(FREE) 22/23 Jan. 11 Box Score Analysis (8 Games)
Nuggets 126 Suns 97
Bruce Brown (Hold): There will be the odd game like this when the Nuggets are completely healthy, but most nights, Brown will do enough to be an easy hold as we wait for the next injury. The Swiss Army knife has been a top-80 player over the last two months despite his role fluctuating from game to game. He should not be viewed as a borderline player in either 10- or 12-team leagues. Jamal Murray tweaked his ankle last night, but it doesn’t sound like it will cost him any time.
Bones Hyland (Pick Up in 14+ team leagues): Bones is rolling right now and is fine to add in all leagues due to the Nuggets’ upcoming schedule. Starting on Friday, Denver plays four times in six nights. Once the schedule calms down, Hyland will go back to being more of a 14-team league play. Barring injuries, he’s going be stuck in a 20-ish MPG role this year. Earlier in the season, it looked like his minute ceiling was higher than that, but due to his defensive struggles and Bruce Brown playing so well, we are at least a year away from a breakout. Over the last two weeks, in 20.6 MPG, Bones has averaged 16.1 PPG, 3.4 3PG, and 2.6 APG while shooting 52.7 percent from the floor.
Duane Washington Jr.: Washington is going to have a high nightly floor in points and threes until the Suns get their starters back, but he’s also going to be prone to nights like this. If you are in need of a points and threes streamer this week and FG% is competitive, you may want to look elsewhere. Washington is going to come with a significant FG% hit anytime he’s given heavy usage and minutes. The Sun is currently shooting 38.0 percent from the floor this year and has connected on only 34.3 percent of his shot attempts over his last four. Despite the poor efficiency, he’s managed to average 16.8 PPG and 3.0 3PG over that same stretch while also providing his managers with 5.0 APG.
Center Rotation: Unless you play in a very deep league, it’s safe to ignore the Suns’ center rotation right now. Biyombo has been useless since entering the starting lineup two games ago and Landale’s minutes are stuck in the low-20s where he’s struggling to produce more than low-end lines. Jock would be worth adding in most spots in a 28 MPG role, but that doesn’t look like it is on the table. Dario Saric getting some minutes at the five caps his upside. Saric has decent upside in points, threes, and rebounds on the current iteration of the Suns, but you can likely find a better streamer on your wire. Saric’s short-term value is limited by the Suns’ upcoming schedule. After Friday’s game against the Wolves, Phoenix plays only one game over the next five days.
Bucks 114 Hawks 105
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Giannis’ down-year continues. It’s hard to be too disappointed in a player averaging 31/12/5, but unless you play in a points league, he’s been a frustrating second-overall pick. His threes, steals, blocks, and FG% have all fallen off of a cliff. He’s also tanked at the line while upping his attempts which has made him a prime Shaq-like drag at the line. That last bit may not seem important because any smart H2H player would punt FT% with Giannis, but it is annoying because it makes winning FT% against the Luka team in your league difficult. There isn’t much we can do here except hope that Middleton’s eventual return helps him. I am not against swapping Giannis for another first-round pick after his next big stretch. His flashy popcorn numbers are going to make that possible despite the disappointing supporting category contributions. With how Giannis is playing, a move like that could make your team better, even if you are punting FT%. In nine-category punt FT%, the Buck has been just a borderline top-15 option, and in eight-category leagues, he’s ranked behind Luka, Jokic, Davis, Embiid, Curry, and Durant on a per-game basis.
De’Andre Hunter: Hunter is a very nice points streamer with Trae out. When he gets to be the Hawks’ second or third option, he is a good bet for points in the high teens. Thanks to some extra run and usage, the forward has averaged 18.2 PPG, 1.6 3PG, and 6.6 RPG over his last five in 36.7 MPG. If the enormous minutes stick, Hunter will be a back-end standard league option. If he goes back to his usual 31 MPG, then he’ll be the low-end 14-team league option that he’s been for most of the year.
Dejoute Murray: It looks like Murray is going to end up being a bust this year. He started out the season very strong but hasn’t been more than a mid-round for months now. Over the last two months, the Hawk has barely been a top-75 option in nine-category leagues and has been just a top-65 option in eight-category leagues. I’m not buying low on the combo guard because I don’t think it’s possible. It will be very hard to get Murray for a player ranked outside of the top 50. If you go any higher than that, it could end up being a rough trade. We can’t assume that Murray is going to bounce back because he was an early-round option last year. His upside in boards and dimes has proven to be much lower in Atlanta than it was in San Antonio.
Celtics 125 Pelicans 114
Derrick White/Malcolm Brogdon: Marcus Smart is back tonight, so White goes back to being just a borderline 12-team option. Whether or not he continues to start is up in the air with Time Lord rounding in form and his minutes are likely to drop back into the 27 MPG range where he can be useful for his assists, blocks, and FT%, but is not a must-roster. Brogdon is also likely to end up as expendable in 12-team leagues. He’s been rolling lately, but his hot streak has been made possible by some absences. Assuming Jaylen Brown’s adductor injury isn’t serious, the Celtics will be at full health shortly. Boston also does not have a back-to-back set until the middle of February, so Brogdon won’t get to benefit from rest days for the bigs over the next month. With the Celtics’ rotation intact, it will be hard for Brogdon’s minutes to get out of the low-20s and there will be some nights when his minutes fall into the teens.
Update: Brown is out for a week or two. Both White and Brogdon should be worth holding onto a little longer.
Trey Murphy (Hold): A much-needed big game from Murphy. He’s expendable in 10-team leagues, but in 12-team setups, I would be holding for now. There have been no positive updates on Ingram and Zion is still at least a couple of weeks away. Murphy’s role should be significant until at least the beginning of February. I’m willing to give him a little leash because outside of the six games that preceded last night’s nice line, he’s been a clear mid-round player. The rough couple of weeks could easily end up being just a cold stretch and not who he actually is. The second-year man is still ranked inside of the top 70 in nine-category leagues on the year.
