Fantasy Basketball Top Plays and Fades, Thursday January 3

DENVER, CO – APRIL 05: Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets puts up a jump shot against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Pepsi Center on April 5, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Fantasy Basketball Top Plays /

Welcome into the Thursday edition of Fantasy Basketball Top Plays and Fades! We only have three games on tap tonight so we can’t be quite as picky as normal when choosing the player pool.

You know what that taste is right now? That tastes like chalk, and if you’re playing NBA tonight, you might want to eat a healthy dose of it with your Fantasy Basketball Top Plays. With James Harden on the slate once again and Kawhi Leonard getting to face the Spurs for the first time, most players are going to flock to the same two building blocks. I’m not going to write those two up, but I would be surprised if those two didn’t wind up being my two highest owned players no matter where I’m playing tonight. Let’s try to figure out who else to compliment those two with tonight.

Fantasy Basketball Top Plays – Point Guard

Top Play – Jamal Murray, Nuggets

The past four games have been the definition of up and down for Murray. In two of them, he’s scored 31 and 46 real life points. In the other two, he’s scored a total 17 combined and he should be more towards the 30 point side of things with upside to spare.

The Kings allow the fifth most Dk points to the position and the 12th most real life points. With most folks spending on different spots, Murray might come in at a much lower ownership than he normally would on a slate like this and is a very attractive option.

Honorable Mention – Derrick White, Spurs

Fade – Fred VanVleet, Raptors

Even with the very slim pickings at the position on FanDuel, I’m going to have a very hard time landing on VanVleet even if Kyle Lowry remains out. He’s officially listed as a game time decision but is closer to doubtful as this is being written. Regardless, I’m not really fired up to play a backup point guard in an average matchup when his teammate is going to be out to have the best game possible.

Kawhi Leonard wants to show the Spurs they made a big mistake after everything that happened last season, and I don’t see VanVleet all that involved in this one. I would much rather play White on both sites.

Honorable Mention – Austin Rivers(DK only)

SAN ANTONIO,TX – OCTOBER 17 : DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs is fouled by Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in closing seconds in season opener at AT&T Center on October 17 , 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Basketball Top Plays – Shooting Guard

Top Play – DeMar DeRozan, Raptors

I don’t think tomorrow would be complete without at least one lineup playing the revenge factor all the way around. Not only was Kawhi and the Spurs relationship basically ruined, DeRozan was pretty hurt that he was traded as well. DDR is going to want to prove his point and he get’s a very nice spot to do it in. The Raptors are a good defensive squad but they aren’t great in the mid-range game, which is a staple for DeRozan. 46.9 percent of his field goal attempts have come from within 10-19 feet this season and the Raptors give up the third highest percentage from 10-14 feet and the seventh highest from 15-19 feet.

If DeRozan decides to drive the hoop(which he does 18.9 times a game), the Spurs are 11th worst from within five feet. Every style of shot that DeRozan excels at is something the Spurs don’t defend well. Complete the cycle of sweet revenge and pair Kawhi and DeRozan together.

Honorable Mention – James Harden, Rockets who is still criminally underpriced on DK

Fade – Buddy Hield, Kings

First thing’s first with Hield and it’s not that I hate him. I would rather play Bogdan Bogdanovic because he’s cheaper across both sites. Granted, it’s not a huge savings but it is something and you need every dollar tonight. The second part to not really liking Hield is the matchup. His fantasy worth is driven by his points and typically not much else.

Denver only gives up 18.8 points a night to the shooting guard position and they saw Gary Harris make his return to the lineup. His minutes should creep up from the 20 he played this past game as he works back from injury, making life even more difficult for the young Kings guard. I’ll likely pass and save Hield for a better spot.

Honorable Mention – Klay Thompson, Warriors

SAN ANTONIO,TX – JANUARY 23 : Davis Bertans #42 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts after a turnover against the Cleveland Cavaliers at AT&T Center on January 23, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Basketball Top Plays – Small Forward

Top Play – Davis Bertans, Spurs

I’d be a bold-faced liar if I said I was totally in love with this one because the Spurs can be a little flaky with their role players. However, you need to find value somewhere and with Rudy Gay unlikely to play, Bertans could be it. Now, on FanDuel I would have some interest in Gary Harris at a super cheap price as well but Bertans can be played at the SF position on both sites. This past game when Gay was down and out, Bertans played nearly 28 minutes.

