Risers and fallers: Jalen Williams, Klay Thompson trending different ways
Klay Thompson hasn’t been able to find the magic in Dallas and has struggled to make shots this season. Meanwhile, little-known Jake LaRavia is quietly having a very nice season in Memphis and didn’t flinch when Desmond Bane returned to action on Wednesday night. And fantasy’s newest center, Jalen Williams, is absolutely on fire.
Here are the risers and fallers heading into Week 6.
Risers
Jalen Williams, OKC SF/PF/C, Oklahoma City Thunder (98.0% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Williams has pulled off a rare Risers and Fallers back-to-back appearance, which I try to avoid doing, but he is still absolutely on fire. Isaiah Hartenstein is back to handle most of the center duties while Chet Holmgren is out, but it shouldn’t slow Williams down too much, if at all. He’s been a fantasy dream with averages of 23.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.5 blocks, 1.8 triples and just 2.1 turnovers on 57% shooting over the last two weeks. Is this a classic opportunity to trade the gifted wing man? Probably, but there’s no reason he won’t do this all season long. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Franz Wagner, SF/PF, Orlando Magic (96.0%)
Wagner has fixed his shot and is playing at an All-Star level for the Magic, who remain without the services of Paolo Banchero. He’s been a top-10 player during the past two weeks with averages of 26.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.9 steals, 2.4 3-pointers and just 1.3 turnovers on 47% shooting. If he ever starts blocking shots, look out. The 6.3 dimes probably isn’t sustainable, but he’s playing at a very high level and I doubt Banchero slows him down too much when he’s back from his oblique injury in December. But if you feel the need to move Wagner, now is the time, as I doubt his trade value will be any higher than it is right now.
Tyler Herro, PG/SG, Miami Heat (91.0%)
Herro has quietly been a top-20 player over the last two weeks with averages of 26.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 4.8 3-pointers on 47% shooting. He’s turning the ball over at a rate of 3.0 per game, but the rest of his numbers are stellar. And with Jimmy Butler in and out of the lineup and Terry Rozier struggling for the Heat, there’s no reason to think Herro won’t keep it going. With a four-game week on the horizon, now might be a great time to try to make a move for him. If you’ve already got him, here’s to hoping he keeps it going for next week’s four-game bonanza.
Tari Eason, SF/PF, Houston Rockets (51.0%)
Eason tends to fly under the radar because he’s not a flashy scorer, but he’s producing in most other categories and has been particularly good during the past two weeks. He has averages of 12.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 2.6 steals, 1.3 blocks, 1.1 3-pointers and just 1.5 turnovers during that stretch. More assists would be nice, but it seems to be only a matter of time before Eason starts pushing Dillon Brooks for a starting job. Amen Thompson and Eason eat into each other’s minutes a bit, but both have become fantasy staples and should be rostered everywhere until further notice.
Dalton Knecht, SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers (40.7%)
Knecht is the most-added player in fantasy during the past week and is coming off an amazing Tuesday when he torched the Jazz for 37 points, five rebounds, a steal and nine 3-pointers on 12-of-16 shooting. His two-week averages of 17.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.7 triples on 59% shooting put him in the top 50 and he looks to be locked into a starting role with the Lakers the rest of the way. LeBron loves him, his coaches and teammates love him, and he’s quickly become a fan favorite in La La Land. Make sure he’s not available in your league.
Jake LaRavia, PF, Memphis Grizzlies (8.8%)
LaRavia has quietly churned out top-60 fantasy value in Memphis during his past seven games with averages of 10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 3-pointers while shooting 52% from the floor, 94% from the line and turning the ball over just 1.4 times per game. Desmond Bane returned from injury on Wednesday, but LaRavia still got 25 minutes off the bench, hit all four of his shots and finished with 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block and a 3-pointer. If he can keep this up all season, he’ll be one of the best fantasy stories of the season.
Fallers
Brandon Boston Jr., SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans (19.5%)
Despite an incredible opportunity as one of the only healthy regulars in New Orleans, Boston has struggled with his shot, hitting just 38% from the field the last two weeks. The poor shooting has affected his scoring and he’s averaged just 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 3-pointers over that stretch, returning just top-120 value. He’s due for a big game soon, but once his teammates get healthy, Boston’s minutes and touches will take a hit. If you picked him up when he was hot, it might be time to go back to the waiver wire. However, most of his teammates are still banged up and Boston has four games next week. See how that goes, and if his shot still isn’t falling a week from now, it’s probably time to move on.
Dennis Schroder, PG, Brooklyn Nets (81.2%)
Schroder got off to a hot start this season, but has been quiet of late, returning just top-125 value with averages of 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.3 3-pointers over the last two weeks. The problem has been his shooting, which is just at 38.5% over that stretch. He’s the lone point guard in Brooklyn and if he starts making shots, the rest of his numbers are serviceable. The Nets play four times next week, so there’s probably no reason to drop Schroder, but fantasy managers have to hope he starts making shots again, or his value will continue to decline.
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtcis (99.6%)
Brown has struggled a bit over the last two weeks and has returned just top-140 fantasy value during that stretch. Jayson Tatum is on fire and Derrick White has been fantastic, leaving Brown as the odd man out on some nights. He’s averaged a very serviceable 23.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks, 2.0 3-pointers and 2.8 turnovers on 47% shooting over his last five games. The lack of steals, combined with poor free throw shooting (73%), has hurt his value recently and I doubt much changes for him going forward. Brown is one of those rare players that has more value in reality than in fantasy, unfortunately.
Jalen Duren, C, Detroit Pistons (76.6%)
Duren has so much potential but is still struggling to be a consistent fantasy performer, returning just top-155 value during his past five games. His averages of 11 points and 12 rebounds are serviceable, but he’s really not doing much else with 3.2 assists, 0.2 steals, 1.0 blocks and no 3-pointers to speak of. Additionally, he’s shooting just 44% from the free throw line, which is a devastating number. He shot 79% from the stripe in 61 games last season, so hopefully he’s just in a temporary free throw funk. If not, it could be a long season for his fantasy managers.
Klay Thompson, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (76.7%)
There was hope that we’d see the “old Klay” in Dallas, but it appears he’s simply lost a step or two and is not the same player he was before countless major injuries and surgeries. He’s not even cracking the top 180 right now and has averaged just 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks, 2.9 3-pointers over his last seven games. He’s also hit just 34% of his shots over the last two weeks, completely tanking what little value he has to offer. Even if he starts making shots, Thompson probably belongs on the waiver wire in 12-team leagues, as well as anything smaller than that.
