Today's NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel DFS Lineups, Values, Stacks (Thursday, 2/26/26)

February 26, 2026

Today's free NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (February 26th, 2026). Jamie's daily fantasy basketball lineups, values, stacks, pivots, sleepers for NBA DFS.

It's another great day in the Association, RotoBallers! We have an unusually high amount of games for a Thursday (nine), and it seems like the two sites have flipped the script on which games they carry. DraftKings (which generally has the more abbreviated slates) will feature all nine games, while FanDuel will have only seven (by removing the two 9 p.m. ET contests).

Injuries will play a big part in your roster construction tonight, but the most impactful ones probably reside with Atlanta. Jalen Johnson is highly questionable after leaving his last game, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker may also join him on the sidelines. Against the porous defense of Washington, their statuses are highly relevant.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/26/26. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab the RotoBaller Premium Pass, which is highly discounted and includes DFS, betting, props, and season-long tools like the Team Sync platform. Also, gain access to our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where our experts are talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

Today's NBA Projections

Here's a quick look at some of the top projected values on tonight's FanDuel NBA DFS slate, courtesy of our premium NBA projections.

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks

Tyrese Maxey, PHI - PG

• DraftKings: $10,000
• FanDuel: $10,900

Tyrese Maxey continues to make his case for fantasy MVP, and it doesn't even seem to matter if Joel Embiid is playing or not. Embiid returned last game, and Maxey still went for 32 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists against the Pacers en route to his second straight 60-point outing on DraftKings.

Tonight, Maxey gets the Miami Heat, who are first in pace by a lot and are separating themselves from the group. Their defensive ranking is solid overall, but they've allowed the second-highest catch-and-shoot percentage from downtown. This should be music to Maxey's ears as he's shot 45 threes over the last five games. If Embiid gets "maintained," Maxey is an absolute lock.

Zion Williamson, NO - PF

• DraftKings: $8,000
• FanDuel: Not on the FD slate

Trey Murphy III remains out for the Pelicans, and Jose Alvarado's departure to the Knicks has also opened up a massive amount of usage on the New Orleans roster. Zion Williamson has already been cruising along for the Pelicans, and he bumps all the way to a 29.6% usage rate and 1.31 FPPM without Murphy on the court.

"My teammates are always telling me to shoot them but I'm stuck in my own mental... I'm gonna look for it more I just hate when I miss... I don't want to feel like I wasted a team possession"

-- Zion Williamson on shooting 3s pic.twitter.com/Go0njZBVD3

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 25, 2026

Apart from that, New Orleans has a great matchup against Utah, which has allowed the most points per game, ranks third in pace factor, and is dead last in defensive efficiency by a wide margin. Williamson should absolutely have his way with whoever Utah throws at him in the frontcourt, making him massively underpriced.

Today's NBA DFS Tournament Pivots

Luka Doncic, LAL - PG

• DraftKings: $11,400
• FanDuel: Not on the FD slate

Even at a depressed price tag (for him), Luka Doncic continues to fly under the radar in DFS contests as people are hesitant to devote that much salary to him. Roster construction with players like him will always come down to how much value can be found, but that's less of an issue in GPP as you're shooting solely for upside.

Doncic leads the league in usage rate with over a 37% mark, and is averaging almost 59 DK PPG. He is the one player on the card who truly possesses slate-breaking ability, and Phoenix ranks 27th in defensive efficiency over its last five games.

Isaiah Collier, UTA - PG

• DraftKings: $7,800
• FanDuel: Not on the FD slate

The Jazz are in full tank mode, so it's difficult to trust what they'll do. However, Jusuf Nurkic has been ruled out for the season, and Lauri Markkanen and Keyonte George are both questionable with multiple injuries (Markkanen had an MRI, so one would assume he's about to be shut down). There's no guarantee Collier will see massive minutes, but he has definitely made the most of his court time when one (or both) of the Jazz stars have sat.

With both George and Markkanen off the court, Collier has a 23.5% usage rate to go along with an insane 46.4% assist rate. Collier has averaged 10.4 assists per game over his last eight contests, some of which the Jazz were fully healthy. Utah isn't trustworthy for cash, but Collier has proved he can carry a GPP to gold.

Want more exclusive NBA tools? Use code WIN for a 30% discount on any Premium Package. Check out our Premium Tools for DFS, betting, props, and season-long! Grab an NBA Premium Package and get access to our DFS Lineup Optimizer, Betting Picks Tool, Props Optimizer, PrizePicks Optimizer, and VIP chat rooms. Use promo code WIN at checkout to save 30%.

Today's NBA DFS Value Picks

Miles Bridges, CHA - PF on DK, SF/PF on FD

• DraftKings: $6,100
• FanDuel: $6,700

Miles Bridges returned from his suspension in style, posting 34.8 DK points in only 22 minutes of play (1.58 FPPM) on Tuesday. His limitations were surely the product of Charlotte's blowout win in Chicago, and he gets another cookie of a matchup against the Pacers today.

Indiana is ranked 22nd in overall defensive efficiency and is allowing the third-highest at-rim frequency in the league. Everyone's healthy for the Hornets, but Bridges is too cheap.

Jonathan Kuminga, ATL - SF/PF

• DraftKings: $5,800
• FanDuel: $5,800

Johnson got hurt five minutes in the last game (RIP my cash lineups), and Alexander-Walker is also questionable for this one. Johnson has been extremely limited since, and I expect him to miss this game. With Johnson out, it was the Jonathan Kuminga show for Atlanta.

Jonathan Kuminga SHINES in Hawks debut 🔥

27 points
9-12 shooting
3-4 from deep
7 rebounds
4 assists
2 steals pic.twitter.com/Qg1WOObVad

— NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2026

The recently acquired Hawk went for 27 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for 46.2 DK points in 24 minutes (his 1.93 FPPM is Nikola Jokic/Giannis Antetokounmpo level of play) against these same Wizards. Washington ranks 29th in defensive efficiency and allows the most transition points in the league. Kuminga will be rightfully popular tonight if the aforementioned guys miss.

Kris Murray, POR - SG/SF on DK, SF on FD

• DraftKings: $3,800
• FanDuel: $4,000

This is a pure punt play, but it could prove useful if you need funds to get up to the Doncic level in GPPs. Deni Avdija is already ruled out for Portland, and Shaedon Sharpe is also out for the foreseeable future. Kris Murray replaced the injured Avdija in the last game and was able to put up 28.8 DK points in 29 minutes. At punt prices, he should have no issue hitting value against the Bulls, who rank sixth in pace and 25th in defensive efficiency.

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Tyrese Maxey
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Zion Williamson
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Isaiah Collier
• My favorite VALUE play: Jonathan Kuminga

LIKE ROTOBALLER?

CLICK HERE, ENTER ROTOBALLER.COM, THEN CHECK THE BOX

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis