NBA DFS Main Slate Preview: The Coach’s Starting Five, March 18, 2025

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NBA DFS Tuesday night comes at us with a short four-game slate. The Coach is here with his starting five and authentic insight from ‘inside the ropes’. The NBA’s daily fantasy landscape is ever-changing, with injuries, last-minute inactives, and load management. Monday night’s FanDuel $10k main slate pay line wad down a tad, finishing at 319.9 points. The starting five got sabotaged again, with Trey Murphy getting injured within the first minute.

The starting lineup is designed to provide a core five as you construct your DFS builds. We strive to recommend players who have the potential to be less owned and build an NBA DFS roster different from the masses. Your prominent studs are not always mentioned and the fantasy point-per-game averages referenced are those across FanDuel scoring. See who the coach has in his NBA DFS starting lineup this evening.

NBA DFS Starting Guards

Trae Young  ($9.8k DraftKings and $9.6k FanDuel)

Trae Young will start at point guard tonight. Atlanta boasts the slate’s highest implied team at 121.75, and their game versus Charlotte has a total of 237 implied games. That represents a slate high as well. Young, probable for tonight with an Achilles injury, ranks as the overall PG3 at 44.08 fantasy points per game. Young has scored at least 45 fantasy points in five of his last six starts, making him a green option against the Hornets.

Jrue Holiday ($5.2k DraftKings and $5.8k FanDuel)

At shooting guard, Jrue Holiday enters the starting lineup. Jaylen Brown will not play tonight, so we are putting Holiday in the green light matchup versus the Nets. Holiday has been on a role of late, averaging 34 minutes and 36 fantasy points over his last four starts. The lone concern is the potential blowout with Boston being a 13-point favorite over Brooklyn tonight. At $5.8k, we will take the risk with Holiday tonight.

Bench Options: Steph Curry(GTD), Darius Garland, Norman Powell

NBA DFS Starting Forwards

Cameron Johnson ($7.1k DraftKings and $7k FanDuel)

Cameron Johnson has been steamrolling lately and over his last five starts, is averaging just under 40 fantasy points and seeing 33 minutes per game. Johnson has an above-average matchup versus the Celtics who rank just 20th in fantasy points allowed to forwards. Again we fear the blowout concern as discussed above, but on a short slate, Johnson represents a nice mid-tier NBA DFS value.

Draymond Green ($6.2k DraftKings and $6.6k FanDuel)

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Feb 5, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Svi Mykhailiuk (19) gets past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and passes the ball during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Draymond Green starts at power forward tonight in what is not a good statistical matchup. Despite Milwaukee ranking second in fantasy production allowed to forwards, we will lean on Green’s recent output. Over his last five starts, Green has put up 34.28 fantasy points, 5 boards, and 5 assists per game. The Warriors-Bucks have a fantasy-friendly 230 implied game total and the most competitive point spread on the main slate.

Bench Options: Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, 

NBA DFS Starting Center

Mark Williams ($8.1k DraftKings and $8k FanDuel)

Mark Williams will be the man in the middle tonight. There are few options at the center spot with just four games so we will go right to the top-priced DFS option. Williams is putting up 43.2 fantasy points, 11 rebounds, and four double-doubles across his last four starts. Atlanta ranks in the lower half of the league fantasy points allowed to the center spot. Williams more than anything, brings consistency to our core five players and additional exposure to the slate’s highest implied game total.

Bench Options: Evan Mobley (GTD), Jarrett Allen (if Mobley Inactive), Al Horford

Final Thoughts

The obvious nightly studs are not always mentioned. Our bench options provide followers, much the same as a coach, additional green light plays, injury replacements, and flexibility for your NBA DFS build. We strive to balance studs and value plays that may be potentially less owned. Pay attention to implied team and game totals and try to get roster exposure to those games.

The top DFS builds will consist of the right balance between studs and value options that pay at least 5x-6x their salaries. Good luck with your roster builds, and please like and follow us on social mediaPlease double-check our player recommendations once all inactives are announced.

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