![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772307031_528_mccormick_jim.png&h=80&w=80&scale=crop.png\")
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Jim McCormickFeb 28, 2026, 10:00 AM ET<\/p>\n
Close<\/a>Jim McCormick is a contributing writer for fantasy football and men’s basketball at ESPN.<\/p>\n Multiple Authors<\/p>\n ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.<\/p>\n Jump ahead What you need to know for Saturday’s games<\/p>\n Today’s five-game slate in the NBA features some intriguing matchups. The day opens with an afternoon matinee matching the Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> versus the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> for the first time in just over a year.<\/p>\n The Hornets have the league’s top offensive and net ratings in 2026 and, entering last night, rostered the top three players in total threes made this calendar year. Charlotte is officially an elite League Pass team and building DFS lineups around this core could pay off.<\/p>\n Start a free fantasy baseball league<\/p>\n The 2026 fantasy baseball season is here! Get the gang back together, or start a brand new tradition. The Trail Blazers were the hot young team in the fall, but injuries and a brutal conference have cooled them off. With Deni Avdija<\/a> doubtful, we identify value emerging from Portland’s rotation in the section below. Given the timing, you’ll want to make lineup decisions ahead of these early weekend games.<\/p>\n There’s only one clear blowout risk on the schedule, with the Toronto Raptors<\/a> positioned as massive favorites over the Washington Wizards<\/a>. Helping to counter the production and playing time risks inherent to an uncompetitive game is the fact Washington has a young and emergent crew of fantasy options to consider.<\/p>\n A marquee matchup features the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> visiting the Golden State Warriors<\/a> this evening at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The Warriors are without Jimmy Butler III<\/a> and Stephen Curry<\/a>, while the Lakers appear at full strength. With the Lakers in must-win mode, the stakes are high. It also helps that Golden State is getting career-best play from Brandin Podziemski<\/a>, among other emergent names from the Warriors’ rotation.<\/p>\n With an eye toward uncovering productive fantasy streamers and compelling betting angles, let’s take a look at the day ahead in the NBA.<\/p>\n Saturday’s fantasy stream team<\/p>\n Jerami Grant<\/a>, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (Rostered in 43.1% of ESPN leagues): With Avidja’s prolific usage rates likely out of the rotation today, we find Grant enjoying a revival as a meaningful multi-level scorer. The Hornets have become much better on defense, although Grant can deliver based on sheer volume.<\/p>\n Editor’s Picks 1 Related<\/p>\n De’Anthony Melton<\/a>, PG\/SG, Golden State Warriors (7.8%): As a devout 76ers fan, I was lucky enough to see Melton up close for a few years in his prime. At his best, which is really just about his health, he’s a dynamic two-way combo guard capable of putting up numbers in nearly every category. The Warriors simply need his offense, while his defensive rates tend to surface whenever he’s on the floor for more than 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Gui Santos<\/a>, SF, Golden State Warriors (22.4%): If “Air Podz” is already rostered in your league you can look to Santos for steady wing production. What the Warriors lack in marquee playmakers, they make up for in glue guys. Santos has been very consistent in scoring and rebounding results over the past several weeks, which also helps with cost certainty in DFS.<\/p>\n Ace Bailey<\/a>, SF\/PF, Utah Jazz<\/a> (31.0%): For the scrutiny, a good bit of it earned, the Jazz have faced this season, it’s at least commendable how Bailey has been deployed as a rookie. The team has used a deliberate, if possibly conservative, development plan for Bailey that is starting to show real gains. While assists might happen by mistake, the scoring and rebounding potential feels boundless when you watch Bailey glide around lately. Tonight, a meeting with the Pelicans could prove friendly for fantasy. Teammate Brice Sensabaugh<\/a> is a good get in deeper leagues, as well.<\/p>\n 0:16<\/p>\n Jazz team up for pretty Ace Bailey alley-oop jam<\/p>\n Jazz team up for pretty Ace Bailey alley-oop jam<\/p>\n McCormick’s bets for Saturday<\/p>\n Reed Sheppard<\/a> over 14.5 points (-113)<\/p>\n Perusing the 3-point props, you’ll notice it’s -147 to get Sheppard for three made 3-pointers. Which is to say, there’s an expectation, pricing wise, for Sheppard to shoot a good number of shots from beyond the arc. That shooting prop is descriptive of Sheppard’s overall scoring potential today, especially in the context of Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a> being out. While they play entirely different roles, Houston’s need for efficient scoring now down two of their better offensive rebounders could prove meaningful to Sheppard’s offensive workload.<\/p>\n Brice Sensabaugh<\/a> over 19.5 points (+143)<\/p>\n This is a play a bit above Sensabaugh’s “true” over\/under of 17.5 points. Optimism is driven by a few factors. One, this guy loves to score and is quite good at it. Two, the Jazz are already missing their top two three big men to injuries and Keyonte George<\/a> isn’t a full strength. The point total for this tank-fest against the New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> is a slate-high 245.5 points. There is risk in riding with a volatile scorer, although the ingredients for success are present.<\/p>\n 0:25<\/p>\n Brice Sensabaugh’s triple draws the and-1<\/p>\n Brice Sensabaugh’s knocks down a 3-pointer and draws the and-1 for the Jazz.<\/p>\n Top Daily Fantasy values of the day<\/p>\n $8,100+ salaries<\/p>\n Luka Doncic<\/a>, PG, Los Angeles Lakers ($11,800)<\/p>\n The Lakers are looking to stop a three-game skid tonight. Doncic topped or hovered around 60 DraftKings points in three of his past four outings. The Warriors lack the point-of-attack defenders needed to keep up with Doncic and keep him from getting two feet in the paint. While the price is absurd, so is the ceiling.