NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: October 26, 2026
James Grande | @The_Real_Grande | DraftKings and FanDuel main slate
On Monday, we have a seven game slate on DraftKings and nine games on FanDuel. Players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cooper Flagg, and Jalen Johnson make both main slates player pools while Nikola Jokic and Cameron Boozer are two players you can play only on FanDuel's main slate and DraftKings' late slate.
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, October 26th
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Slate Snapshot & Injury Updates
Last updated: 2:25 p.m. ET
7 games on DK, 9 games on FD | Lock: 7:00 p.m. ET
- DAL @ MIA is the game to attack: the highest total on the slate.
- Anthony Edwards is QUEST
- Chet Holmgren & Cason Wallace are OUT
- Andrew Nembhard is QUEST
- Oso Ighodaro is OUT
Full Injury Report
Every player in today's games with an injury designation: 37 out, 3 doubtful, 16 questionable, 1 probable. Who Benefits is listed for the players whose absence moves the slate.
| Player | Status | Who Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Kon Knueppel (CHA, hamstring) | Out | Sion James, Grayson Allen |
| Ivica Zubac (IND, ankle) | Out | Jay Huff, Obi Toppin |
| Jalen Williams (OKC, ankle) | Out | Jared McCain, Alex Caruso |
| AJ Dybantsa (WAS, ankle) | Out | Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly |
| Coby White (CHA, calf) | Out | Sion James |
| Nic Claxton (CHI, hamstring) | Out | Jalen Smith, Leonard Miller |
| Naji Marshall (DAL, illness) | Out | — |
| Santi Aldama (DAL, knee) | Out | — |
| Steven Adams (HOU, calf) | Out | — |
| Marcus Smart (HOU, forearm) | Out | — |
| Dereck Lively (DAL, foot) | Out | — |
| T.J. McConnell (IND, hamstring) | Out | — |
| Anthony Edwards (MIN) | IN | |
| Cooper Flagg (DAL, shoulder) | PROB | |
| Naz Reid (CHA, illness) | PROB | |
| Oso Ighodaro (PHX, oblique) | OUT | — |
| Aaron Nesmith (IND) | PROB | |
| Cason Wallace (OKC, shoulder) | OUT | — |
| Jaylin Williams (OKC, wrist) | IN | — |
| Noa Essengue (CHI, head) | IN | — |
| Alpha Diallo (DEN, wrist) | OUT | — |
| Cameron Johnson (DEN, ankle) | DOUBT | — |
| Gui Santos (GSW, knee) | Questionable | — |
| Brandon Williams (GSW, back) | PROB | — |
| Zach Edey (MEM, ankle) | IN | — |
Game Environments
| Matchup | Tip (ET) | Total | Spread | Implied | Pace Rank | Off Rank | Def Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAL @ MIA | 7:30 p.m. | 240.5 | MIA -8.5 | 116 / 124.5 | 4th / 1st | 27th / 13th | 20th / 14th |
| IND @ MIL | 8:00 p.m. | 238.5 | IND -4.5 | 121.5 / 117 | 9th / 25th | 28th / 23rd | 25th / 27th |
| MIN @ CLE | 7:00 p.m. | 232.5 | CLE -6.5 | 113 / 119.5 | 11th / 14th | 12th / 5th | 8th / 15th |
| CHI @ BOS | 7:30 p.m. | 231.5 | BOS -14.5 | 108.5 / 123 | 3rd / 30th | 24th / 2nd | 22nd / 4th |
| ATL @ HOU | 8:30 p.m. | 229.5 | HOU -4.5 | 112.5 / 117 | 7th / 26th | 14th / 9th | 11th / 5th |
| WAS @ CHA | 7:00 p.m. | 227.5 | CHA -2.5 | 112.5 / 115 | 6th / 24th | 29th / 7th | 30th / 10th |
| PHX @ OKC | 8:00 p.m. | 220.5 | OKC -10.5 | 105 / 115.5 | 23rd / 17th | 16th / 6th | 9th / 1st |
| MEM @ UTA | 9:00 p.m. | 237.5 | MEM -1.5 | 119.5 / 118 | 5th / 2nd | 25th / 21st | 23rd / 29th |
| GSW @ DEN | 10:00 p.m. | 236.5 | DEN -7.5 | 114.5 / 122 | 18th / 20th | 18th / 1st | 17th / 21st |
Numbers read away / home. DAL @ MIA carries the slate's top total. CHI @ BOS and PHX @ OKC carry blowout risk. DAL @ MIA has the best pace matchup on the slate. 2 games are also on the schedule but not on this DFS slate. Ranks are league-wide, 2025-26; pace rank 1 is fastest, and off and def rank 1 are best.
Top Tier Core Plays
Nikola Jokic - C · DEN (FanDuel)
Bad first game, Nikola Jokic type game in the second. Nobody on the slate has as high of a ceiling and definitely in play at $12K on FD.
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF · MIA
Thus far, Antetokounmpo has a 27.8% USG, which leads the team, along with 1.55 FP/min. The Heat have been a bad team overall but they have the highest implied team total of the day at 123.7 points. Dallas currently ranks 21st in defensive rating and that's a good thing for a sub-10K Antetokounmpo on DK.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG · OKC
The Thunder saw Jalen Williams go down with a bad injury on Sunday and have ruled Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace out. SGA is an elite play here and without Holmgren and Williams since the start of 2025, he has a 34.3% USG and averages 1.52 DKP/game and 1.53 FDP/game.
Jayson Tatum - SF/PF · BOS
Tatum has a 33.2% USG and nearly 1.4 FP/min since the season started. He faces a Bulls team that ranks 1st in pace, so it's a HUGE pace up spot for Tatum and company. They also rank 23rd in DRtg since the start of the year. Tatum's as good as any other spend up on the board.
