Dr. A's weekly risers and fallers: Ivica Zubac, Giannis Antetokounmpo make the list
Several unexpected players have been returning solid fantasy value over the past two weeks while some huge names have been letting their fantasy managers down while struggling in multiple fantasy categories along the way.
Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen are turning it on, while Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant are heading in the wrong direction. Here’s a look at five risers and five fallers over the past two weeks of the fantasy hoops season.
Risers
Tyus Jones, PG, Wizards (rostered in 84% of ESPN leagues): Jones has been a top-10 value in fantasy over the past two weeks after floundering early in the season for the hapless Wizards. Jones has scored in double figures in seven straight games, isn’t turning the ball over (six over his past six games), and has been stealing, shooting the ball well and playing efficient ball for most of the month of December. For the month, he’s averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and just 1.1 turnovers on 59.5% shooting. He quietly had a fantastic December and while he looks like a really nice trade target right now, fantasy managers just have to beware of an eventual potential shutdown for a terrible 5-25 Wizards team.
Ivica Zubac, C, Clippers (58.6%): Zubac has been a top-60 player over the past two weeks and has scored in double figures in all but two of his past 18 games and has averaged 13.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 1.4 blocks and is shooting 66.7% in December. The Clippers are rolling, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden get all the attention, and Zubac doesn’t miss games. Target him in a trade or pick him up if you’re looking for help at center. His game is clearly bigger than his name.
Grayson Allen, SG, Suns (18.8%): Allen has been a Top 40 player over the last couple of weeks and we still don’t know when Bradley Beal (ankle) will be back in action, or how long he’ll remain upright once he does. Allen has endeared himself to Suns fans and has averaged 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1.2 turnovers and 50.6% shooting percentage in December. With or without Beal, Allen has become a player worth rostering in all leagues right now.
Brandin Podziemski, SG, Warriors (15.8%): Podz has been a top-60 player over the past two weeks and it’s hard to believe he’s still so widely available. He’s averaged 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.9 turnovers and has hit 47.6% of his shots in December. Yes, Draymond Green will eventually come back and possibly mess with Podz’s playing time a bit, but he’s proved himself to be too valuable to be relegated to much of a lesser role for the suddenly hot Warriors. He’s a Steve Kerr guy and should be added or targeted in every fantasy league imaginable. Believe the hype.
De’Anthony Melton, PG/SG, Sixers (33.7%): Melton has been a top-65 player over the last two weeks and was last seen going off for 22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 triples in 37 minutes for the Sixers against the Magic on Wednesday. For the month of December, he’s averaged 11.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1.0 turnovers and has hit 39.6% of his shots. He’s also an elite free throw shooter, hitting 91% of his shots from the line this month and his game is simply built for fantasyland. The shooting could be better and he’s not going to wow you with his nightly scoring, but he checks off a lot of fantasy boxes and should be more widely rostered than he is.
Fallers
Jusuf Nurkic, C, Suns (81.2%): Nurkic has been worthy of just a top-130 fantasy pick over the past two weeks and missed some time because of personal reasons. Thankfully, he’s not a shutdown candidate for the playoff-thirsty Suns, but he should still be considered a somewhat substantial injury risk given his history. He hasn’t scored more than nine points in three straight games and his 63.2 free throw percentage in December isn’t doing him any favors. His averages of 13.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks are all fine, but the 46.2% shooting from the field isn’t great for a big man. Trading Nurkic straight up for Zubac could really give your fantasy team a boost.
Jerami Grant, PF, Blazers (79.3%): Grant is not only a trade and shutdown candidate, but is only returning Top 140 fantasy value over the last two weeks. He was great on Thursday with 29 points, a season-high 10 rebounds and five assists, but the December averages of 19.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.7 turnovers and 1.9 3-pointers leave something to be desired. He feels like a ticking hot potato and his name clearly carries more value than his game. The 3.1 rebounds from a so-called power forward are ridiculous and Thursday’s big game appears to have been a fluke.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Bucks (100%): Free throw shooting is still a big problem for Giannis and he’s been just a top-145 player over the past two weeks as a result. If you throw out the dismal free throw shooting, Giannis automatically turns into a top-10 fantasy player but if one of your league’s categories dings players for poor shooting from the line, he’s likely doing damage to your team. The good news is that managers should be able to trade Giannis for nearly any other player, and chances are you can find another fantasy star who hits free throws and won’t wreck teams in that category. If you’ve got him and your team is rolling through the season and wrecking other teams, don’t mess with it. But he’s shooting just 67.1% from the line this season and shoots a ton of them, as in 11.4 per game. Moving him for a better free throw shooter, especially in rotisserie leagues, could turn your season around.
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG, Nets (87.2%): Dinwiddie is widely rostered but has been just a top-155 player over the past two weeks. Poor field goal and free throw shooting are much to blame for Dinwiddie’s problems and he’s averaged 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.7 turnovers in December. The problem is that he’s hit just 39.7% of his shots and 69.8% of his free throws this month. Trading Dinwiddie for a guard with better percentages could have a massive impact on fantasy teams, even though Dinwiddie’s other numbers might look fine on the surface.
D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG, Lakers (87.8%): Russell has been just a top-160 player over the past two weeks and is reeling after being demoted to the Lakers’ bench last week. Even when you factor in all the games he started in December, he has averaged just 10.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 3-pointers for the month, and the numbers are only going to get worse. He could get traded at the deadline (or before) but where he lands is anyone’s guess. And holding him and hoping for a good outcome doesn’t seem like a great idea right now. He’s literally clogging up the veins of fantasy teams and managers in standard 12-team leagues should feel somewhat confident about dropping Russell for a hot free agent, if one is available. The Lakers are moving on from D-Lo, and fantasy managers should think about doing so too.
