-8 with two steals in 35 minutes against the Raptors last time out and is great at piling up counting stats. He's far too cheap for another night when he should play 30+ minutes.

Ty Jerome, CLE - PG ($5.2K)

Ty Jerome is a baller! The secret is out this year as the former UVA standout is having a career year and putting up some silly per-36 numbers (over 20 PPG) as the Cavaliers' sixth-man extraordinaire.

With Donovan Mitchell out, Jerome sees one of the biggest boosts in usage on the team. He may not draw the start, but he should be a lock for 25+ minutes tonight which puts him firmly in play with his strong per-minute scoring and assist rates.

Orlando Robinson, TOR - C ($5.4K)

Jakob Poeltl is being rested tonight by the tanking Raptors, paving the way for O-Rob to draw another start. He was phenomenal off the bench on Wednesday, posting 25 points, 12 boards, and 6 assists in 32 minutes. He has very little competition for minutes and scored 25 FD points in 24 minutes against Utah last week. He's a lock for cash builds with the savings that he offers and a good bet to crack 30 FD points tonight.

Keldon Johnson, SAS– SF/PF ($5.3K)

Johnson has been incredibly efficient this year in his bench role and could be heading for more minutes and usage tonight with De'Aaron Fox out. He usually plays around 20-25 minutes for the Spurs and is often the top option on offense while on the floor. He's a nice, cheap piece of a good CHA-SAS game stack tonight as both these teams show very little interest in playing defense.

Others Under Consideration: Georges Niang- PF ($4.5K), Dillon Brooks - SG/SF ($5.0K)

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: Evan Mobley
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Miles Bridges
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Walker Kessler
• My favorite VALUE play: Jared Butler

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis