Rotations are starting to settle in, but will get disrupted by injuries as we’ve seen with teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans and Golden State Warriors. Always stay one step ahead of the game, as I’ll never put a player on this list that has been on it in the previous three articles unless there is an emergency situation and that player becomes the hottest commodity on the market. Always use previous articles to get a good read on these teams for depth purposes.
Kelly Olynyk PF, C MIA-40% Ownership: Olynyk will be on and off waivers throughout the year as he has been for the last few years. Just when you think he’s married to the arc, he surprises you by having a game in which he plays more in the post and shows aggressiveness. After recently having a 16-rebound game, he’s grabbed at least 6 boards in 3 of his last 4 games. Olynyk is known for his shooting range and ability to stretch the floor making opposing big men guard him outside the paint thus exposing the low-block. Olynyk is a good compliment to Bam Adebayo ’s playing style He consistently gets 20-plus minutes per game and has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games. He’s not always going to bang for boards, but his spot is safe and secure and if the three’s are falling, he’ll be fed more. If he gets the ball inside the arc, he’ll most likely pass off and set a screen for another driver at the elbow. Grab him for points and boards.
Jarrett Culver SG, SF MIN-15% Ownership: The rookie has shown growth over the last month. Jeff Teague missing games earlier allowed for Culver to get the experience he needed to adapt to pro-level basketball. Culver gets fed a lot as he’s taken at least 10 shots per game in 6 of his last 7 games. Culver’s defense has also given him more rotation love as he grabs three boards a game. Guards who grab at least three boards per game show a true to commitment to grabbing boards. Culver has also dished three or more dimes in his last three games. He’ll get time to bring up the ball when Teague is off the floor and he can play at multiple positions. Culver has also grabbed steals in three of his last four games. The ‘Wolves don’t have a lot of scorers as Teague, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are the primary options, but Culver is making himself the fourth option and he’s getting a lot of time with the ball. His role can only grow.
Marquese Chriss PF, C GSW-12% Ownership: The Warriors are getting minimal help at defending the post as Willie Cauley-Stein hasn’t been effective and Draymond Green has been in and out of the lineup all season. The Warriors have recently given Chriss more minutes and he’s played at least 20 in his last six games. Chris has proven during that time that he doesn’t need a lot of minutes to produce in multiple categories. He’s scored in double figures in six of his last seven games. He’s been very helpful when it comes to defensive stats. He’s recorded multi-block games and grabbed a steal in four of his last six games. Chriss can hit long-range jumpers, but, the Warriors have been utilizing his size more and he’s been able to produce from the block. Chris has grabbed five or more rebounds in six of his last seven games. Something else to watch out for is his assist-production. Chriss has been looking for the cutter more and he’s produced at least four assists in three of his last four games. Expect Chriss to stick in the sad Warriors rotation.
Bismack Biyombo PF, C CHA-16% Ownership: While Biyombo’s skill-set is limited, one thing he certainly doesn’t lack is toughness. The Hornets absolutely lack toughness and Cody Zeller can’t defend the post by himself. While Zeller was limited by a hip injury Biyombo took advantage getting ample minutes and producing points, boards and blocks. Biyombo is specifically a low-block big man with no outside game. He’ll produce points off of put-backs and from layups. From the fantasy perspective, he could be a short-term solution. If his minutes don’t hit 20 at all now that Zeller is back, release him, but watch him because the Hornets don’t have a lot of big men. Biyombo grabbed nine or more boards in three of his last five games. He also hit double-digits in scoring in five of his last seven games. It all comes down to whether or not he’ll get the minutes and over the last week he’s shown what he could do when given more playing time.
Tim Hardaway Jr. SG, SF DAL-39% Ownership: The Mavs have been giving Hardaway more minutes over his last few games and he’s had a couple of big scoring nights. The Mavs don’t have a third scoring option behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis and Hardaway could be that option if he can string together a few games of consistent scoring. Hardaway has scored at least 20 points in 3 of his last 5 games. He’s also produced multi-steal games in his last three. He won’t really help on the glass and even though he can bring up the ball, he won’t produce consistent assists even though he’s dished four or more in three of his last five games. Expect Hardaway to camp out at the arc a lot as Doncic and Porzingis are better at getting in the lane. Hardaway will get fed a lot when opposing defenses collapse on either Doncic or Porzingis and he’ll be the bailout shooter from beyond the arc. The scoring has improved for Hardaway lately and he has been given more minutes because of it making him a good short-term add for fantasy.