Jalen Johnson - PF · ATL
Nobody is playing Jalen Johnson. Literally nobody. Johnson put up 26-26-9-2 across 38 minutes against this same Houston squad he's squaring off with last year. Johnson is up at 31.5% USG and is averaging 1.7 FP/min.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Cooper Flagg - SF · DAL
I love playing low-owned stars. Absolutely love doing that. Flagg went through shootaround and then was upgraded to probable, so Flagg is back. Miami is the matchup today and they rank 27th in DRtg this season and tied for 12th in pace too. Through 1.5 games, Flagg has a 31.8% USG and averages 1.7 FP/min.
Trae Young - PG · WAS
It's been incredibly solid. He has 44+ DKP in three straight games and was one assist shy of three double-doubles through three games. Through three games, he's averaging over 21 points per game while posting 20.3 potential assists and 11.3 APG. It's a plus matchup and he has nearly 40 minute upside in the early stages of the year.
Tyler Herro & Jaime Jaquez. - SG & SF · MIL
I love these two and this game is awesome. The pricing, especially on DK, is also awesome. Herro has a 1.27 FP/min and 29.4% USG while Jaquez Jr. sits at 1.1 FP/min and 23.5% USG. Neither are highly owned either, especially Jaquez Jr. who's floating around 10% rostership in large-field GPPs.
Brandon Miller & Naz Reid - SF & PF/C · CHA
Brandon Miller will NOT stop shooting and is dominating the ball. Miller has a 35.1% USG and if he can get to the FT line like he did their last game, his ceiling is 50+. Naz Reid has been downgraded to probable, but is still expected to play. Reid has a 26.8% USG and is averaging a team-high 1.24 FP/min to boot.
Keyonte George - PG · UTA (FanDuel)
Man, Keyonte George is just the man in town. He has a team-leading 29.5% USG and 1.3 FP/min. Doesn't matter if they trade for Jaren Jackson Doesn't matter if they draft Darryn Peterson. Keyonte George is the man in town. This game has the third-highest implied total on the board.
Tyrese Haliburton & Pascal Siakam - PG & PF · IND
Nobody on the Pacers has played more than Tyrese Haliburton so far and he's playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, possibly without Andrew Nembhard. Siakam on the other hand has a team-leading 32.3% USG. Siakam has filled up the scoring category and Haliburton is a walking 20-10 double-double.
Ty Jerome & Cameron Boozer - PG/SG & PF · MEM (FanDuel)
It's just impossible to ignore what these two have done up to this point in the year. It's super early, but Ty Jerome is KILLING right now. He has a 37.4% USG and has scored 28+ points in all three games he's played in. He's also put up 48+ FDP twice over that span. Boozer has played the most minutes on the team and has two straight double-doubles and 38+ FDP in two straight as well. He has a massive ceiling because he stuffs the statsheet.
Value Tier Core Plays
Kyshawn George - SG · WAS
The only player on the Wizards with a higher usage rate than George this year is Anthony Davis. George has a 28.2% USG while averaging 1.1 FP/min on both DK and FD. Charlotte has been worse than league average defensively and AJ Dybantsa is out again.
Kyle Kuzma - PF · MIL
Kyle Kuzma has been really solid up to this point in the year as much as we don't want to admit it based on the player over the years. Kuzma, under 5K, has put up 30 DKP in two of three games while playing 27+ minutes in all three. He's played the third most minutes on the team and is over .9 FP/min on both DK and FD.
Ajay Mitchell - PG/SG · OKC
The Thunder are without Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace tonight, so Mitchell figures to play a BIG role. He played 28 minutes last night putting up 18-6-4 and even if he doesn't start, it doesn't matter. He has 30 minute upside and should smash his value at his current price across the industry.
Obi Toppin & Jay Huff - PF/C & C · IND
It's interesting to see what Indiana does at center tonight and how ownership responds. This game is at 8 pm ET and Jay Huff's ownership isn't nearly as high as I thought it would be. Huff played 11 first half minutes after Zubac was injured yesterday, which means safely projecting him around 20 is a very comfortable number. He's a good FP/min player and 20 mins is good enough. Toppin's been an elite fantasy producer and his role is great right now. I don't think he'll start but if he does, he'll be one of the highest owned players of the day.
Cedric Coward - SG/SF · MEM (FanDuel)
This FanDuel pricing is just wrong. There's no reason Coward should be under 5K and I know Zach Edey is back, but Coward's a good rebounder for a guy his size. He also can be a bucket at times and is an overall good fantasy scorer. He's at .94 FP/min so far this season.
Ace Bailey - SG/SF · UTA (FanDuel)
The role for Ace Bailey has been really, really nice to start the year. He's replaced Jaxson Hayes in the starting lineup and has really popped. He's put up 30+ FDP in two of his three games and is coming off a 17-12-4 outing last night. Hayes is QUEST and Bailey could play 30+ minutes for the first time this year if he sits.
Late-News Core Plays
Players we are considering core plays based on late-breaking news and research
- Love Jaylin Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein & Jared McCain (as well as Ajay Mitchell)
Core Lineup
Cash Core (DK): Ajay Mitchell - Tyler Herro - Jaylin Williams - Giannis Antetokounmpo
GPP Leverage (DK): Ajay Mitchell - Jaime Jaquez. - Cooper Flagg - Jayson Tatum
Cash Core (FD): Ajay Mitchell - Keyonte George - Jaylin Williams - Giannis Antetokounmpo
GPP Leverage (FD): Ace Bailey - Jayson Tatum - Jay Huff - Nikola Jokic
Player Pool
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