NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Thursday Playbook

Published: Mar 05, 2026

It's Thursday, March 5th, and we have a 6-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Just one of the six games on the slate has a total over 230 points, and it is a tough game to get to, given the uncertainty in both rotations. There is plenty of injury news that will shape the slate as we approach roster lock, including multiple stars carrying questionable tags. Let's break it all down.

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
NBA DFS Projections
Lineup Generator
NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, March 5th

Be sure to like and subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel!

Pre/Post-Lock Update Section

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock.

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

All status updates after contest roster lock will be made in the Fantasy Alarm Discord: https://discord.gg/2yATJxXe8G

UPDATE 6:40 PM ET

Anthony Edwards - AVAILABLE
Jabari Smith - AVAILABLE
Anthony Gill - AVAILABLE
Leaky Black is starting over Will Riley
Brandon Ingram - AVAILABLE

UPDATE 6:00 PM ET

Trae Young - 17-20 minutes restriction
Naji Marshall - AVAILABLE
Klay Thompson - AVAILABLE
Brandon Williams - OUT
Alperen Sengun - AVAILABLE
Amen Thompson - AVAILABLE
Dorian Finney-Smith - OUT

UPDATE 5:30 PM ET

Anthony Black - AVAILABLE
Wendell Carter - AVAILABLE
Jonathan Isaac - OUT
Cooper Flagg - AVAILABLE (20-25 minutes restriction)
Gary Payton - OUT

UPDATE 2:00 PM ET

Jonathan Isaac - Questionable (downgrade)
Brandon Williams - Questionable (downgrade)
Anthony Edwards - Questionable (downgrade)
Keyonte George - OUT

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 3/5

DAL:
Cooper Flagg - Questionable
Brandon Williams - Probable
Klay Thompson - Probable
Naji Marshall - Probable
Dereck Lively - Out
Kyrie Irving - Out
Marvin Bagley - Out
ORL:
Anthony Black - Questionable
Wendell Carter - Questionable
Franz Wagner - Out
UTA:
Yet to submit
WAS:
Trae Young - Available
Anthony Gill - Questionable
Alex Sarr - Out
Anthony Davis - Out
Cam Whitmore - Out
Jamir Watkins - Out
Kyshawn George - Out
Tristan Vukcevic - Out
BKN:
Egor Demin - Out
MIA:
Nikola Jovic - Out
Norman Powell - Out
Simone Fontecchio - Out
GSW:
Gary Payton - Questionable
Jimmy Butler - Out
Kristaps Porzingis - Out
Moses Moody - Out
Seth Curry - Out
Stephen Curry - Out
Will Richard - Out
HOU:
Alperen Sengun - Questionable
Amen Thompson - Questionable
Jabari Smith. - Questionable
Fred VanVleet - Out
Jae'Sean Tate - Out
Steven Adams - Out
DET:
None
SAS:
Harrison Barnes - Out
Mason Plumlee - Out
TOR:
Brandon Ingram - Questionable
Collin Murray-Boyles - Out
MIN:
None

h/t @UnderdogNBA

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.

Don't Miss The NBA DFS Playbook Live Show At 5:00 PM ET

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}}	{{player.name}}
DraftKings	{{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel	{{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-