NBA DraftKings DFS Picks: Best Plays for October 24, 2026

Saturday’s starting point: Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell and P.J. Washington. I prefer building through the $8,000 guards instead of paying for two expensive frontcourt stars and hoping the last three roster spots survive. Dyson Daniels fits either approach. Victor Wembanyama is the premium ceiling play, but his salary has to earn its place in the whole lineup.

The October 24, 2026 DraftKings NBA slate has five games and starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. These are early-day priorities, not a declaration that every player has cleared the second night of a back-to-back. Availability below has been updated from the NBA’s 6:00 p.m. ET report.

Best DraftKings plays at a glance

Player	Team	Position	Salary	Where he fits
Tyrese Maxey	PHI	PG	$8,200	Guard-first priority
Donovan Mitchell	CLE	SG	$8,300	Scoring cornerstone
Dyson Daniels	ATL	PG/SF	$5,900	Versatile midrange guard/wing
PJ Washington	DAL	PF	$5,300	Preferred midrange forward
Jalen Smith	CHI	C	$5,200	Salary-saving center
Tari Eason	HOU	SF/PF	$4,600	Tournament forward value
Victor Wembanyama	SAS	C	$10,700	Premium ceiling
Jalen Johnson	ATL	PF	$9,100	Balanced-build forward anchor

The five-game slate

Game	Tip-off ET	My lineup angle
Brooklyn at Cleveland	7:30 p.m.	Mitchell as a standalone scoring anchor
Milwaukee at Philadelphia	7:30 p.m.	Maxey first; LeBron ruled out
San Antonio at Dallas	8 p.m.	Wembanyama ceiling versus Washington salary relief
Washington at Chicago	8 p.m.	Jalen Smith as a cheaper center, with workload risk
Houston at Atlanta	8:30 p.m.	Daniels and Johnson, with Eason as the cheaper opposing piece

Start with the guards

Tyrese Maxey, $8,200, PG

Maxey has attempted 42 shots across Philadelphia’s first two games, scoring 28 and 32 points. That’s the kind of involvement I want to buy. My preference is paying for the player creating chances rather than needing a cheap teammate to turn a handful of attempts into a huge shooting night. Milwaukee is the opponent; I am not treating two games as enough evidence to label the Bucks an easy defense.

LeBron James is out with a low-back/sciatica issue. That strengthens the case for keeping Maxey high on the list, but I am not assigning him a fixed usage or minutes increase. Philadelphia still has multiple scoring options. Maxey remains my first guard because the price lets the rest of the roster breathe.

Donovan Mitchell, $8,300, SG

Mitchell took 19 shots and 11 free throws against Philadelphia on October 22. I like that combination more than chasing a rebound spike. At $100 more than Maxey, he is a straight alternative rather than a completely different construction. Pairing both is viable if the cheaper frontcourt options remain available.

Brooklyn does not have to cooperate for every possession for Mitchell to work as a standalone play. My concern with an expensive Cleveland stack is paying for several teammates who need the same scoring opportunities. Mitchell alone is the cleaner starting point; a full game stack is not mandatory.

The pieces that make the salary work

Dyson Daniels, $5,900, PG/SF

Daniels recorded 12 steals across Atlanta’s first two games. Do not budget for another pile of steals. What I like is the flexibility: his PG/SF eligibility can rescue awkward builds, and he does not need to be the team’s first scoring option to help a lineup. I would rather use him as a midrange connector than pay up purely because his recent fantasy total looks enormous.

Houston–Atlanta is my favorite game to pair two or three pieces from, especially when Daniels keeps the cost down. That is a construction preference, not a claim that this game has the highest verified total or fastest measured pace.

P.J. Washington, $5,300, PF

Washington played 31 and 33 minutes in Dallas’ first two games, finishing Friday with 20 points and 13 rebounds. At this price I can accept an imperfect offensive night. The appeal is a midrange forward slot that does not force a minimum-salary gamble elsewhere.

Cooper Flagg is out, alongside Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama and Caleb Martin. Those absences strengthen Washington’s opportunity case. Kyrie Irving is now doubtful, while Max Christie and Jett Howard are questionable; Zaccharie Risacher and Morez Johnson Jr. are probable. The final Dallas rotation is still unsettled. I prefer Washington as part of a balanced lineup without assigning him fixed minutes or all of the missing offense.

Jalen Smith, $5,200, C

Smith logged 24 minutes with 14 points and 13 rebounds Friday; he played 19 minutes in Chicago’s opener. That distinction matters. This is a value-center choice with a workload risk, not a promise of a full starter’s shift. His salary gives you room for the guards without needing the center position to carry the entire lineup.

