(Photo taken from IndyStar.com)
Tuesday Quick Hits
🙏 INJURIES
✔ CHRIS PAUL- Any time he gets injured, we get nervous. We'll have to wait for the official diagnosis, but it was labeled 'sore foot'. He was optimistic after the game BUT hard to not to worry when you are dealing with a 37 year old.
Add- CAMERON PAYNE for now specially if you own CP3
✔ LEBRON JAMES- Speaking of old, LBJ had to rest his sore foot on the 2nd game of a B2B. It seems like the Lakers are open to him not playing B2Bs going forward, so this is a big blow to his fantasy value.
✔ LARRY NANCE- Hyperextended Knee- the most popular pickup as of late had a scare when he thought he tore his ACL. Good news was the teams said no ligament damage but we should expect him to still miss some games.
Add- TREY MURPHY if he was dropped, he gets some more minutes as the Pels continue to play small.
✔ SCOTTIE BARNES- Hurt his ankle but played through it but we have to watch if it worsens overnight for him. Barnes has been somewhat disappointing this season but I think Siakam's absence will help get him started. Hopefully, he doesn't need to miss time with this injury.
😓 WORRIES
✔ JORDAN POOLE- (10P 1.2R 4A 4TOs) in his past 4 games and that was even helped by a game where Steph and company rested. He hasn't even delivered the steals- he has a total of 2. It's tough for scorers like him to stay engaged if their shots are not falling (30% FG). While he should be better than this, I don't think we will see Poole of last season this year unless an injury happens.
✔ KEEGAN MURRAY- In his last 4 games, his usage has continued to drop to a low of 12.7% today. He is averaging only 7 PPG in that span with limited other stats- 4R 1.9A 1.1S. What gives? The Kings are not featuring the rookie and he's probably available for a song right now. Buy super low if you have the patience.
✔ JABARI SMITH- I thought his 1/10 FG game was rock bottom, then today he had 3TOs and 4 fouls in the first half. He ended the game with 3 points and nothing much else. He deserves to be benched with the way he is playing and he's a luxury stash for now given his poor role, his unready body and terrible shooting.
✔ JOSH GIDDEY- Another player who I thought was going too high in drafts. For all the 'he's shooting has improved' we heard before the season, he's shooting exactly the same as last year- 42% FG. The FTs have gone up sure, but the other stats have went down due to the weird rotation of the Thunder and also due to SGA's insane usage and performance. I had him more in the 80s this year and that's still where I'd put his value at.
✔ JOHN COLLINS- Hot start is ancient memory now. He still holds better value in Roto than H2H as his efficiency remains good despite the low usage. It's the Trae-Dejounte effect.
✔ SANTI ALDAMA- Speaking of cooling off, Aldama's early season glow has totally dissipated. At this point, he isn't really helping in any category enough to be a hold in standard leagues. If there's a hot FA on the wires, I think it's okay to move on.
✔ CHRISTIAN WOOD- I'm sure managers are disappointed with Wood but Dallas also has a role in this as Jason Kidd continues to play him only at 23-25 minutes a game. It has resulted in inconsistent performance for Wood and not enough chances to get his rebounds/blocks up too. While not droppable, it'll be okay to trade him if you can find a good deal.
✔ANTHONY EDWARDS- Something's just off with Antman specially the past few games. He's not engaged and is not playing with his usual flair. Is there trouble within the team? His stats have not improved from last year and his FT% is at a paltry 65% this season so he's not in the top 100 this season yet. It just means that the Buy Low window is still open. See how you can steal him for cheap.
🔥 TOP STUDS
🚀 MYLES TURNER had a humongous game today with 37P 11/11 FTs, 4 3PTM and 3 BLKS. We've seen this from Myles before and he has always been a fast starter but injuries are a concern for the past seasons. Let's hope he can finish the season healthy this time.
🚀 LAURI MARKKANEN and the Jazz are no.1 in the West. Yes, let that sink in, the tanking team has 9 wins before November 15. What Lauri's doing is not being talked about enough- he's top 20 guy shooting 52% which is high for an outside shooting big man and 21.9P 9.8R 2.7A 1.8 3PTM. If you can sell for a 2nd rounder, I'd be okay, but I also think that Lauri can certainly sustain this.
🚀 STEPH CURRY has to be given more respect as possible fantasy no.1 player this year. He is currently no.1 and it's not close- 51% FG 93% FT, 32P 7R 7A 1.1S 5.3 3PTM. Unbelievable stats and I have a sense that Curry's role this year is similar to Jokic last year- the team needs him to do this to compete.
🏀 OTHER GAME NOTES
✨ DAME LILLARD and ANFERNEE SIMONS returned together- which means bad news for Justise Winslow who had a decent game, but can be dropped right now. It also means sell high window for Jerami Grant is over.
✨ BEN SIMMONS also returned today and got 15 minutes as the Nets ease him back from injury. With Kyrie out, a healthy Ben can do wonders for the Nets but we have to see how that knee holds up. He's as unpredictable as Kyrie so I'd rather stay away for now.
✨ Orlando played the hot hands so we got more Terrence Ross and Mo Bamba over Bol Bol today. Bamba's not an add unless he can show this again for another game or two. My guess is Bol Bol will bounce back in the next game.
✨CHRISTIAN KOLOKO followed his career game with a dud which was not surprising. Koloko still has the opportunity and the starting role, but he is more a rebounds/blks specialist so don't expect super high value.
Nick Nurse also continued his annual tradition of trolling CHRIS BOUCHER owners, playing him 14 minutes today. I'll still hold- the Raptors were never in today's game so maybe Nurse was just experimenting.
✨ COLLIN SEXTON and BONES HYLAND are starting to get 🔥. Hyland was probably dropped in your leagues and is worth an add back. Both are low ceiling players because they are rather one-dimensional but can still help your teams in points.
✨ DENNIS SMITH JR played through an ankle injury today, extending his shelf life a little more. As long as LaMelo is still out, DSJ's going to be good for assists and stocks.
✨If you are not picky about percentages, DARIUS BAZLEY is quietly contributing 1.3 BPG with some steals added in to boot. His minutes remain low, but in deeper leagues- around 16T formats, I think Bazley is okay to roster.
✨ JALEN DUREN quietly returned today and went back to his bench role. He remains a luxury stash in case Isaiah Stewart gets injured. At this point, he is mostly a blocks specialist but keep him in your watchlist.
✨ MALIK MONK has been hot for 3 games now and though he is prone to inconsistent production, you got to ride him while he is playing well.
✨ Thibs started JERICHO SIMS over ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN today for whatever reason and the game turned into a blowout so we can't take much from the game. I still like Hartenstein despite this and he should continue to get 25-27 minutes at least while Mitch Rob is out.
✨Other names to monitor closely-
ANDREW NEMBHARD- he has that 5th starting role in Indy with Aaron Nesmith and Chris Duarte out. The rookie had a good game and let's see if he can keep this up.
CHARLES BASSEY- Super deep league special- the Spurs are giving him some minutes with Zach Collins out and this guy's really good in the G-League. Maybe someone to remember when tanking season comes.
Comments