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These are my NBA DFS picks for the 26 October slate. I am looking at the Fanteam main slate first, then the value plays on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo. The slate has nine games on the main Fanteam card, and the injury list is heavy in a few places, so the lineup decisions matter more than usual tonight.
Games and pace
The highest total on the board is Miami and Dallas at 241.1, with Memphis and Utah close behind at 238.4 and Indiana and Milwaukee at 238.0. Those are the games I want to see for shootout stacks. Golden State and Denver sits at 237.3, with Denver the bigger favorite on implied points. Boston and Chicago is at 233.3, and Boston’s implied total of 123.3 is one of the strongest on the slate. Cleveland and Minnesota is at 233.9, and Houston and Atlanta is at 230.7.
The low games are Oklahoma City and Phoenix at 222.4 and Charlotte and Washington at 227.3. I would not build around either one for big totals, but both matter for cheap guard and center value, which I cover below.
- Miami and Dallas: 241.1 total, Miami implied at 123.7
- Memphis and Utah: 238.4 total, Memphis implied at 120.1
- Indiana and Milwaukee: 238.0 total, Indiana implied at 121.0
- Golden State and Denver: 237.3 total, Denver implied at 121.4
- Oklahoma City and Phoenix: 222.4 total, Oklahoma City implied at 116.0
My NBA DFS picks on Fanteam
Fanteam is my main site tonight, and I am judging it only on the Fanteam price and projection. The rules are seven players with a 90 cap and at most seven from one team, so you have room to pay up at the top and still fill the middle with cheap bodies.
Top plays
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Nikola Jokic |
DEN |
C |
20.0 |
60.0 |
3.00 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo |
MIA |
PF |
16.5 |
55.4 |
3.36 |
| Jayson Tatum |
BOS |
SF |
15.8 |
50.0 |
3.16 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
OKC |
PG |
16.3 |
49.0 |
3.01 |
| Jalen Johnson |
ATL |
PF |
15.7 |
44.2 |
2.82 |
| Alperen Sengun |
HOU |
C |
14.0 |
43.8 |
3.13 |
| Anthony Davis |
WAS |
C |
14.5 |
43.4 |
2.99 |
| Donovan Mitchell |
CLE |
SG |
14.2 |
42.9 |
3.02 |
Jokic is the anchor for me. He carries the highest projection on the card and the price is fair for that output. Giannis has the best Fanteam value among the high-priced players, and I like him against a Dallas frontcourt that struggles to protect the paint. I would rather pay up for him than for most of the other top-end options. Tatum is a reasonable pay-up play in a big home spot against Chicago, and he does not need to be the centerpiece of your build.
Sengun is the one I want to look at closely. He has a strong projection for his salary, Atlanta is vulnerable to centers, and Adams is out for Houston according to the latest injury report. That gives Sengun a clear path to a big role. Johnson is strong on paper too, but the Houston matchup is tougher, so I would not force him.
Value plays
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Ajay Mitchell |
OKC |
PG |
7.7 |
30.7 |
3.99 |
| Jaylin Williams |
OKC |
PF |
6.0 |
23.1 |
3.85 |
| Jay Huff |
IND |
C |
5.8 |
21.5 |
3.71 |
| Jared McCain |
OKC |
PG |
6.7 |
24.8 |
3.70 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein |
OKC |
C |
8.2 |
28.9 |
3.52 |
| Lauri Markkanen |
UTA |
PF |
11.8 |
40.4 |
3.42 |
Oklahoma City is the place I keep coming back to. Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams are all out according to the latest injury report, so the rotation opens up and the cheaper names get real roles. Ajay Mitchell is the strongest of the group for me. He is stepping into a much bigger job, and he is a secondary ball handler who gets to the rim and scores. He is even better if he is in the starting lineup, which is a condition I am watching closely.
Hartenstein is the bigger-man version of the same idea. With the Oklahoma City bigs out, he should pick up more rebounding and usage. Jaylin Williams is not on the latest injury report, but I would not treat that as confirmation he is healthy, so check his status before lock. Jay Huff is my favorite cheap center. Indiana’s center injuries open a starting job for him, and Milwaukee is weak against opposing centers.
Markkanen is a useful pivot if you want to spend less at guard. Utah has not submitted an injury report yet, so treat him as a tentative play until that is confirmed.
Fades
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Kel’el Ware |
MIL |
C |
10.7 |
24.3 |
2.27 |
| Alexandre Sarr |
WAS |
PF |
10.3 |
25.0 |
2.43 |
| Jabari Smith |
HOU |
PF |
11.2 |
27.4 |
2.45 |
| Jalen Green |
PHX |
SG |
11.0 |
27.2 |
2.47 |
These are not bad players. They are badly priced tonight. Each one costs more than the projection supports on Fanteam, and that is enough for me to pass. Ware only becomes a strong play if he starts over Turner, and I do not want to pay for that hope. Sarr’s production is likely suppressed with Trae Young and Anthony Davis taking most of the usage. Green is a ceiling play, but at this price I would rather use the cheaper guards.