Nic Claxton is out with a left hamstring strain, keeping Smith relevant at the same $5,200 salary. Noa Essengue (head) and Patrick Williams (adductor/groin) are now questionable, adding uncertainty around Chicago’s frontcourt rotation. Smith is not confirmed as the starter, and these designations do not guarantee him a specific workload. I still prefer him in builds that already have dependable offensive priorities.

Tari Eason, $4,600, SF/PF

Eason played 27 minutes Friday, producing 12 points and six rebounds. He is my cheaper tournament forward, not a cash-game safety claim. At $4,600, he can fit beside expensive guards without demanding a breakout shooting performance. But Houston has other forwards and finishers, so the rotation has to cooperate.

The two forward positions make Eason useful in a small Houston–Atlanta pairing. Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet are out, while Reed Sheppard and Marcus Smart are questionable. Those absences and the unresolved guard status warrant a fresh look at Houston’s rotation, not an automatic minutes or usage increase for Eason. Keep this slot flexible until the lineup is clearer.

Which star is worth paying for?

Player	Why I would pay up	What you give up
Victor Wembanyama, $10,700 C	Scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking ceiling in one spot	$2,400 more than Mitchell; fewer comfortable choices elsewhere
Jalen Johnson, $9,100 PF	Multiple-category forward who fits the Atlanta pairing	Harder to combine with two $8,000 guards without thinner value

Wembanyama posted 25 points and 13 rebounds Friday after blocking six shots in the opener. My preference is one premium anchor, not an automatic stars-and-scrubs build. His ceiling can justify the expense, but the last two players in a Wembanyama lineup still need genuine paths to contribute. San Antonio has submitted its report, and Wembanyama is not listed. That does not establish a specific minutes total on the second night of a back-to-back.

Johnson opened with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists against Orlando. He is my forward-first alternative. Pairing Johnson with Daniels lets you target Atlanta without insisting both score 30. The risk is price and overlapping production: adding every attractive Hawk can leave a lineup too dependent on one team.

Three practical core builds

These are building blocks, not complete entries. DraftKings Classic uses eight roster spots and a $50,000 cap. Leave the remaining positions open until the late-day injury reports give us a clearer value picture.

Build	Three-player core	Cost	Left for five players
My balanced starting point	Maxey + Mitchell + Washington	$21,800	$28,200
Premium center	Wembanyama + Daniels + Eason	$21,200	$28,800
Atlanta-led tournament build	Johnson + Daniels + Smith	$20,200	$29,800

The first approach spends on shot creation and leaves room for five real rotation players. The second buys the biggest ceiling while keeping the next two salaries modest. The third leaves more room to choose a high-priced guard and avoids making a perfect Wembanyama game necessary. None requires guessing ownership or treating a cheap bench player as a confirmed starter.

Injury decisions before 7:30 p.m. ET

Update: October 24, 6:00 p.m. ET NBA injury report. The official NBA report lists LeBron James out for low-back/sciatica management and Dean Wade questionable with a left ankle sprain. Chicago’s Nic Claxton is out with a left hamstring strain; Noa Essengue is questionable with a right head contusion, and Patrick Williams is questionable with right adductor/groin soreness/tightness. Houston has Steven Adams and Fred VanVleet out, Reed Sheppard questionable with a left knee contusion/bone bruise, and Marcus Smart questionable with a left forearm strain. Starting lineups and workloads still need checking before lock.

The Dallas decisions: Kyrie Irving is doubtful for left knee injury management. Max Christie and Jett Howard are questionable; Zaccharie Risacher and Morez Johnson Jr. are probable. Cooper Flagg (left shoulder sprain), Dereck Lively II, Santi Aldama, Caleb Martin and Tarik Biberovic remain out. San Antonio lists Tobias Harris and Jayden Quaintance out. Washington lists AJ Dybantsa, Tristan Vukcevic and Jamir Watkins out. Do not turn these absences into confirmed replacement starters or guaranteed minutes.

• Cooper Flagg: officially out with a left shoulder sprain and excluded from these builds. Dallas still has multiple questionable players; wait for the final lineup before choosing a replacement.
• Kyrie Irving: doubtful for left knee injury management. The $6,800 salary does not override the availability risk; he remains outside my core. Do not roster him without a confirmed change in status, and an active designation would not itself guarantee unrestricted minutes.
• James: ruled out; remove the $7,000 option from consideration. Maxey remains a priority, but no exact usage increase or replacement starter is assumed.
• Late flexibility: when eligibility permits, keep later-game players in G, F and UTIL. Never move a player after his game has locked.

Bottom line: Maxey and Mitchell are the guard priorities. Washington and Daniels are the connectors. Smith and Eason offer salary relief with real rotation risk. Wembanyama is the ceiling spend, Johnson the forward-first alternative. Get the availability right before trying to get cute.

More slate coverage: NBA Research Center.