NBA DFS Expert Survey: Thursday, October, 22nd

by Justin Bailey (Jbails26)

Created Oct 22, 2026

Last Updated 2026-10-22 18:48:48 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

Our panel of experts is here to give you their insights on NBA DFS today for the 10/22 main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. They’re ready to answer key questions that will assist you in making those crucial lineup-building decisions. Curious to know who our experts have as their favorite tournament play? Or perhaps you’re wondering about their favorite salary saver? Read their thoughts below!

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey for Thursday, October 22

Who is your favorite player to spend up for in cash games?

Notorious: Joel Embiid
headChopper: Joel Embiid (FD) / Nikola Jokic (DK)
TastefulTides: Joel Embiid (FD) / Nikola Jokic (DK)

Who is your favorite play (when considering price, matchup, roster construction, etc.) on the board and why?

Notorious: Joel Embiid – Embiid was the one player on the Sixers that I wasn’t worried about heading into the season. I am still curious to see how the usage will get split up between all of these star players, but the offense looks like it will flow through Embiid. On Tuesday night, he played 33 minutes and had a usage rate of 27%. Despite hitting 4 of his 15 shots from the field, he still finished with 46 fantasy points. He’s too cheap not to like tonight against the Cavaliers, who could be without Jarrett Allen (I like Embiid either way).

headChopper: Nikola Jokic – He’s the most expensive player on the slate, but he’s still my top play. Our projection has him nearly 10 fantasy points clear of anyone else, and he’s projected for 35 minutes at 1.62 fantasy points per minute. Denver has the lowest team total of the four teams, but Jokic doesn’t need a shootout to fill up every column of the stat sheet. On FanDuel, the field is projected to roster him at just 31%, and his 99th-percentile outcome in our NBA DFS sims is the highest on the slate by a wide margin. On a slate this small, fading him means betting that the best player on the floor has an off night, and that’s not a bet I’m interested in making.

TastefulTides: Nikola Jokic – There are enough salary options on the slate that I think it’s very important to jam Jokic into your lineups. Even though the matchup isn’t the best on paper, he is so talented that he is simply matchup-proof. It seems like he will be even lower-owned on FanDuel, which I love as well. I think we should take advantage of the fact that his pOWN% seems a little low.

Who is your contrarian play (when considering price, matchup, roster construction, etc.) on the board and why?

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