NBA Friday Late Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for February 20, 2026
Last updated: Feb 19, 2026, 11:58AM | Published: Feb 19, 2026, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Friday Late DFS contest begins at 2:00pm AEDT on February 20, 2026, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
An accurate 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 Friday and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Friday Late slate features the following match-ups:
- LA Clippers vs Denver Nuggets
- Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics
- Sacramento Kings vs Orlando Magic
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest 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 every player from every team to help you find the best choices on Friday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nikola Jokić (DEN, C) | $24,800 | 62 | 2.5 |
| Value | Jordan Miller (LAC, SF) | $6,000 | 22.9 | 3.8 |
| Fade | DeMar DeRozan (SAC, SF/PF) | $11,750 | 25.2 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Tristan da Silva (ORL, PF/SF) | $6,000 | 20 | 3.3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide 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 those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options highlight 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.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jamal Murray (DEN) | $16,570 | 48.6 | 2.9 |
| Value | Bruce Brown (DEN) | $6,180 | 19.5 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Brandin Podziemski (GSW) | $10,250 | 24.8 | 2.4 |
| Cheapie | Pat Spencer (GSW) | $9,000 | 27.9 | 3.1 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Derrick White (BOS) | $13,950 | 39.1 | 2.8 |
| Value | Gary Payton (GSW) | $6,000 | 19.7 | 3.3 |
| Fade | Nique Clifford (SAC) | $10,660 | 23.8 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | Tim Hardaway (DEN) | $7,910 | 22.7 | 2.9 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $18,460 | 55.4 | 3 |
| Value | Jordan Miller (LAC) | $6,000 | 22.9 | 3.8 |
| Fade | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $11,750 | 25.2 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Tristan da Silva (ORL) | $6,000 | 20 | 3.3 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Kawhi Leonard (LAC) | $18,460 | 55.4 | 3 |
| Value | Tristan da Silva (ORL) | $6,000 | 20 | 3.3 |
| Fade | DeMar DeRozan (SAC) | $11,750 | 25.2 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Sam Hauser (BOS) | $7,040 | 19.9 | 2.8 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nikola Jokić (DEN) | $24,800 | 62 | 2.5 |
| Value | Moritz Wagner (ORL) | $6,800 | 22 | 3.2 |
| Fade | Maxime Raynaud (SAC) | $12,500 | 28.4 | 2.3 |
| Cheapie | Brook Lopez (LAC) | $8,420 | 24.2 | 2.9 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your NBA Friday Late teams, consider starting with a value player like Jordan Miller. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nikola Jokić is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Tristan da Silva.
On the other hand, according to our model, DeMar DeRozan is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Friday Late slate closes at 2:00pm AEDT on Friday. 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 Friday Late slate. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Friday Late 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.
