NBA Fantasy Picks Tonight: Top Fantasy Basketball Plays for NBA on TNT 10/31

Thursday night brings us just three NBA games, with a couple of injuries (notably Trae Young's sprained ankle) shaking up the slate.

With limited options, it's that much more important to make the right NBA fantasy plays for the night. Here are five options to consider for Thursday night's schedule.

1. Kawhi Leonard, SF, Los Angeles Clippers

Kawhi Leonard got a "load management" day on Wednesday, which means he should be full-go tonight against the San Antonio Spurs. With Paul George still sidelined following offseason shoulder surgery, Kawhi has opened the 2019-20 campaign with a massive 37.5% usage rate. He's averaging 52.1 fantasy points per game on the year, despite only playing 21 minutes in one of his four outings (a blowout win over the Golden State Warriors), and he remains an elite fantasy option with George on the shelf.

2. John Collins, PF, Atlanta Hawks

John Collins may not replace Trae Young directly, but Young's absence gives his fantasy value a big boost. Last season he saw his usage rate jump from 23.9 percent with Young on the floor to 28.7 percent with Young off the floor. He's seen a similar jump (19.2 percent on, 24.5 percent off) in a small sample to open this season. The Miami Heat are looking like a solid matchup for fantasy this year as well, opening the season playing at the NBA's second-highest pace (108.8) through four games.

3. De'Andre Bembry, SG, Atlanta Hawks

Unlike Collins, De'Andre Bembry likely will do much of the heavy lifting by directly replacing Young. The Hawks haven't announced a starting lineup for tonight, but Bembry did start the second half after Young made an early exit on Tuesday, playing 16.6 minutes in the half. He doesn't have a massive ceiling, but averaging 12.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per 36 minutes positions him well to return some solid fantasy value with a potential up-tick in playing time.

4. Bryn Forbes, PG, San Antonio Spurs

Bryn Forbes may be flying under the radar to start the year, but the San Antonio Spurs are playing him for 31.3 minutes per game. He's combined that with a career-high 18.3 percent usage rate to average 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game to open the year. That low usage keeps his upside relatively low, especially against a tough Los Angeles Clippers defense, but he's been consistent with at least 22 fantasy points in all three games to open the season.

5. Meyers Leonard, C, Miami Heat

Meyers Leonard doesn't offer much consistency, but his upside is easy to like. His minutes have been volatile, with totals of 19, 24, 14 and 25 through four games, and his fantasy production has followed. He posted a season-high in both minutes and fantasy points in his last game, though, and when he's on the court he's always a threat for big numbers. Over the last two seasons the 7-footer has averaged 14.9 points, 9.6 boards and 2.9 assists per 36 minutes, and tonight he'll have the opportunity to beat up on a Hawks teams that ranks only 23rd in total rebound rate (48.3 percent).

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.