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Today's free NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (October 21, 2026). Thunder Dan's daily fantasy basketball lineups, values, stacks, pivots, sleepers for NBA DFS.
We had only a few games on opening night, and it was just enough for us to dip our toes back into the NBA DFS pool. KAT played only six minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, and I had only one share of his backup, Andre Drummond, in my lineups. But I still managed to break even on the night, which sometimes is good enough, as we can just reload and go at it again the next night. It's the beauty of DFS!
We're back with a hefty 11-game main slate on both sites tonight, as 22 more teams play their first games of the season. Rotations are still getting fleshed out, but most teams are fairly healthy, so there are a lot fewer injuries to monitor than usual. I am going to lean into the "stars and scrubs" builds tonight as pricing is super soft on both sites, allowing us to cram in multiple studs with all the value.
This article provides my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on Wednesday, 10/21/26. Monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate always changes before lineup lock. 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!
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NBA DFS Core Play
Luka Doncic, LAL - PG
- DraftKings: $11K
- FanDuel: $11.7K
This might seem like a no-brainer, but I think at least 30-40% of tournament lineups tonight will not have Luka in them, despite the fact that his projection crushes everyone else on the slate. His cash game rostership will push up into the 70-80% range, I would think. But I will not be making many lineups that don't include the Laker star.
Luka lit it up in his 1st @Lakers opening night:
43 PTS (career-high for a season opener)
12 REB
9 AST
2 STL
1 BLKDončić joins Kobe Bryant (2007) and Elgin Baylor (1959) as the only Lakers to record 40+ PTS in a season opener 🪄 https://t.co/yP3lef4lnP
— NBA (@NBA) October 22, 2025
With LeBron James in Philly, we just might see Luka break DFS this year. He's an elite scorer, passer, and a really good rebounder from his position. He hits threes, which helps on DK with the extra half-point, and he's a threat to grab the double-double and triple-double bonuses on DK nightly. Turnovers are also punished less severely on DK (-0.5) compared to FD (-1.0), giving him an even higher floor and ceiling for DK players.
He could flirt with 40% usage this season, and we might see him at 12K on DK and 13K on FD before Thanksgiving. Don't overthink this one!
Also consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF ($10K DK, $11.2K FD)
NBA DFS Value Play
Grayson Allen - SG/SF (SG only on FD)
- DraftKings: $4.3K
- FanDuel: $4.9K
There are so many value plays to choose from tonight, so featuring just one guy was a tough choice, but I think Allen is going to be one my most-rostered players. Allen may not start for the Hornets tonight, but I am projecting him for somewhere between 25-28 minutes off the bench in a high-usage role.
When I look at what he did last year in that band of minutes (25-30), it was pretty darn solid, with averages of 15.6 points, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 3.0 threes. The Hornets are going to badly need some shot-makers tonight with Kon Knueppel and Coby White, two starters and high-usage players missing from the lineup.
Dennis Schroder and Sion James are probably going to start, but I'll take Allen and his elite three-point shooting off the bench instead. He was really good in that role for Phoenix last year when Jalen Green missed time.
Also consider: Sandro Mamukelashvili, LAL - PF/C ($4.5K DK, $3.9K FD)
NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
This is where our writers are focused on really good, less popular plays. But on this slate, pretty much all the best plays are going to be highly-rostered, so it's going to come down to getting the right combination and jamming in as many studs without punting more than a few spots.
