NBA FanDuel Picks 2/26: Best DFS lineup advice and sleepers for Sunday’s daily fantasy basketball tournaments
The NBA has been on a strong run since the All-Star break that ended Thursday, with some of the better games of the season coming this weekend. Expect the good times for fans of basketball and fantasy to continue this evening, with six more games lined up for Sunday dinner. Of course we’ve put together another FanDuel GPP lineup for the evening in pursuit of some DFS cash to end our weekend in style.
With nearly 75 percent of the regular season complete, we have a huge sample size to work with when building DFS lineups. Studs are easier to pick at this stage of the season, and matchups are a lot easier to rank. We also know which rookies and sleepers to rely on and which ones to shut out in unfavorable matchups.
Today we compiled our FanDuel roster with two all-star guards as our anchors, a rookie big man, and a handful of under-the-radar value plays that we believe will propel our team to the top in tournaments will bring. Check out our lineup and our reasoning behind each choice.
Let’s jump into our FanDuel lineup and discuss why each pick could help you earn some DFS money. Before we break down all of our picks, here are the most notable scoring rules for FanDuel competitions: Three-point shot made (+1 point), recoil (+1.2 points), supports (+1.5 points), steals and blocks (+3 points), field goal made (+2 points) and made a free throw (+1 point).
MORE NBA DFS: DraftKings roster
Sunday Night FanDuel Picks: NBA DFS lineup for GPP tournaments
Sunday Main Late Swap Slate, budget of $60,000.
PG Damian Lillard, Blazers vs. Rockets ($10,500)
Lillard has been sizzling since the New Year, hitting 49.2 percent of his 489 shot attempts in that span and putting the Blazers on his back. In February alone, Big Game Checkers averaged 36.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game with a true shooting percentage of 68.0. He’s just added a 3-point competitive trophy to his illustrious prize cabinet, and he’s rested after having to sit out Portland’s game against Sacramento on Thursday due to storm-related travel delays. Not counting the 3-point contest and All-Star Game, it’s been 12 days since Dame last played a significant game — and we all know how dangerous fresh-legged six-time All-NBA selection can be can. Combine all of that with the fact that the Blazers are at home — and facing the association’s worst young defense in Houston — and we’re very confident with that pick. Take a look at Lillard’s home/road splits this season:
| splits | PPG | FG% | 3PT% | FT% |
| Home | 32.5 | 47.8 | 37.7 | 94.7 |
| Street | 29.9 | 45.1 | 36.5 | 87.4 |
No wonder Dame has decided to stay in Portland for the long haul—he’s turning out the lights at the Moda Center! And he should continue to see high usage as Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic are out and several other Blazers are either busted or struggling with their consistency. The Rockets yield the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing point guards, so Lillard is as reliable a draft pick as you can make tonight.
PG Isaiah Joe, Thunder Against Kings ($5,300)
With most high-priced draft picks like Lillard, we often have to make trade-offs elsewhere. In this case, Joe feels like a low-risk, high-reward bargain—a young sniper who’s recently started turning pro for OKC. A JJ Redick student from their time together in Philly a few seasons ago, Joe can shed some light on the speed. But he’s proven lately that he’s much more than just a taunt. He can also drive to the hole and hit it from the middle, and he snagged seven rebounds in the Thunder’s valiant effort against the Suns on Friday. We won’t expect another 36.4 FD points like he posted tonight, but we’ll be happy with 20 for just $5,300.
SG Paul George, Clippers at Nuggets ($9,000)
Most FanDuel contestants will be clamoring to pick up Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who has been like a machine with his efficient scoring lately. But don’t overlook how great PG13 was — the veteran had 34 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in LA’s unlucky loss to the Kings on Friday. That was good for 55.5 FD points, his second performance over 55 in the last month. Denver now has some decent fullbacks but still yields the ninth-most FD points to off-guards. Like most squads, the Nuggets lack the size and length to contain George – especially if Mike Malone decides to double Kawhi. Expect another strong game from the six-time All-NBA selection.
SG Jalen Williams, Thunder vs. Kings ($6,100)
Williams continues to be one of my favorite rookies in the 2022 draft class because he can do just about anything. He is the rookie leader in steals and has more steals than everyone in the NBA in calendar year 2023. For a skinny 21-year-old, he has unique vision and rebounds and an inside-out scoring ability that many vets wish they possessed. J-Dub is averaging 35.5 FD points per game over OKC’s last six tilts, and he seems to be getting better and better over time. We love him against a Sacramento defense that just dropped the fourth most points in NBA history on Friday night.
SF Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Wolves at Warriors ($4,200)
NAW has jumped from team to team so many times that he’s essentially an NBA journeyman before he hits his 25th birthday. However, he may have finally found a home to stay with in Minnesota, which was in dire need of help with wing design and gun construction. Alexander-Walker made a big impression in his first big minute appearance for Wolves, recording 13 points, three boards, an assist, a block and a steal in 24 minutes against Charlotte. Wolves were offensively stagnant and began to come back alive after NAW came in and ignited a spark. Expect Chris Finch to use his young winger more often as Anthony Edwards can’t shoulder the offensive load alone in Minnesota. An understaffed Golden State D that already allows the sixth most FD points to move forward offers a good plug-and-play opportunity.
SF Jerami Grant, Blazers vs. Rockets ($6,300)
Like Lillard, Grant sat out Portland’s game on Thursday — but unlike Dame, Grant has had the entire All-Star weekend to rest fully. The three-and-D stud should make it to a young Rockets D who has yielded the second-most FD points to forwards this season, and we don’t think he’s going to do well with the number of shots he’s making given the Continuing to be shy will be the absence of Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic. love him in
PF KJ Martin, Rockets at Blazers ($6,000)
Like the Rockets, the Blazers have been abysmal at locking baseline and perimeter since trading Josh Hart. That’s good news for Martin, who has taken on an elevated role since Houston sidelined Eric Gordon and Garrison Matthews. If young Kenyon gets more than 32 minutes, he’s almost a suspension to score 30 fantasy points – but he reminded the NBA world of his massive advantage as he lost 43.6 to defending champion Warriors on Friday. He scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in that game, added two assists, two blocks and a steal. He also shot 7-of-12 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the stripe. You can’t find much higher caps at $6,000.
PF Keegan Murray, Kings at Thunder ($5,200)
Murray had a rough start to his rookie campaign, unable to repeat the success he had in the Summer League and NBA preseason. But he’s come alive a bit lately, averaging 26.4 fantasy points since February 6th. He’s a double-digit scorer who can also contribute 4-6 rebounds, a few assists, and some stocks night after night. We take that from a rookie with a $4,700 advantage over an inconsistent veteran every day. OKC has awarded the fourth most fantasy points to opposing forwards this season.
C. Alperen Sengun, Rockets at Thunder ($7,300)
Sengun remains one of my favorite young bigs in the NBA due to his rare combination of great vision and passing ability along with tremendous size and strength. It’s impossible to make Baby-Jokic comparisons, even if the young center will never achieve the level of dominance we’ve seen from the back-to-back MVP. Expect a strong performance from Alpie tonight, with Jusuf Nurkic out for Portland and Trendon Watford assisting Drew Eubanks for Chauncey Billups indoors.