NBA Clippers vs Magic Draftstars DFS Captain Contest Preview and Projections for February 23, 2026
Last updated: Feb 23, 2026, 2:03AM | Published: Feb 23, 2026, 12:58AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Clippers vs Magic DFS Captain Contest starts at 1:10pm AEDT on February 23, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player in the game to help you make winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Monday and beyond.
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the best NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed players from each team to help you find the best picks on Monday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $18,070 | 50.3 | 2.8 |
| Stud | Paolo Banchero (ORL) | $16,850 | 42.7 | 2.5 |
| Value | Jevon Carter (ORL) | $6,000 | 23.7 | 4 |
| Value | Moritz Wagner (ORL) | $6,040 | 18.9 | 3.1 |
| Fade | Bennedict Mathurin (LAC) | $13,800 | 31.6 | 2.3 |
| Cheapie | Tristan da Silva (ORL) | $6,540 | 20.2 | 3.1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "studs" are the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Captain Contest Tips
Monday's NBA Clippers vs Magic contest is a Captain Contest, in which you generally pick one captain and five other players. The captain scores 1.5x the usual number of Draftstars points, but they also cost 1.5x their usual salary.
You may want to consider players with a high ceiling, like Kawhi Leonard and Paolo Banchero, who can score big points and make the most of that 1.5x multiplier. They may be expensive, but if they go big, you go big too.
Alternatively, if you want to spread your funds around your line-up, you could select player who you think is good value, with our model liking Jevon Carter as a potential value option. Choosing a value pick as captain gives you more points per dollar spent, which could help you use the rest of your budget more effectively.
For more help selecting your captain, check out Draftstars' Captain Contest explainer, as well as the Fantasy Insider cruncher on Draftstars, which is free to access when logged into your account.
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. As highlighted above, there is extra thought that goes into a captain contest, with either a stud or value pick the best option, depending on how you want to fill out the rest of your NBA Clippers vs Magic lineup today.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Clippers vs Magic slate closes at 1:10pm AEDT on Monday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Clippers vs Magic contest. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Clippers vs Magic line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
