Christian Braun

Braun has begun to take off recently, providing improved value on both ends of the floor. The five steals were a career-high, and he also provided solid points, rebounds, and assists in 36 minutes on the floor. He's providing top 50 per-game value, something few expected before the season began. And it isn't as if Braun is doing anything "super-human" to be a top 50 fantasy player. He should be rostered in more than 51% of Yahoo leagues as he currently is.

In addition to Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets will be without Nikola Jokic (personal reasons) in New Orleans. As a result, Saric moves into the starting lineup, and he has a shot at fantasy relevance due to Denver's lack of depth.

Christian Braun is enjoying a breakout season as the starting shooting guard in Denver.

With Jamal Murray back in the lineup, Braun's production was something to watch during Friday's game. He played well, making the most of his opportunities and scoring 21 points. Braun has accounted for 20 or more in two straight games, which is the first time he's done so as a professional. Fantasy managers aren't expecting Braun to provide 20 points (or more) per night, but being a credible offensive threat will boost his value.

Braun had one of the best performances of his career in this game. He fell one point shy of tying his career-high for points, but he was able to set a new career-high for 3-pointers. Braun has been a top-50 player in 9-cat leagues so far with the best averages of his career across the board. This statistical jump was unexpected, and he has been more than the beneficiary of a larger role. Getting Braun in the later rounds seems like it will end up being a league-winning move based on the early results.