This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
The NBA closes out the month of February with eight games on the schedule Thursday. After a busy Wednesday, six of the 12 teams that will take the floor will be playing the second game of a back-to-back. This late in the season, keep your eye on the news leading up to tip off in case teams decide to rest players. As things currently stand, here are some options to target and avoid while creating your Yahoo lineup.
GUARDS
Donovan Mitchell, UTA at DEN ($32): The Jazz are one of the teams that just played Wednesday. The good news is that they won against the Clippers and Mitchell scored 39.8 Yahoo points, marking the sixth time across his last seven games that he's scored at least 33.4 Yahoo points. The bad news for the Jazz is that Ricky Rubio left Wednesday with hamstring tightness. With such a quick turnaround, it seems unlikely that he would play in this game. Dante Exum (ankle) is also still out, which should leave Mitchell with more ball handling responsibilities and opportunities for assists.
D.J. Augustin, ORL vs. GS ($12): While his numbers might not be gaudy, Augustin has scored at least 25.5 Yahoo points in four of his last six games. The Magic are already thin at point guard and will likely be without the services of Isaiah Briscoe (concussion) again, who is listed as doubtful. With the Warriors playing at the 10th-fastest pace (101.9 possessions per game) in the league, Augustin should have plenty of opportunities to provide value at this price.
Guard to Avoid
Malik Beasley, DEN vs. UTA ($16): The Nuggets are lucky to have Beasley considering all of the injuries that they have suffered this season. He's played extremely well in an expanded role, but now that everyone is healthy, Beasley has only averaged 9.7 points, three rebounds and 2.3 assists across his last three games. The Jazz have allowed the fourth-fewest points per game (106.7), so this is not the night to put Beasley into your lineup.
FORWARDS
Paul George, OKC vs. PHI ($51): George certainly has one of the highest upsides of anyone set to take the floor Thursday. He's scored at least 60.1 Yahoo points in four of his last six games and has really benefited from the Thunder playing at the third-fastest pace (104.2). The Sixers play at the seventh-fastest pace (102.8) and have allowed 113.3 points per game across their last 10 contests, so don't expect them to be the team that slows down George.
Jonah Bolden, PHI at OKC ($10): Things are getting ugly for the Sixers up front. Joel Embiid (knee) remains sidelined and now Boban Marjanovic (knee) is also out for at least a week. Bolden actually started in their last game against the Pelicans on Monday and cashed in his 18 minutes for 27.7 Yahoo points. At the minimum price, his expanded role makes him an extremely intriguing option in tournament play.
Forward to Avoid
P.J. Tucker, HOU vs. MIA ($17): The one thing that is never in doubt with Tucker is his playing time. He's one of the most important players on the Rockets, which has led him to average 35 minutes a night. However, he's known more for his defensive abilities than anything else and doesn't always receive a lot of scoring opportunities playing alongside James Harden and Chris Paul. That's help contribute to him scoring 26.6 Yahoo points or fewer in six of his last seven games. Since he's not that cheap, his limited upside makes him tough to deploy.
CENTERS
DeMarcus Cousins, GS at ORL ($31): The Warriors took a proactive approach with Cousins and decided to rest him Wednesday against the Heat. That should make him a safe bet to play Thursday. It also wouldn't be surprising to see the Warriors rest another player or two for this game, which could leave Cousins with even more scoring opportunities. He's playing more minutes now and scored 52.7 Yahoo points against the Hornets on Monday, so don't hesitate to add him to your entry.
Mitchell Robinson, NY vs. CLE ($24): Robinson has been dominant the last two games with DeAndre Jordan (ankle) out, scoring 47.3 and 60.8 Yahoo points, respectively. His ability to block shots provides him with a tremendously high floor and he'll likely receive all of the playing time that he can handle for this matchup with Jordan out once again. His price is climbing, but he's still a great option.
Center to Avoid
Mason Plumlee, DEN vs. UTA ($16): Like Beasley, Plumlee has stepped up when asked to fill in for injured players. Even though Trey Lyles (hamstring) remains out, the Nuggets mostly healthy frontcourt puts a damper on Plumlee's upside. He's scored 24.2 Yahoo points or fewer in three of his last four games and has only averaged 11 Yahoo points across his first two meetings with the Jazz.
