It’s a seven-game featured NBA DFS slate on DraftKings this evening, as the Rockets-Raptors game will fall into the void after being pushed up to 6:30 p.m. ET due to the World Series.
No matter. There’s still more than enough stars to choose from when building lineups on Wednesday. Allow me to break down my top three picks.
Set your DraftKings NBA DFS lineups here: NBA $350K Zone Special [$100K to 1st]
C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $11,500
At this point, if Nikola Jokic is less than $12,000, it almost feels like DraftKings is daring you to play him. The former MVP has started the season on fire, registering a triple-double in all three of the Nuggets’ games. It’s a span of time where Jokic is simultaneously leading the NBA in rebounds per contest (15.3) and assists per contest (11.7). Imagine getting that level of secondary statistical dominance each and every night? Jokic also comes into Wednesday’s action averaging more touches per game than any player in the Western Conference (97.7), though that hasn’t translated into the big man being as assertive as we’ve seen in the past. To wit, Jokic’s usage rate in 2025-26 is just 22.8% — his lowest mark since his rookie campaign. That means there’s somehow room for more production for an asset that’s exceeded 60 FPTS in his first three starts of the season. In any case, don’t expect the Pelicans to slow him down. New Orleans has surrendered a whopping 119.0 points per 100 possessions in its three tilts.
PF Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers at Dallas Mavericks, $8,400
Is there an NBA team more snakebitten than the Pacers? If it wasn’t enough that Indiana had to start the season without Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) and T.J. McConnell (hamstring) — with the former being out for the whole year — the organization is now dealing with injuries to Bennedict Mathurin (toe), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder) and Obi Toppin (foot). You know that famous meme of Will Smith from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air finale? That’s Pascal Siakam right now. He’s all alone. Still, Siakam is used to carrying a large load from his Toronto days, and the veteran is about as accomplished a point-forward as you can find in the league. We saw this play out in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, with Siakam registering 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 36.5 minutes. He also led the squad with a 34.3% usage rate. While I’m not sure Siakam can single-handedly lead the depleted Pacers to a victory any time soon, he should be able to exploit a Mavericks’ defense that’s allowed the most FPTS per game to opposing power forwards so far in 2025-26.
SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks at Brooklyn Nets, $5,200
If first impressions are of the utmost importance, Nickeil Alexander-Walker really messed up in front of his new Atlanta fans last Wednesday, shooting 2-for-15 from the field in a blowout loss to the Raptors. However, things have been much better ever since for the free agent acquisition. Alexander-Walker has averaged around 30 minutes per contest in the Hawks’ past three games, even starting against the Magic and the Thunder in place of the injured Zaccharie Risacher ($4,700). In that stretch, NAW has averaged 17.7 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals. For the season as a whole, the wing’s 22.4% usage rate ranks fourth on Atlanta. In short, Alexander-Walker is a vital part of this rotation. Volume and opportunity shouldn’t be an issue in an amazing matchup against the Nets on Wednesday evening. Brooklyn has lived up to the worst team expectations through the opening week of 2025-26, sitting winless with the NBA’s 30th-ranked defensive rating (131.2). Woof.