It’s a bit odd to me that Pau Gasol still hasn’t played more than six minutes, but as things stand it doesn’t seem smart to project him to do much. Bertans can rack up fantasy points in a hurry because he’s approaching a 49 percent shooting percentage from three-point land. The Raptors do defend that particular shot well, but at the price tag there’s no reason to shy away from Bertans tonight. The only way he doesn’t have a shot at value is coaching.

Honorable Mention – Kevin Durant, Warriors

Fade – Juancho Hernangomez, Nuggets

This one really doesn’t need much explanation. The Nuggets have seen both Paul Millsap and Gary Harris return from injures and that has cut the minutes down dramatically for Hernangomez, at least if the Knicks game was any indication. There was never much special fantasy wise about him, it was just he saw so many minutes a night when Denver needed him. With that element of the game gone and his price still at $5,000 or higher across both sites, he is simply unplayable right now.

Honorable Mention – Danuel House if James Ennis is back for the Rockets

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 23: Paul Millsap #4 of the Denver Nuggets plays the Orlando Magic at the Pepsi Center on November 23, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Basketball Top Plays – Power Forward

Top Play – Paul Millsap, Nuggets

There’s not a slate that goes by that includes the Sacramento Kings that I won’t try to pick on their front court and Millsap is the absolutely perfect way to do it tonight. Since he only has two games under his belt since coming back, we get a nice discount on a player of his talent level as it is. Once you add in the sift interior for the Kings and it’s a perfect spot to use Millsap.

He averages five paint touches a game and the Kings are bottom five in paint points allowed and are the flat worst rebounding team in the paint across the league. The big man has seen his rebounds decrease over the past three seasons but he can still get it done. He just missed a double double this past game in only 22 minutes and if he starts to see closer to his season average of 26, he could dominate in this game.

Honorable Mention – Pascal Siakam, Raptors

Fade – Draymond Green, Warriors

I’m not sure exactly what is going on with Green but I’m about done trying to play him and figure it out. He’s never been a high usage player and it’s hard when you play with Durant, Curry and Klay. Still, he’s only a little higher than Kevan Looney and is only at 0.13 more FPPM than the role player for Golden State.

The price tag seems crazy on DK especially, as he’s dropped below $6,000. That will bother me all day but even if you just take a 10 game snapshot, he’s missed value at current price six of those 10. Especially on a smaller slate, I don’t want to have my score dragged down by Green when there are different options around him. Millsap is cheaper on both sites and if I miss a big game from Green, I’m content knowing the process was sound going into the night.

Honorable Mention – Serge Ibaka, Raptors

SAN ANTONIO,TX – APRIL 1 : Clint Capela #15 of the Houston Rockets hangs on the rim after a dunk against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on April 1 , 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /

Fantasy Basketball Top Plays – Center

Top Play – Clint Capela, Rockets

If you just look at the history, Capela seems out-of-place here. Through 12 games, he’s averaging 11 points and barely seven boards. Truth be told, I might not use him all that much because I want that salary for other spots. What I do know is the Warriors have been more susceptible to centers than in season’s past, and they are giving up the fifth highest field goal percentage on shots from within five feet of the basket.

More from FanSided

Capela ranks first in paint touches, paint points and 12th in rebounding chances per game. The Warriors are giving up the 11th most real points to centers, followed by the ninth most rebounds. Capela could quietly be one of the better plays on the slate if he can hang with the pace and I suspect he can.

Honorable Mention – Nikola Jokic, Nuggets

Fade – Willie Cauley-Stein, Kings

There’s not exactly a plethora of options at the position on FD but I still don’t want to play Cauley-Stein here. On DK, I might just use Millsap when I can’t afford Capela since he’s significantly cheaper but we don’t have that luxury on FD. The Nuggets are already allowing the sixth fewest DK points to centers and Millsap being back in the lineup isn’t going to make life easier for Cauley-Stein.

I expect those two to have their way and really can’t see using him tonight. If you’re on FD and don’t want to spend all the way up, I might suggest punting with Looney. They’ll need him to try to contain Capela as best he can. The issue with that is the Warriors could just play small and try to run Capela off the court.

Honorable Mention – None

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