This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Thursday's NBA slate features six games and begins at 7:00 PM Eastern time. With the West's top three teams and the East's bottom two all in action, there are plenty of strong choices to pick from and weak opponents to exploit. FanDuel's format only counts the eight highest scores in your nine-player lineup, so keep that in mind when making your selections.
POINT GUARD
D.J. Augustin, ORL vs. GS ($4,800): Augustin has ramped his workload all the way back up, playing 27, 27 and 29 minutes in the past three games. He's chipped in 13.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 6.3 APG over those three contests. Those are great numbers for a $4,800 point guard, and Augustin's high playing time floor and involvement in Orlando's offense should lead to another strong performance against a Warriors team that could be a step slow in the second leg of a road back-to-back.
Tyus Jones, MIN at IND ($5,300): Jones has averaged 35.4 fantasy points in 32 minutes per game over the past three, starting the last two with Jeff Teague battling a knee injury. Teague's likely to sit out again, giving Jones the opportunity to start. Even against Indiana's stingy defense, Jones is a can't-miss play at $5,300.
SHOOTING GUARD
Donovan Mitchell, UTA at DEN ($9,000): Mitchell started his season in a sophomore slump, but he's been terrific for a while now, with 27.7 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 5.1 APG in 15 January contests followed by 24.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 4.9 APG in seven February games prior to Wednesday's 32-point, four-rebound, four-assist effort in a win over the Clippers. Even on the second leg of a back-to-back, Mitchell should continue to drive Utah's offense.
Dion Waiters, MIA at HOU ($5,700): Waiters has seen a sizable increase in playing time of late, averaging 33 minutes per game in the six prior to Wednesday's forgivable clunker against Golden State. He's made the most of that increased role, providing 29.3 or more fantasy points in four of those six contests while averaging 17.0 PPG. Look for Waiters to keep putting the ball in the basket at a high rate against a Houston team that struggles to defend in its own barn. The Rockets allow the 13th-fewest points per game overall, but the 12th-most at home (112.2).
SMALL FORWARD
Cedi Osman, CLE at NY ($5,200): Osman's 27-point effort Monday against Portland was his fourth time scoring 25-plus points in his past 10 appearances. The 23-year-old forward should continue to show off his offensive skills in this favorable matchup against a Knicks team that ranks among the league's five most generous with a 112.5 defensive rating.
JJ Redick, PHI at OKC ($5,800): Redick's role as the shooting specialist in Philadelphia's starting lineup has remained constant despite all the moving parts around him. In seven games since Tobias Harris made his 76ers debut, Redick's averaging 17.4 PPG, right in line with his season mark of 18.2. He should get ample opportunities to connect from deep against a Thunder team that plays at the league's third-fastest pace (104.2).
POWER FORWARD
Henry Ellenson, NY vs. CLE ($4,500): At just $4,500, Ellenson's worth targeting in hopes of a repeat of his last game -- 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Detroit's 18th overall selection in the 2016 draft has been a bust up to this point, but the big man with range may have found a home with a Knicks club that has nothing to lose by letting Ellenson strut his stuff. If his most recent performance is a precursor of things to come in New York, don't expect Ellenson to stay this cheap for long. He gets a great opportunity to back that effort up against a Cavaliers team with a league-worst defensive rating (116.0) and net rating (minus-10.4).
Kevin Love, CLE at NY ($7,500): Love's underpriced at $7,500 now that his workload's ramping up. He's gone from 22 minutes to 25 to 28 over the past three games, recording double-doubles in each en route to 22.0 PPG and 11.7 RPG. Take advantage of this opportunity against the lowly Knicks before Love's price starts to climb along with his playing time.
CENTER
Mitchell Robinson, NY vs. CLE ($7,400): Robinson's flown under the radar for a Knicks team that's bringing up the rear in the East, but Robinson's output over the past two games is becoming impossible to ignore. He became the seventh rookie in the last 30 years to post double-doubles with five-plus blocks in back-to-back games, joining David Robinson, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming. Even if he falls short of the 16.0 PPG, 14.0 RPG and 5.5 blocks per game he's managed in these past two, Robinson should outperform his $7,400 valuation against a Cavaliers team that's only one game up on the Knicks in the standings.
