Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Wednesday, February 26th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-02-26 23:44:13 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career and has long been one of the top NBA DFS minds in the industry. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Their Core Plays LIVE article will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, Core Plays LIVE has everything you need for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Happy Wednesday!

Last night was a great example of why we should trust the projections team here at RotoGrinders. I had to exclude quite a few players in LineupHQ to get away from the Suns-Grizzlies game in my main lineup. The original optimal had at least 4 players from that game. For whatever reason, I didn’t love the game environment as much as I should have. I ultimately fell short of the cash line. But we dust ourselves off and look forward to tonight’s 9-game slate.

As mentioned yesterday, my brother-in-law coaches a high school basketball team, and my cousin plays for another high school basketball team. They faced each other last night for a chance to go to the 3A State Championship. My cousin’s team ended up running away with the game, so they are playing in the championship tonight at 7:00 PM local time. His twin is actually the head cheerleader, and they are seniors, so it would be pretty awesome to see them win state in their final year of high school.

In addition to tonight’s NBA slate, we have a great golf tournament (Cognizant Classic) on tap this week. We have all kinds of PGA DFS content if you want to check it out.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Wednesday, February 26th

• 9-game main slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers
  - 7:00 PM ET – Portland Trail Blazers at Washington Wizards
  - 7:00 PM ET – Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:00 PM ET – Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
  - 7:30 PM ET – Atlanta Hawks at Miami Heat
  - 7:30 PM ET – Oklahoma City Thunder at Brooklyn Nets
  - 8:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Clippers at Chicago Bulls
  - 9:00 PM ET – Sacramento Kings at Utah Jazz
  - 9:30 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets
• Front end of a back-to-back: None
• Back end of a back-to-back: Celtics, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

1:30 PM ET

Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes are both listed as questionable for the Raptors, while Garrett Temple has been ruled out. Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis are all listed as questionable for the Celtics, while Luke Kornet has been ruled out. Nikola Vucevic has been ruled out for the Bulls. Alexandre Sarr has been ruled out for the Wizards.

Team Previews

Toronto Raptors (at IND)

We kick off the slate with the Raptors, who are 1 of 4 teams playing on the second half of a back-to-back. They haven’t submitted an injury report, but we know Brandon Ingram is out and Jakob Poeltl missed last night’s game. A matchup against the Pacers is solid, as Indiana is 6th in pace and 21st in points allowed per game. The Raptors are 9.5-point underdogs but have a team total that is 2 points higher than their season average.

Given the size of the slate, I don’t expect to have much exposure to the Raptors. RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes could be worth a look in large-field tournaments, but there are safer spends for cash games and small-field contests. If Poeltl ends up being out, Jonathan Mogbo and Chris Boucher will both see an uptick in minutes.

Indiana Pacers (vs. TOR)

The Pacers are also playing on the second half of a back-to-back. These teams already struggle defensively, so the tired legs could lead to even less effort on the defensive end of the floor. The Pacers come into the game with a team total that is 6 points higher than their season average. Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell are both dealing with injuries, so we’ll have to monitor their status throughout the day.

This is a revenge game for Pascal Siakam, who has topped 50 fantasy points 3 times in his last 11 games. My interest in the rest of the team hinges on their injury report. If Haliburton and/or McConnell end up being out, minutes and usage will open up in the backcourt. Aaron NeSmith and Andrew Nembhard are both very cheap.

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