DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 2/18/21

With only three games 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

LeBron James ($10,200) - In one of the two premier, national-televised games on Thursday, the top matchup has to be LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers against James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and the Brooklyn Nets. You'll notice that I didn't mention Kevin Durant or Anthony Davis, and that's because both are expected to sit this game out with injuries. Davis' absence means James will the way even more for L.A. -- something he's done to the tune of a 33.2% usage rate when AD has been off the floor this season compared to 30.4% with him. He should post a monster line versus a Brooklyn squad that ranks 26th in defense, according to NBA.com.

Dennis Schroder ($5,800) - As with James, Schroder too will benefit from Davis being sidelined tonight. On the year, his DraftKings points per minute jump from 0.85 alongside the big man to 0.91 (on a 22.7% usage rate) in the more than 250 minutes without him. In his team's last game without Davis, Schroder played 32 minutes and poured in 24 points on his way to 39.25 DK points. In fact, he has four games of 35-plus in his last six, all while playing more than 30 minutes. In what projects to be a close game, he's in line for a full workload versus the Nets.

Shooting Guard

Norman Powell ($6,400) - Outside of KD and AD, one of the other pieces of injury news lies with the Raptors, who could or could not be without point guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry is questionable due to an ankle sprain he suffered on Tuesday night, and in the event, he sits it should have a trickle-down effect to someone like Powell. We would likely see Fred VanVleet play the majority of point guard minutes and Powell play the two alongside him and OG Anunoby. Powell has shown out in bigger minutes this season, including 7 20-point games in his last 10 contests, not to mention a juicy 23.7% usage rate without Lowry.

Tyler Herro ($5,900) - Tonight's more off-the-grid game features the Miami Heat taking on the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, where the Heat are on the second night of a back-to-back yet favored by three, according to NBA Finals odds. Their 112.75 implied total is more than six points above their average per game this season, as they should have their numbers boosted by the Kings' bottom-of-the-barrel defense. Herro should continue to play 30 to 35 minutes without Goran Dragic, and that should translate to a high scoring total for the second time in three nights.

Small Forward

Jimmy Butler ($8,800) - The game environment is that good, meaning Butler should get his fair share of opportunities, as well. And for him, and those who like to roster him, that could very much lead to a 50-point fantasy night -- a feat he has accomplished five times since returning prior to Wednesday night. If you want to have LeBron at your point spot, you could do a lot worse than starting with him and Butler as your top-salary guys on a short slate like this.

OG Anunoby ($6,000) - Like Powell, Anunoby could also benefit from Lowry taking his usage and playmaking with him to the Toronto bench. Granted, there could be some worry over him playing just his second game back from injury, but in his first appearance, he went for 13 points and 27.75 DK points across 27 minutes. It's likely that he plays north of 30 in this one, which should help him to go for 30 to 35 DK points in an up-tempo game with Milwaukee. The Bucks rate fourth in pace and average 1.4 more possessions per game than the Raptors.

Power Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,900) -- On the opposite side of that Eastern Conference clash, Giannis will aim to get his squad back on track after four straight losses. That has undoubtedly been a product of Jrue Holiday's absence due to COVID, but by timeframe alone, it doesn't seem like he should be back for this one either. It should be a hard-fought game much like the one in which Giannis scored 34 points with a double-double and 72.5 DK points two nights ago. His 56.6 DK points per game are unmatched and worthwhile, withstanding the slate-high salary.

Kyle Kuzma ($6,700) - Like both James and Schroder, Kuzma will feel the effect of Davis' inactive status for this one. The 25-year-old has really been stepping up his play of late -- both with and without Davis -- and it's showing in his stat lines. Prior to a dud last time out he was able to score 15 points and grab at least 8 rebounds in three straight games, all going for 30 or more fantasy points. It's also worth noting that his NBA Wowy splits show an increase of 0.12 DK points per minute when Davis is off the court.

Center

Bam Adebayo ($8,200) - Stacking Miami because of the jump in tempo and opposing defense might be the way to go, and if you agree you can't ignore the steadiness of the Heat big man. Adebayo has seen his usage and upside fall since Butler came back into the fold, but even since then he has averaged 43.9 DK points thanks to six double-double nights and a 22.9% usage rate that rates second on the team in that span. According to FantasyPros, he now draws a defense that ranks 29th in the NBA, allowing 59.9 DK points per game to opposing centers.

Hassan Whiteside ($4,600) - This play is 100% tied to Richaun Holmes' knee injury, which will keep him out Thursday for a second consecutive game. In the same vein, Whiteside is in line for another start after popping off in a big way on Monday, when he turned 24 minutes into 26 points, 16 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 58 DK points. If he were to do that again, you are getting better than two times his salary-implied total of just 23. Adebayo and the Heat could give him problems, but I'm sure Whiteside has bone or two to pick with them. How could you go wrong with the numbers and the narrative in this salary range?

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.