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Squad Up Daily NBA Fantasy Dose: Towns, Rubio take on weary Mavericks

Jeffrey Becker / USA TODAY Sports

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Here is a look at the Squad Up daily NBA fantasy picture for Sunday, Jan. 15:

Dynamic Duos

  • C Karl-Anthony Towns (92K) & PG Ricky Rubio (51K), Timberwolves (at Mavericks): Towns will run roughshod through the poor interior presence of the Mavericks. Rubio always makes for a nice pairing with Towns. When the flashy passer is at his best, he raises the ceiling of all his teammates on offense; that he substantially lowers the average cap hit is an added bonus.
  • SG DeMar DeRozan (75K) & PG Kyle Lowry (74K), Raptors (vs. Knicks): The Raptors' two-headed scoring monster in the backcourt has a stable floor, making cash-game returns a possibility. Both are also vying for last-minute All-Star votes ahead of Monday's deadline. Expect them to put on a show against a high-profile Knicks team (fielding a brutal defense).
  • C Andre Drummond (85K) & PG Reggie Jackson (64K), Pistons (at Lakers): The Lakers have overtaken the Nuggets for the dubious honor of having the worst defensive efficiency in the league. They're also playing their second game in as many nights. The Pistons aren't world-beaters but Drummond and Jackson offer tournament appeal.

Bargain Plays

  • PG Seth Curry (36K), Mavericks (vs. Timberwolves): Curry has averaged close to 10-2-3 with 1.9 3-point shots made and 1.3 steals per game since Dec. 9. The T-Wolves have a bottom-10 defensive efficiency, allowing 107 points per 100 possessions, and Curry will likely have an even easier time by largely going against the bench unit defense.
  • SF Michael Beasley (29K), Bucks (at Hawks): Over his last three games -- all close contests -- Beasley has averaged 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists. As with any role player in Jason Kidd's rotation, his playing time is subject to change without notice; he played as few as 16 minutes and as many as 34 over that three-game stretch. Consider him a tournament play.
  • C Boban Marjanovich (29K), Pistons (at Lakers): Few people are ubiquitous enough to go by just one name. Sting. Madonna. Boban? The behemoth has appeared in five straight games, averaging 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over the final four. At 7-foot-3 and nearly 300 pounds, he doesn't need much floor time to make a big impact. If he can get to 15 minutes again, he'll probably return decent value.

Top Fades

  • PG Mike Conley (72K), Grizzlies (vs. Bulls): Conley is averaging 20.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.6 rebounds over his last seven games, but with few true perimeter threats on Memphis, it's likely that Conley will be targeted by lockdown defender Jimmy Butler should he start to heat up on offense.
  • SF Rudy Gay (69K), Kings (vs. Thunder): The Thunder have held opponents to the sixth-lowest 3-point percentage this season, and though Gay doesn't rely too heavily on his outside shot to score, it does limit his ability to return value at this price point.
  • PF JaMychal Green (48K), Grizzlies (vs. Bulls): Green is second on the team in rebounds per game (7.4) but doesn't offer significant contributions in any other area. The Bulls have the second-highest rebound rate in the NBA, corralling 52.7% of all missed shots. With a limited role in the offense and a bad outlook on the glass, don't bother with Green.

Contrarian Options

  • PF Gorgui Dieng (47K), Timberwolves (at Mavericks): Dieng is coming off one of his worst games of the season, tallying four points and three rebounds against the Thunder on Friday. In the six games prior, he had averaged 11.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game; getting the rebounds needed for a double-double bonus will come easier against a Mavericks team that ranks dead last in rebound rate (46.2%).
  • SG Tim Hardaway Jr. (42K), Hawks (vs. Bucks): Hardaway will face a bevy of capable Bucks defenders in Matthew Dellavedova, Malcolm Brogdon and Tony Snell. Atlanta has made its desire to trade Hardaway known, so expect them to continue to showcase his ability with extended playing time. He's averaging 18.2 points per game over his last six.
  • C Montrezl Harrell (50K), Rockets (at Nets): Harrell's high efficiency shots allow him to post solid scoring numbers on limited attempts, but he's still failed to surpass 10 points in either of his previous two games. That should change against Brooklyn, which features the fastest pace in the league with one of the worst defensive efficiencies.

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