<\/p>\n $6,100-$8,000 salaries<\/p>\n Brandin Podziemski<\/a>, Golden State Warriors ($7,100)<\/p>\n Uniquely strong rebounding production and a green light to score and create combine to make Podziemski a building block in lineups today. The Lakers are particularly porous against probing guards, with Podziemski empowered as a lead ball-handler at atypically high rates with Curry in street clothes.<\/p>\n $3,500-$6,000 salaries<\/p>\n Toumani Camara<\/a>, SG\/SF, Portland Trail Blazers ($6,000)<\/p>\n For those playing cash games or tournaments in the earlier window, Camara stands out as a two-way force for a Portland team likely without multiple starters. The absence of Avdija and Shaedon Sharpe<\/a> should see Camara enjoy a workload similar to last spring’s breakout stretch.<\/p>\n 0:18<\/p>\n Toumani Camara gets the basket plus the foul<\/p>\n Toumani Camara gets the basket plus the foul<\/p>\n Projections and Injury Reports<\/p>\n Basketball Power Index<\/a> by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook<\/p>\n Line: Blazers +7.5 (-108) | Hornets -7.5 (-112) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Blazers: Deni Avdija<\/a>, (GTD – Back); Donovan Clingan<\/a>, (GTD – Illness); Shaedon Sharpe<\/a>, (OUT – Calf); Damian Lillard<\/a>, (OFS – Achilles)<\/p>\n Hornets: None reported<\/p>\n Line: Rockets -2.5 (-110) | Heat +2.5 (-110) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr.<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Jae’Sean Tate<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Fred VanVleet<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Steven Adams<\/a>, (OFS – Ankle)<\/p>\n Heat: Nikola Jovic<\/a>, (OUT – Back); Norman Powell<\/a>, (OUT – Groin); Terry Rozier<\/a>, (OUT – Not Injury Related)<\/p>\n Line: Raptors -13.5 (-105) | Wizards +13.5 (-115) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles<\/a>, (GTD – Thumb); Chucky Hepburn<\/a>, (OUT – Knee)<\/p>\n Wizards: Kyshawn George<\/a>, (GTD – Knee); Tristan Vukcevic<\/a>, (GTD – Hip); Will Riley<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle); D’Angelo Russell<\/a>, (OUT – Not Injury Related); Trae Young<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Alex Sarr<\/a>, (OUT – Hamstring); Anthony Davis<\/a>, (OUT – Finger); Cam Whitmore<\/a>, (OFS – Shoulder)<\/p>\n Line: Lakers -4.5 (-105) | Warriors +4.5 (-115) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Lakers: Rui Hachimura<\/a>, (GTD – Illness)<\/p>\n Warriors: Draymond Green<\/a>, (GTD – Back); Kristaps Porzingis<\/a>, (GTD – Illness); Stephen Curry<\/a>, (OUT – Knee); Seth Curry<\/a>, (OUT – Back); Jimmy Butler III<\/a>, (OFS – Knee)<\/p>\n Line: Pelicans -6.5 (-108) | Jazz +6.5 (-112) Injury Report:<\/p>\n Pelicans: Yves Missi<\/a>, (GTD – Calf); Trey Murphy III<\/a>, (OUT – Shoulder)<\/p>\n Jazz: Vince Williams Jr.<\/a>, (OFS – Knee); Keyonte George<\/a>, (GTD – Ankle); Lauri Markkanen<\/a>, (OUT – Ankle); Jaren Jackson Jr.<\/a>, (OFS – Knee); Jusuf Nurkic<\/a>, (OFS – Nose); Walker Kessler<\/a>, (OFS – Shoulder)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jim McCormickFeb 28, 2026, 10:00 AM ET CloseJim McCormick is a contributing writer for fantasy football and men’s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630849,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3784],"tags":[7,601,6,687,471,3967,1617],"class_list":{"0":"post-630848","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-portland-trail-blazers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-blazers","10":"tag-nba","11":"tag-portland","12":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","13":"tag-portlandtrailblazers","14":"tag-trail-blazers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116149922026751775","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Top streamers<\/a> | Best bets<\/a> | DFS picks<\/a> | Odds & Injury report<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/flb-1320x528_03.jpg\")
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<\/a>![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/r1620384_1296x1296_1-1.jpg&w=130&h=130&scale=crop&location=center.jpeg\")
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Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> at Charlotte Hornets<\/a>
1 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Blazers +260 | Hornets -325
Total: 229.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Hornets by 6.8, straight up 70%, 228.7 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772307036_198_hou.png\")
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Houston Rockets<\/a> at Miami Heat<\/a>
3:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Rockets -142 | Heat +120
Total: 225.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Rockets by 3.1, straight up 59%, 230.5 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772307037_0_tor.png\")
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Toronto Raptors<\/a> at Washington Wizards<\/a>
7 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Raptors -850 | Wizards +575
Total: 227.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Raptors by 13.6, straight up 84%, 228.0 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772307038_665_lal.png\")
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Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> at Golden State Warriors<\/a>
8:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Lakers -180 | Warriors +150
Total: 230.5 (-108 O, -112 U)
BPI Projection: Warriors by 1.5, straight up 55%, 231.4 total points.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772307039_259_no.png\")
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New Orleans Pelicans<\/a> at Utah Jazz<\/a>
9:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Money line: Pelicans -258 | Jazz +210
Total: 245.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Pelicans by 6.7, straight up 69%, 248.8 total points.<\/p>\n