DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 2/11/21

With five games to choose from on Thursday's slate -- which locks at 7:30 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Ben Simmons ($8,300) - According to NBA Finals odds, the Philadelphia 76ers come into Thursday night with a 117.5 implied team total with a 229.5 over/under between them and the Portland Trail Blazers. That's already reason enough to gravitate to Simmons compared to Stephen Curry and the higher-salary point guards, but the Blazers have also struggled to limit opposing floor generals. Damian Lillard and company have allowed 54.1 DraftKings points per game to the position, including league-worsts in points and boards, according to FantasyPros. And as always, Simmons provides a lot of flexibility as a guy who can slide into one of your forward spots.

Frank Mason ($4,000) - If you aren't looking to invest at point guard, Mason should be your guy at a lower salary point. Cole Anthony has been deemed questionable with a shoulder strain, so if he sits it will be on the recently signee to start and play big minutes against Golden State. In his last two appearances Mason has averaged 22.9 DK points a game and 0.78 per minute in 26 and 33 minutes played. Per NBA.com, he had just a 18.2% usage rate last game, but he managed to assist on 16.7% of his team's made field goals while on the floor. That should be enough for him to contribute versus Golden State's top-five pace.

Shooting Guard

Victor Oladipo ($7,800) - Oladipo is really struggling with his shot over the last four games. His 34.7% conversion rate is 6.5% lower than his shooting in his first six games as a member of the Houston Rockets, yet he has managed 16.0 points and 32.4 DK points during this rough patch. That's despite three blowouts that could have only limited his minutes in both wins and losses. If he's able to get his shot back on track he could turn out a big performance at a $300 discount to his salary just one game ago. The matchup between Houston and Miami isn't one to sleep on, especially on a five-game slate.

Josh Jackson ($5,800) - A game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons doesn't sound all that great for fantasy or viewing purposes. However, some tight rotations -- further narrowed by injuries and trades -- could make for a few solid plays between the two. Jackson is one of those guys, benefiting from both the departure of Derrick Rose and the inconsistent play of Wayne Ellington. The result has been an average of 29.0 minutes and 33.3 DK points in the last five. During that span, he has double-digit shots in every game with an improved 43.8% from deep. The Pacers are a middle-of-the-road defense that allows the ninth-most points per game to the shooting guard position.

Small Forward

Jimmy Butler ($8,400) - Same game, different set of circumstances for Butler as compared to Oladipo. Since the All-Star has returned from his stay on the healthy and safety protocols list, he has hit the ground running with 48.4 DK points on a 26.9% usage rate and across 34 minutes a night. In addition to his scoring, he has distributed at least eight assists in five of the six with no fewer than seven rebounds in any one game. He's really doing it all for Miami, and that's reason to prioritize him against a Houston team that struggles with Christian Wood out of the lineup.

Justin Holiday ($5,700) - Holiday is one of those guys you can look to help finish out your lineup on any given night. The Indiana swingman has logged big minutes this year, as he's averaged 31.4 minutes per game and an even more substantial 33 over his 15 starts. In his sample as a starter he's averaged 24 DK points despite a measly 12.6% usage rate. That's not enough to fulfill his salary-implied total, but recently Holiday has shown the ability to score 15 to 20 points and exceed the 30-fantasy-point mark. You can feel good locking him in against Detroit's struggling defense.

Power Forward

Juan Toscano-Anderson ($5,100) -- Playing on a two-way contract, the 27-year-old has been making a name for himself as a role player for the Warriors. With injuries in the frontcourt, he has started four straight games across the forward spots, playing an average of 32.3 minutes and tallying up 27.4 DK points a contest in the process. Outside of a two-point game against Dallas, he has been scoring around 10 points but doing a lot more in the way of crashing the boards. He should have the same role and provide the same production with James Wiseman and Kevon Looney still out.

Danuel House Jr. ($4,800) - House is a great stacking candidate to go with Oladipo and/or Cousins. He, like Justin Holiday, is getting the kind of minutes you look for in a dude at his salary on a limited slate like this. Going back to January 30th he has seen 25 or more minutes in every game with three in the 30s -- precisely 30 in his one start. He has returned less than 0.85 DK points per minute, but with House, it's about accumulating stats in a high quantity of minutes. The lack of quality is a pill you swallow here.

Center

DeMarcus Cousins ($6,900) - As we alluded to before, Wood is going to be out for this one, meaning Cousins should see his eighth start of the year at center. And while he has failed to live up to Wood's defensive ability, he has been a fantasy monster when given a full complement of minutes. In only the games he has played 30 or more minutes he has averaged a double-double and 40.6 DK points thanks to a 23.2% usage rate. Even against a solid defender like Bam Adebayo, Cousins is a top-notch play in what should be a close game throughout.

Chris Boucher ($6,000) - Venturing into the mid-tier at center seems to be the way to go this evening. Boucher has been off the fantasy radar of late, however, he has since bounced back with another string of 30-plus fantasy point games. In the last three, he has garnered 29.7 minutes and turned them into 38.4 DK points -- made up of two double-doubles and five blocks across those three. So long as he gets the same size workload Boucher should return value against Boston. The Celtics are 17th in defensive rating and rank in the bottom of the league versus centers.

Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.