FanDuel NBA Picks 3/5

Dan's favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks for today, Wednesday - 3/5/25. His top daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for FanDuel DFS contests.

When you scroll through the players on this slate, it may seem like there are more players injured than available for tonight's games. That's pretty much par for the course this time of year, and it forces us to embrace backups and younger players - even at prices we aren't used to paying - when it comes to building DFS lineups.

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 3/5/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on FanDuel. 

FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks

Desmond Bane, MEM - SG/SF ($8.2K) 

Bane is priced as high as he's been this season, but it's warranted as he's coming off a massive 35-10-10 game in a heartbreaking loss to the Hawks on Monday night.

Desmond Bane tonight:

35 points
10 rebounds
10 assists
47% FG

(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/p95BqQ685e

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2025

Ja Morant is still questionable for tonight's game and Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for at least a few weeks. Bane is going to continue to have to carry the offense with or without Morant tonight and the Grizzlies are deep enough they can probably hang with OKC long enough to get full minutes out of their starters.

Bane is a great building block for cash games and still has a 7x ceiling for tourneys.

Kyle Filipowski, UTA - PF/C ($5.9K)

The rookie from Duke is flourishing down the stretch, with Utah continuing their pattern of resting starters and flat-out tanking in the final months of the season. No John Collins, Walker Kessler, or Lauri Markkanen tonight, so Filipowski should push for 30+ minutes with ease.

He has one of the best matchups of any player on the slate as he's facing a very poor Washington interior defense that has allowed production to big men at a high rate all season.

Jonas Valanciunas, SAC - C ($6.9K)

Jo-Val has made two starts in a row for the injured Domantas Sabonis, and don't be fooled by the fact that he only posted 35 FD points against the Mavericks in his second start. He did that in 23 minutes and wasn't needed at all in the fourth quarter as the Kings blew the doors off the Mavs.

Tonight, I think we see Valanciunas play 30+ minutes as the Kings will have to match the size of Nikola Jokic. He had 20-12-5 against Jokic earlier this season as a member of the Washington Wizards before coming to Sacto in a mid-season trade. He's still too cheap at this price for his per-minute fantasy ability.

Others Under Consideration: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG ($11.6K), Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF ($11.7K)

FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Ivica Zubac, LAC - C ($7.8K)

Too bad Zubac wasn't on the main slate last night because I was all over his props for betting and he came through by smashing the Suns for 35 points and 10 boards.

Tonight, he will get another positive matchup with Detroit and an opposing center (Jalen Duren) who has not been known for playing much defense since entering the league.

The big man went for 47.5 FD points against Duren and the Pistons just two weeks ago. And he should continue to be a focal point on offense, especially if Norman Powell misses again tonight.

Keyonte George, UTA – PG/SG ($6.5K)

The Jazz are resting both Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson, so Isaiah Collier and George should get as many minutes as they can handle in a pace-up spot against one of the worst defenses in the league - Washington.

George has flashed a solid ceiling several times in the last few weeks, and even if he comes off the bench, we should expect to see him on the court for 30+ minutes tonight in a plus spot. He's just too cheap for his usage and role with all the Jazz regulars resting.

Shaedon Sharpe, POR - SG/SF ($6.7K)

Sharpe has really been awesome for Portland lately and is picking up the slack for an offense that has been missing one of its best scorers with Deandre Ayton out.

Shaedon Sharpe over his last 4 games:

20 PTS - 11 REB - 5 AST
18 PTS - 6 REB - 2 AST
25 PTS - 4 REB - 5 AST
36 PTS - 8 REB - 5 AST

(Via @realapp_ ) pic.twitter.com/VI7eL88bWy

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2025

Sharpe's minutes and production are trending up in a big way, and his last four outings have been darn impressive. He has a much tougher matchup at Boston tonight, but he's still quite affordable and worth a shot in tournaments at low ownership.

Others Under Consideration: Julius Randle - PF ($6.8K), Donovan Clingan - C ($6.2K)

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FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks

Luke Kennard, MEM – PG/SG ($5.0K)

Kennard has a bit more upside if Morant is out as he helps to pick up the scoring burden and also acts as a facilitator with increased assists. He's gone over 30 FD points in two straight games and has a solid floor here, even if Morant plays based on his steady and consistent performance.

Bub Carrington, WAS - PG ($5.5K)

The rookie has a clear path to huge minutes tonight, as Malcolm Brogdon and Jordan Poole are both out of the lineup. This game is a true toilet bowl with two of the worst teams in basketball rolling out their backups and young players, but it could be a gold mine for DFS, as Carrington and Utah value pieces allow us to sneak in some great high-priced plays.

Bub Carrington has been shooting the ball with a ton of confidence, and that goes hand-in-hand with him having more on-ball opportunities since the trade deadline

He’s 43% from 3 on 5.7 3PA/g since February 5th, while also averaging 4.8 assists to just 2.0 turnovers (2.4 AST/TO) pic.twitter.com/45vslxZppK

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) March 4, 2025

Carrington has been good for 27, 29, and 30 FD points in his last three games, and I think he goes for more than 30 tonight in this spot.

GG Jackson II, MEM - SF/PF ($4.4K)

Jackson is the most direct beneficiary of Jaren Jackson Jr.'s absence as he played 28 minutes on Monday once Jackson left with an injury in the first quarter. He was a staple of DFS lineups last season at the end of year when the Grizzlies were rolling out their B squad and he's shown a solid per-minute capability this season as a reserve. He will be popular tonight but for good reason.

Brice Sensabaugh, UTA – SF ($4.3K)

Sensabaugh is going to pop in the projections, but is a dicey play in that he's very scoring-dependent for his fantasy value. We've seen him go off a few times in spots like this before but at the same time, he scored -2 FD points in his last outing, too. There are safer values out there, but as I mentioned already this Washington-Utah game has really solid GPP potential for a game stack.

Others Under Consideration: Spencer Dinwiddie- PG/SG ($5.6K), Brandon Clarke - PF/C ($4.7K), Kai Jones - C ($4.9K)

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: Desmond Bane
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Kyle Filipowski
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Keyonte George
• My favorite VALUE play: Bub Carrington

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis