DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 3/25/21

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

De'Aaron Fox ($8,700) - Fox has been almost single-handedly keeping the 18-25 Kings in the running for a play-in tournament spot. He's been good all year, but in the last 10 games he's up to 26.9 points, 8.1 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals a game. His 46.8 DraftKings points per game in that span are 4.5 above his season average and includes three games above the 50-fantasy-point threshold. Fox and company face the Warriors, but with Stephen Curry sidelined, we should see Fox take advantage of matchups against the likes of Jordan Poole, Nico Mannion, and others.

Terance Mann ($3,500) - Mann might be a tournament-only play, but if he is accompanied by a couple of high-salary, elite guys, your lineup could possess monster upside. The salary relief alone is intriguing, but in recent games, he's managed to have a few show-out performances. Of the last 10 games, 5 have seen him exceed 20 DK points, including each of the last two. In those, he's shot 62.5% from the floor for 18.5 real-life points a game, including Monday's double-double. You're not going to find a better option under $4,000.

Shooting Guard

Paul George ($7,800) - Mann, George and the Clippers shouldn't be held down by the Spurs. According to NBA.com, their defense is 10th on the season, but they have allowed a respectable 109.7 points per 100 possessions on their home floor, where they are this evening. But to boost George further, his salary has fallen $400 in three days and exactly $1,000 in the span of his last 10 matchups. Before going cold against the Atlanta Hawks, PG had gone back-to-back games with 20-plus points, 5-plus assists, and 5-plus rebounds, finishing with 45 or more DK points in each.

Jordan Poole ($6,100) - On Thursday, the Warriors and Kings check in with a 223 over/under, according to NBA Finals odds. Of course, that's lower than what you would imagine if Curry were healthy and in the lineup, but it's still worth targeting for fantasy purposes. Poole, who has taken on a larger role as a scorer sans Curry, should benefit as much as anyone. Playing 37 minutes per contest in the last three, he has managed to rack up 23.3 points and 34.0 DK points a game on a 23% usage rate. Given his reliance on scoring, it would be wise to limit exposure to tournaments only.

Small Forward

RJ Barrett ($6,800) - Barrett really turned his season around. After starting things off slow, shooting just 34.6% in December, the second-year wing has improved his shooting to 45.9%, 44.1%, and 51.8% in the months of January, February, and March, respectively. Thanks to his better-than-50% conversion rate, Barrett has averaged 20.8 points and 34.5 DK points in his nine games this month. His good form should play well against a Washington squad that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to small forwards, per FantasyPros.

Buddy Hield ($6,500) - The matchup with Golden State is solid. While they come into the night ranked in the top-10 in defensive rating, their second-ranked pace should only add to the Kings' typical up-and-down game. That, combined with Hield's enhanced role because of Marvin Bagley's absence, should help him to a productive evening. In the four games since Bagley's gone down, Hield is third on the team at 35.3 minutes a game, which he has turned into 20.5 real-life points on 45.2% shooting and 46.7% from three-point land. His high-scoring ceiling makes him a slightly better tournament than cash play tonight.

Power Forward

Julius Randle ($10,200) - Barrett isn't the only one in a juicy spot versus the Wizards. Randle's breakout, All-Star campaign continues on, most recently going for 37 points in Tuesday's win. Faced with the Wiz for a second straight game, the versatile big man is now averaging 30.5 points, 53.8% shooting, and 52.3 DK points per game against them in two matchups. He appears to thrive from their league-leading pace, and a 226.5 over/under forecasts more of the same here tonight.

Kelly Oubre ($6,200) - For the Warriors, it comes down to the Chef's absence. Per NBA Wowy, Oubre sees just a 1.1% increase in usage sans Curry, but his fantasy points per minute balloon from 0.93 to 0.98 in that sample of 300-plus minutes and 700-plus possessions. He should be above a DK point per minute when all is said and done, too, given the fantasy-friendly matchup against the Kings. They allow a solid 42.4 DK points per game to the position.

Center

James Wiseman ($4,800) - You should be opting for savings at center tonight, and it all starts with Wiseman. In what should be that same high-scoring game out in Sac-Town, the rookie big will be playing in his second game back from the COVID list and since coach Steve Kerr said he would be in the starting five for the remainder of the season. He saw 26 minutes in the last game, as he produced 21 DK points despite 5-of-13 shooting. His role demands a high roster percentage tonight.

Tony Bradley ($4,300) - Compared to Wiseman, Bradley is the far better tournament play given salary and unpredictability. Following a game in which he scored 0 points with 10 DK points to his name, he turned around to turn 33 minutes into an 8-for-8 shooting night, a double-double, and 40.75 DK points. He's continued to split time with Dwight Howard at center, but Philadelphia could opt to rest the veteran big while the getting is good for the shorthanded Sixers. The fact that the Lakers are severely undermanned only adds to the appeal.

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 authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.