Jordan McRae G WSH-4% Ownership: The Wizards continue to look for more players to come through for them on the offensive end. Bradley Beal can’t score all of the points. McRae has been given more minutes and he’s played at least 20 in his last five games and scored in double figures in all five and hitting three-pointers in each game as well. He can hit long-range jumpers but he’s not afraid to drive inside to get better looks, or take advantage of a screen inside the arc to get a high-percentage mid-range jumper. McRae has also grabbed steals in his last five games. He’ll also help bring up the ball at times and he’s dished at least three dimes in each of his last five games. As the season continues for the Wizards, McRae’s role should grow more. C.J. Miles could be out for a long time and quite possibly the rest of the season with an injured wrist and that could only benefit McRae’s playing time.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG, SF LAL-6% Ownership: With Avery Bradley and Kyle Kuzma hurt Caldwell-Pope will be fed more shots from the arc. He scored in double figures in six of his last eight games. He’s been cold from the field over his last two games. Caldwell-Pope is a skilled perimeter defender and he’s grabbed steals in three of his last five games. He’s clearly a short-term pick up and he does have potential to grab more boards than he’s currently averaging. In previous season’s, he’s waited at the arc for the play to end before going to the other side of the court. With LeBron James keeping the Lakers offense moving, it calls for Caldwell-Pope to move with it. Even when he struggled shooting in his last two games, he still played 29 minutes in both contests showing that the Lakers need him in the game for more than just offensive purposes. If he continues to struggle shooting, release him immediately, but with other players out of the way for now, he’ll get more shots for the next few games.
Garrett Temple SG, SF BKN-12% Ownership: With the Nets main guards hurt, Temple has been able to help fill-in the major scoring void. He’s scored 12-plus points in four of his last five games and he’s also helped play other roles for the Nets. He’s helped facilitate the offense a bit and that’s resulted in at least three assists in four of his last five games. Temple will take a good amount of shots from beyond the arc. He hits 2.1 three-pointers per game. He has also been helpful on the defensive side of the ball grabbing five boards in two of his last three games. He’s produced steals in his last five games and even blocks in his last three. Seeing Temple hit the 30-minute mark over his last seven games makes me encouraged that even when Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert return to the rotation, Temple will hang in there as well. He’ll have a couple more games without either player in the lineup.
Tyus Jones PG MEM-12% Ownership: We haven’t seen Jones hit the 20-minute mark much this season, but with Ja Morant hurt and likely out for at least the next week, Jones should see his usage go up. The Grizzlies let Morant control a lot of the offense and Jones should be able to see at least 25 minutes per game until Morant is ready to return. Last season, Jones sat behind both Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose in Minnesota and when both of them got hurt, he got the minutes left behind and was able to produce. Jones has quickness and will keep the Grizzlies offense moving. Despite the lack of minutes, he’s still producing 4.6 assists per game. He should be able to take more shots with Morant as well. Jones has also grabbed nearly a steal per game as well and with more minutes, we should see his scoring, assists and steals-numbers rise. The opportunity is there and the ball is in his court and whether or not he’ll be able to take advantage is the big question. We’ve seen it before!
WILDCARD PICK UP: Dorian Finney-Smith F DAL-5% Ownership: Even though he’s dealing with a minor finger injury, Finney-Smith is a player we should be watching because as stated above, the Mavs don’t have consistent scoring weapons and there will be games in which he’ll be called upon to take more shots. Finney-Smith gets open a good amount from the outside and he has the ability to drive as well. If his three’s are falling, he’ll pump the breaks on his drive and continue to shoot long-range jumpers. He hit three-pointers in his last four games. Finney-Smith also helps out on the defensive end. He’s grabbed at least five boards in four of his last six games. Finney-Smith also grabbed steals in two of his last four games. While he’s more of a “watch” player at this points, the minutes are there as he’s been playing over 26 minutes per game and he showed last year that when given the ball and minutes, he can provide production on both sides of the ball. His steals numbers should rise as the season continues.