Top Picks for NBA DFS on Thursday, March 25 (2021)

Unlike yesterday’s massive 11-game slate, Thursday shouldn’t be so demanding of everyone’s time.

It was a weird slate for several reasons. Obviously, the usual injury news was prevalent, but it also had a slew of studs; two of which your lineup building revolved around.

Thursday does have the NBA Trade Deadline looming, but for the most part, you should be able to navigate this slate with much more comfort.

To get a better grasp of how to proceed, here is my breakdown of Thursday’s best NBA DFS picks, sleepers, and top lineup.

I think this slate starts with the Warriors, as they play fast, and they also have the best matchup of the slate against the Kings.

That, and so many guys look viable with Stephen Curry once again out.

Steve Kerr says Stephen Curry will miss at least one more week after MRI reveals inflammation in tailbone pic.twitter.com/CyRxWrj525

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2021

You can use any number of Golden State options, but Poole stands out as the best play. He’s still too cheap for the run he’s getting (34+ minutes in three straight games), and he has been filling it up as a scorer (19+ in each of those contests).

Against a terrible Sacramento defense, he’s a core play in all formats.

You can also look to Andrew Wiggins again, but he also has an incredibly low floor. Haliburton is in that same game and is simply a better price.

Jimmy Butler is the top small forward option, and on a slate lacking many legit stars, he may be one of my favorites regarding paying up. He has a mouth-watering matchup against the Blazers and has seen his price drop from almost $10k, all the way to $9k.

Randle also stands out, as he completely decimated the Wizards earlier this week.

Had Randle thrown in any peripherals, he would have been the top play of that slate, and nothing changes in this matchup. The only concern at all would be the price.

Using Randle at center is an option, but you can also turn to Holmes. He and the Kings could be tired after playing last night, but they are also in a good spot against the Warriors.

Holmes has been quite active down low for Sacramento. If he can simply avoid foul trouble, he should smash.

The Heat will be an interesting team to monitor. Not only has Goran Dragic been banged up, but Miami has been caught up in trade rumors for some time now.

There is speculation that they could go after Victor Oladipo or Kyle Lowry, and I touched on which guy I think they might get in my 2021 NBA Trade Deadline predictions post.

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Depending on what deal goes down prior to Thursday’s deadline, Nunn could look better than usual. He’s drawn starts in his last two games, he has a nice matchup against Portland, and he popped off for 25 points last game.

The other value plays on this slate are nauseating, so let’s cross our fingers that trades, or other news opens up some better NBA DFS sleepers.

That said, the lack of star power in L.A. makes Alex Caruso a viable punt. He’s still pretty cheap, and he should see 20-25 minutes, if not more.

Vassell is also appealing, should Lonnie Walker IV and Rudy Gay miss a second consecutive game. San Antonio is known to rest guys and they just played last night, so keep that in mind, as well.

Jones isn’t a fun play, but he starts and sees about 30 minutes each night. His usage is awful, and Miami plays slow, but he’s cheap.

Robinson is always risky, but usually we can trust New York guys will get their minutes. That sure was the case in Robinson’s second game back from a long layoff, as Thibs handed him 31 minutes.

He translated that into a big 40-point fantasy outing, and a repeat is possible in the same matchup against Washington on Thursday.

There is a lot that could happen between when I write this and when lineups lock. All I know for sure is that this doesn’t feel like a slate where I’m pressured into paying up.

As noted, Jimmy Butler and Julius Randle feel like the best spends, and I also really like De’Aaron Fox.

If you can comfortably get to those guys, great. However, the value is not very good right now, and few of the studs have the upside that really makes deep dives worthwhile.

There are even more great midrange options like Dennis Schroder, Buddy Hield, CJ McCollum, and quite a few others.

For now, this lineup has few holes, and all these guys have big roles and should project well. Adjust as needed based on trades and lineup news, but hopefully my breakdown gets you headed in the right direction.