We’re in the final month of the fantasy basketball season and it’s time to look at the stats from the previous week to find gems. Throughout most of the year, we look for a bigger sample size to find the trends, but, teams who aren’t contending will start to open up their rotation to let younger bench players get a few reps. Sometimes, impact players on teams heading for the NBA Draft Lottery are shut down for the rest of the way and we’ll need to be ready to pivot. It’s hard to stay committed to injured players with murky return dates unless you have a lot of IR spots and that’s something to consider down the stretch when it comes to roster management because we need the production at this point with our season’s on the line.

 

 

Trendon Watford SF POR-25% Rostered: The Blazers are running out of options with Anfernee Simons and Justise Winslow hurt. Even when Winslow returns, Watford should still get run in the frontcourt and will help defend the post. Watford has hit the 30-minute mark in 4 of his last 5 outings and he’s scored 22-plus points in his last 2 and double figures in 5 games in a row. Watford also blocked shots in four games during that stretch and with Jusuf Nurkic still out, both Winslow and Watford will be fed plenty of minutes and he’s even grabbed six or more boards in four of his last five contests. He can even help stretch the floor by hitting long-range shots and we’re seeing him take 10 or more shots a bit more consistently. 

 

 

Alex Caruso G CHI-40% Rostered: Caruso played his first game in a very long time on Saturday night and it was very encouraging seeing him receive 29 minutes. The Bulls were a lot better defensively when Caruso was on the floor and Lonzo Ball being sidelined should give Caruso a clear path to 30-plus minutes nightly as the Bulls look to move up the standings as they look toward the NBA Playoffs. Caruso has a good upcoming schedule and should be able to hit double figures in scoring in the majority of his games for the week. He scores 8.4 points per game for the year and he drops around 4 dimes per outing. On the defensive end, he grabs 3.8 boards and 2 steals per contest. He swiped four balls in his last game.

 

 

Aleksej Pokusevski F OKC-29% Rostered: Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort are out and the Thunder need help in their mid-court and Pokusevski has helped fill the void and he’s taken double-digit shots in 4 of his last 6 games and he’s scored 11 or more points in each of his last 4 games. He can help bring the ball up and hit shots from all over the court. Pokusevski isn’t afraid to attack the lane and the Thunder don’t have a lot of aggressive players with moves to the basket that have size. On the defensive side of the ball, Pokusevski has ripped down seven-plus rebounds and produced steals in four of his last six battles. Dort is done for the year and the Thunder are being very cautious with Giddey and Pokusevski should be looking at 27-33 minutes per game for the rest of the year. 

 

 

Kevin Huerter SG, SF ATL-36% Rostered: By now, we know the deal with Huerter whenever we look to add him and that is to keep him on a short leash. Lately, he’s been shooting better and he’s taken 11 or more shots in 4 of his last 5 games scoring no fewer than 14 points in all 4 outings. Huerter takes 10 shots per game for the season and plays over 29 minutes per game. He’s good at bringing up the ball and the Spurs don’t get a lot of consistency from their post players and will have to rely a bit heavier on their guards and swingmen to put up production on the offensive end. He’s coming off of an eight-rebound performance and posted swipes in four of his last six outings. If he keeps his scoring and steals production up with a side of grabbing at least three rebounds, keep him rostered but have one eye on the waiver wire in case a more appealing player presents himself.  

 

 

Goga Bitadze C IND-12% Rostered: The Pacers have been experimenting a lot when it comes to their young forwards and centers ever since they traded away Domantas Sabonis. Myles Turner is still out and is slowly getting back in shape and it could still be a few more weeks on the shelf before he is ready to roll and Bitadze has hit double figures in scoring in four of his last five games. He can hit three-pointers and that allows Jalen Smith to have more room to work the post and it can confuse the opposing post defenders forcing them outside the paint to guard Bitadze. Bitadze will get high-percentage shots from downtown and the Pacers can continue to set plays up for him at the arc. He’s also grabbed six or more boards in his last three games and he’s blocked five shots combined in his last two outings. 

 

 

Brandon Williams PG POR-20% Rostered:  Williams has seen a usage percentage of about 29 with the current active Blazers on the court and as Anfernee Simons continues to sit, Williams has produced at least one fantasy point per minute and Simons isn’t looking like he’ll be back on the floor for at least a few more games. Williams has scored 12.6 points per game and has taken 13-plus shots in 4 straight matchups. He’s been grabbing more rebounds lately pulling down five or more in each of his last three outings and he’s even grabbed steals in three of his last four games with one of those games being a four-steal outing. Williams has swatted away shots in two of his last three contests and faces a bunch of weak backcourts in his next handful of games including the Hawks, Knicks, Nets and Pistons. 

 

 

Aaron Wiggins SG, F OKC-19% Rostered: Luguentz Dort being out for the remainder of the season benefits Wiggins to the point that it should lock him into 30-plus minutes per game for the rest of the season. He’s hit the 30-minute mark in all 3 games he’s played in since returning from an ankle injury and with Josh Giddey still sidelined, Wiggins should see a few more shots. He’s coming off of a game in which he shot the ball 19 times and with the Grizzlies and Heat on the docket over his next few games, Wiggins could be in line for even more blowout run. The Thunder were once the silent but deadly predators when it comes to covering games, but with no Giddey to help them out defensively, they haven’t been able to really stay in games lately and that gives us even more reasons to take a chance on Wiggins. He’s scored 11 or more points and grabbed 5 or more rebounds and at least 1 steal in 2 of his last 3 games. 

 

 

Austin Reaves SG LAL-7% Rostered: The Lakers lack of depth up front due to the lack of health in Anthony Davis and lack of confidence in Dwight Howard, has forced LeBron James to play a lot more in the post meaning other Lakers will be fed open shots at the elbow and arc when opposing defenses collapse on James while he’s attacking the rim. Russell Westbrook cannot be relied on to hit three-pointers consistently and Reaves continues to log 30-plus minute performances. Reaves has scored in double figures in four straight contests. The Lakers don’t play a lot of defense but Reaves gives them a boost at least on the star sheet grabbing five or more boards in three of his last four games and blocking shots in five of his last six battles. He’s even swiped balls in four of his last six contests. 

 

 

Dwight Powell PF, C DAL-10% Rostered: The Mavericks can use any frontcourt offense they can get and without Kristaps Porzingis, they don’t have an offensive frontcourt threat. Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber can step back and hit mid and long-range jumpers, but Powell has been able to bang around under the basket and show opposing teams that the Mavs can get a little physical. Powell just scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds versus the Rockets, but he’s actually scored 13 or more points in 4 of his last 6 games. Powell has taken 10 or more shots in 2 of his last 3 contests. He’s been more helpful in the rebounding department lately producing seven or more in four of his last six battles. He’s even blocked a shot in two of his last three games. We’re seeing the minutes slowly go up for Powell as well as he’s logged 28-plus minutes in 3 of his last 5 contests. 

 

 

Jonathan Kuminga F GSW-38% Rostered: While Draymond Green was out, Kuminga showed his ability on the offensive side of the ball and he’s scored 14 or more points in 5 straight games and is coming off of a double-double. Remember, the Warriors need the returning Green for the long haul and he’s coming off of a Back injury and will likely need a few games to get back into form and play full minutes. He may even sit for a game in a back-to-back situation. Green will also need to help play Center meaning Kuminga should still see 20-plus minutes at PF. Even though Kuminga only grabs 3.2 rebounds per game, he’s exceeded his rebounding average in 4 of his last 5 contests. Don’t just give up on Kuminga just because Green is coming back. He’s been very impressive filling in for Green and that should keep him in the Warriors rotation.