DraftKings
DraftKings has data for tonight and it uses the $50,000 cap with eight players. My value view here is the points per $1,000 scale, which runs around five, so I read these numbers only against each other on DraftKings. The Oklahoma City guards and bigs lead the list again, and the cheap centers help you keep salary for Giannis or Jokic.
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Ajay Mitchell |
OKC |
PG |
$4,600 |
30.7 |
6.67 |
| Jaylin Williams |
OKC |
PF |
$3,600 |
23.1 |
6.42 |
| Jared McCain |
OKC |
SG |
$4,000 |
24.8 |
6.20 |
| Jay Huff |
IND |
C |
$3,500 |
21.5 |
6.14 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein |
OKC |
C |
$4,900 |
28.9 |
5.90 |
| Lauri Markkanen |
UTA |
SF |
$7,100 |
40.4 |
5.69 |
My DraftKings build starts with Jokic and Giannis, then fills the guard and center slots with Ajay Mitchell and Huff. Those two are the cheapest route to a strong projection. Markkanen is the one that lets you keep a mid-priced forward without giving up too much.
FanDuel
FanDuel has data and uses a $60,000 cap with nine players. The points per $1,000 scale is what I am reading here, and it sits on its own scale apart from the other sites. Ajay Mitchell is again the top value for me, and Huff and Hartenstein fit cleanly into the center and utility spots.
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Ajay Mitchell |
OKC |
PG |
$4,600 |
30.6 |
6.65 |
| Jay Huff |
IND |
C |
$3,600 |
22.6 |
6.28 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein |
OKC |
C |
$4,800 |
29.7 |
6.19 |
| Collin Gillespie |
PHX |
PG |
$4,000 |
24.4 |
6.10 |
| Marcus Sasser |
DAL |
PG |
$3,900 |
23.7 |
6.08 |
| Mitchell Robinson |
BOS |
C |
$4,000 |
24.2 |
6.05 |
FanDuel gives more room for the Phoenix and Dallas guards. I like Gillespie and Sasser as cheap backcourt options, and Robinson is a useful salary saver if you want Tatum or Giannis on the roster. The slate has nine games here, so you have the widest set of options on this site.
Yahoo
Yahoo has data as well, with an eight-player lineup and a $200 cap. Its value is a plain ratio, so anything above 1 beats the price. The cheap centers and bigs carry the best ratios, and I want to avoid overpaying for the top guards when the value sits in the middle.
| Player |
Team |
Pos |
Salary |
Proj |
Value |
| Khaman Maluach |
PHX |
C |
10.0 |
27.8 |
2.78 |
| Trevon Brazile |
DEN |
PF |
10.0 |
23.2 |
2.32 |
| Yaxel Lendeborg |
GSW |
SF |
14.0 |
31.7 |
2.26 |
| Marcus Sasser |
DAL |
PG |
11.0 |
23.7 |
2.15 |
| Jared McCain |
OKC |
SG |
13.0 |
23.1 |
1.78 |
| Cameron Boozer |
MEM |
PF |
24.0 |
36.5 |
1.52 |
Maluach is the top value for me on Yahoo. Phoenix’s Oklahoma City game leaves the center spot open for the cheap option, and his rebounding is the reason I like him. Boozer’s ratio is lower, but he is the only Memphis option with data and Utah and Memphis have not submitted injury reports yet, so I would wait before committing.
Availability and lineup notes
According to the latest injury report, several rotations are changing. Oklahoma City is missing Holmgren, Wallace and Jalen Williams. Indiana is without Furphy, McConnell, Sheppard and Zubac, and Nembhard is questionable. Dallas is short-handed with Lively, Aldama, Martin and Marshall out, and Flagg is listed as probable. Houston has Adams and Smart out, and Charlotte has Knueppel, White and Grant Williams out. Washington is without Dybantsa, Vukcevic and Watkins. Denver has Jones and Strawther out, with Johnson and Diallo doubtful. Golden State is missing Butler, Moody and Porzingis.
Players who are not on the report are not confirmed healthy. That covers Jokic, Giannis, Tatum and Haliburton, among others, and it also covers Milwaukee, which has no names on the report. Memphis and Utah have not submitted their reports at all, so any play from those two teams is a provisional pick until they do.
Giannis is expected to draw heavy ownership tonight. That does not change my view that he is a strong pay-up play, but it does mean you should weigh whether you want to be with the crowd or try a different build.
FAQ
Who is my top pay-up play on Fanteam?
Jokic has the highest projection on the card, and Giannis has the best value among the expensive players. I would lean toward Giannis if I wanted one of them, since the Dallas matchup and his role suit him well.
Which Oklahoma City player should I trust most?
Ajay Mitchell is the one I trust most. He has the biggest expanded role and the best projection among the cheap guards. Jaylin Williams and Hartenstein are good alternatives, but check their availability first.
Should I play the Utah and Memphis players tonight?
Only with care. Neither team has submitted an injury report yet, so Markkanen and Boozer are provisional. Wait for the report before you lock them in.
Check lineups before lock. Several players on this slate are not confirmed on the latest injury report, and the Oklahoma City and Indiana rotations can change quickly, so confirm each name before tipoff.
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For the always-updated slate numbers and full player projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and Fanteam, see our NBA DFS Projections page.
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