NBA DraftKings DFS: October 22, 2026

Thursday’s starting point: Nikola Jokić is the premium anchor, while Joel Embiid at $7,700 makes a balanced build viable. Tyrese Maxey, Chet Holmgren and Anfernee Simons are priorities around them. Jarrett Allen’s status determines whether Evan Mobley moves up the frontcourt list.

Cleveland–Philadelphia locks at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Denver–Oklahoma City at 9:30 p.m. ET. These are two-game DraftKings Classic builds with an eight-player roster and a $50,000 cap.

The shortlist

Player	DK position	Salary	Priority
Nikola Jokic	C	$10,900	Premium anchor
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	PG	$9,900	Premium guard alternative
Tyrese Maxey	PG	$8,000	Primary scoring guard
Joel Embiid	C	$7,700	Discounted center alternative
James Harden	PG	$7,100	Midrange playmaker
Jalen Williams	SF	$6,400	Midrange wing
Chet Holmgren	PF	$5,800	Forward priority
DeMar DeRozan	SG/SF	$4,900	Salary-saving wing
Anfernee Simons	PG/SG	$3,500	Budget guard
Alex Caruso	SF/PF	$4,300	Secondary forward
Jared McCain	SG	$3,800	Volatile tournament guard
Evan Mobley	PF/C	$7,900	Upgrade if Allen sits

Jokić or SGA: choose your expensive anchor

Nikola Jokić, $10,900, C: my preferred starting point for a ceiling-oriented build. His prior-season averages were 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists. Scoring, rebounding and playmaking provide several routes to a big night. The cost is real: paying for him means accepting thinner secondary pieces rather than fitting every other star.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, $9,900, PG: the alternative if you prefer saving $1,000 at the top. He took 27 shots in 36:05 in Oklahoma City’s opener. That opportunity matters more than assuming his three steals and three blocks repeat. A Jokić–SGA double-spend is possible mathematically, but I prefer a stronger supporting cast over forcing both into the same lineup.

Embiid and Harden make the middle tier interesting

Joel Embiid, $7,700, C: costs $3,200 less than Jokić. He played 33:26 with 11 rebounds and six assists in the Philadelphia opener, despite scoring only 13 points. His price gives room for another strong guard or forward. Poor shooting in one game is not a permanent role concern, but sharing possessions with Maxey, Jaylen Brown and LeBron James limits how aggressively to assume a scoring rebound.

James Harden, $7,100, PG: is $900 below Maxey and $1,100 below Donovan Mitchell. The NBA’s Cleveland report describes Harden and Mitchell sharing offensive initiation. Harden is the passing-oriented route into that backcourt. Mitchell at $8,200 is the scoring-led alternative when the remaining roster supports the extra salary.

Maxey, $8,000, PG: remains my preferred Philadelphia scoring guard. His opening-night 19 attempts and nine free-throw attempts in 39:34 showed room for volume alongside the new stars. Avoid budgeting for another six combined steals and blocks.

Forwards: Holmgren first, then fit the roster

Chet Holmgren, $5,800, PF: is particularly useful because he fills a forward slot rather than competing with Jokić or Embiid for center. He played 30:31 in the opener and collected seven rebounds. His four blocks show the upside, not a nightly expectation.

Jalen Williams, $6,400, SF: offers a midrange alternative to Brown at $7,600. Williams took 16 shots in 29:56 in the opener. I prefer that opportunity to chasing the cheapest possible wing, although the Thunder’s deep rotation creates workload uncertainty.

LeBron James, $7,000, PF: is an alternative when the build can afford his passing and rebounding paths. DeMar DeRozan, $4,900, SG/SF: helps connect the salary tiers, but his new Denver role is less established than the Philadelphia and Oklahoma City opening-night samples. Use him as a measured tournament piece, not a guaranteed bargain.

Values with actual roles, not assumed minutes

Anfernee Simons, $3,500, PG/SG: is the most appealing budget guard on this list. He played 25:16 and attempted 10 shots in Philadelphia’s opener. That is enough opportunity to consider at this salary without requiring him to start. His workload can still change in a crowded backcourt.

Alex Caruso, $4,300, SF/PF: supplies flexible forward eligibility. He played 24:43 and had six rebounds in the opener, but his offensive role is smaller than the stars’. Jared McCain, $3,800, SG: is a more volatile tournament alternative. His 20 points depended heavily on six made threes from eight attempts. Do not buy him expecting that efficiency again.

Isaiah Hartenstein, $4,800, C: is a secondary center option. His 17:25 opening-night stint included five fouls, so it should not be treated as a fixed minutes limit. The Jokić matchup and Oklahoma City’s other bigs still make his role less straightforward than a simple bounce-back claim.

Allen news: the one early decision that can change the build

The noon ET injury report lists Allen questionable with right patellar tendinopathy. Cleveland is also without Diop and Tomlin. If Allen sits, Mobley at $7,900, PF/C becomes a higher priority for his possible extra center responsibilities. That does not establish a particular replacement starter or exact minutes increase.

If Allen plays, remove that injury-driven boost. Do not automatically turn Thomas Bryant at $3,000 into a core play without evidence of his actual role. Philadelphia’s Dean Wade and Denver’s Spencer Jones are also questionable. No questionable player appears in the example builds below.

Two example builds

These are salary-legal starting points, not projection-optimized lineups or confirmed starting-lineup announcements. Recheck availability before submitting.

Jokić + Maxey: $49,500

Slot	Player	Salary
PG	Tyrese Maxey	$8,000
SG	VJ Edgecombe	$5,700
SF	Alex Caruso	$4,300
PF	Chet Holmgren	$5,800
C	Nikola Jokic	$10,900
G	Anfernee Simons	$3,500
F	Jalen Williams	$6,400
UTIL	DeMar DeRozan	$4,900

Salary remaining: $500.

This version pairs Maxey’s early-game scoring role with Jokić’s multi-category upside. Edgecombe played 34:45 in Philadelphia’s opener, but his scoring opportunity is shared. Caruso and Simons provide salary relief. DeRozan is the less-established Denver piece, so reassess him if rotation news changes the case.

SGA + Embiid: $49,700

Slot	Player	Salary
PG	James Harden	$7,100
SG	Anfernee Simons	$3,500
SF	DeMar DeRozan	$4,900
PF	Chet Holmgren	$5,800
C	Joel Embiid	$7,700
G	Ajay Mitchell	$4,400
F	Jalen Williams	$6,400
UTIL	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	$9,900

Salary remaining: $300.

The second build replaces Jokić with Embiid and spends up at guard. Ajay Mitchell played 22:41 with six assists in the opener, although that is not a promised role tonight. Four Thunder players concentrate exposure to one rotation. Jalen Williams and Holmgren are more substantial pieces; Mitchell is the thinner supporting option. Neither example depends on a questionable player sitting.

Final checks before lock

• Resolve Allen’s status before 7 p.m. ET. Do not leave a speculative injury replacement in the lineup if the expected opportunity disappears.
• Keep later players in flexible slots when feasible. The early game’s players become unavailable for late swaps once it starts.
• Never swap based only on equal salaries: position eligibility and remaining roster slots must both work.
• Strawther is out; Jones is questionable. Do not infer a large Denver reserve-wing role from those labels alone.

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