Larry Nance Jr. (Pick Up in 14+ team leagues): Nance is worth adding in deep leagues despite the quiet night. In 12-team leagues, I would just be watching for now. There are a lot of interesting injury replacement type of players popping up at the moment who are surer bets than the Pelican. As we saw last night, Nance’s minutes are not guaranteed to be significant, even when the Pelicans are down their three frontcourt starters. This is just a very deep New Orleans team. Nance will be a mid-round player if he starts playing over 25 MPG. If we start to see him in that range consistently, he will be an add in all leagues.
Knicks 119 Pacers 113
R.J. Barrett: Fourty-one minutes in his first game back is classic Thibs. Barrett remains the same guy that he has always been. He is completely useless in Roto and you need to be punting at least two of his weak categories to get him inside of the top 150 in nine-category leagues. He’s viewed by most as a long-term hold in 12-team setups which is wrong. He should be one of those players who bounces on and off the wire all year long. If points isn’t a toss-up category in your matchup, the Knick is going to hurt you significantly more than he will help you. In points leagues, it’s a different story. Using Yahoo’s default points league settings, he can be about a top-80 player. In ESPN leagues, he’s more of a borderline top-100 option.
Immanuel Quickley (Hold): Twenty-six minutes is enough to keep Quickley useful. It’s not ideal, but it keeps him in the standard league conversation. In fact, you could argue that last night was a good sign since the 26 minutes came in a game in which Barrett played 41. Give him a few more games and then reassess. The Knicks’ upcoming schedule will keep him useful even if his minutes and numbers do fall off. Starting on Friday, New York plays four games in six nights.
Andrew Nembhard/T.J. McConnell (Pick Up): Both Pacer guards are worth adding in standard leagues with Tyrese Haliburton out at least two weeks and likely longer. McConnell is the safer bet of the two. Strong numbers in dimes (8.9 AP36) and steals (2.1 SP36) are a lock when McConnell is given big minutes. The rest of his line will be extremely forgettable, although he doesn’t hurt you in FG% (46.6 FG%) like most waiver wire guards since he rarely takes threes. Nembhard is the higher upside option, but he’s not a lock to be at least somewhat useful like McConnell is. Nembhard will likely play a little more than McConnell, however, he is not the per-minute player that the veteran is. It’s also worth noting that Nembhard’s big run without Haliburton earlier in the season came when McConnell was sidelined. For now, I would prioritize McConnell over Nembhard, although it’s close.
Jalen Smith/Isaiah Jackson: Both Smith and Jackson are worth streaming if both Brissett and Turner continue to sit. Neither player is worth rostering, even in deep leagues when the Pacers are somewhat healthy, but for now, they can be useful. Smith can be a short-term source of points and boards who can give you a three a night when he’s starting. In his 28 starts this season, the big man has managed 10.9 PPG on 44.4 FG%, 1.1 3PG, 6.5 RPG, and 0.9 BPG. Jackson is just a blocks streamer, although a very good one. He’s needed only 15.7 MPG to average 1.2 BPG this year.
Pistons 135 Wolves 118
Nerlens Noel (Pick Up): Noel is a must-stream until one of Isaiah Stewart or Jalen Duren is back. The per-minute stud has now recorded four steals and seven blocks in a total of 42 minutes since moving into the starting lineup. He will be a name to watch around the deadline. If he’s moved to a spot where he can get consistent minutes as a backup five, Noel will end up as one of our go-to defensive category streamers down the stretch and potentially a deep-league add.
Week 14 Schedule: The Pistons only have one game during Week 14. That makes every player on their roster outside of Killian Hayes and Bojan Bogdanovic droppable. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to drop Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart, you’ve got one now. Both players have been hurting you more than they have been helping you for months. Ivey had a nice game last night, but he is not made for category leagues and has not been a top-300 player over the last two months. There is limited long-term upside due to all of the holes in his line. Stewart hasn’t been quite as bad, but he hasn’t played like a clear standard league player for a while now. The move to power forward has hurt his boards and swats and trading FG% impact for threes has had a negative impact on his value. Stewart has been just a borderline top-200 player over the last two months. What to do with Jalen Duren depends on where your team is in the standings. The rookie has been solid, but he’s likely not a top-100 player going forward, so I would not consider him untouchable if you need a win next week or are at risk of taking a big loss due to the schedule.
Anthony Edwards: This box score doesn’t tell us much since Anderson was out and Edwards was in and out of the game with a hip issue. Edwards is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Suns, but I would consider him closer to doubtful with that game being the first half of a back-to-back set. If Edwards has to miss some time, there is no clear pickup. Nowell and Rivers will get extra run but both are just risky points streamers at this point. Rivers is a little more interesting in that scenario since he is a better bet for big minutes and helps more in threes.
Naz Reid (Watch): Under 14 minutes without Anderson in the lineup is a bad sign. Keep an eye on Reid, but it seems like the Reid/Gobert experiment is over. That’s not a major surprise as before last night, the Wolves were playing much better with single-big lineups.
Grizzlies 135 Spurs 129
Dillon Brooks (Drop): Brooks continues to be on far too many rosters. He is currently rostered in 69 percent of Yahoo leagues despite only having a couple of short stretches this year where he’s played like a standard league player. Brooks has been useful in the past, but the Desmond Bane breakout has killed his value. The Canadian is ranked outside of the top 200 on the year and is just a low-end player in 14-team leagues outside of punt FG%.
Jeremy Sochan: Better stuff from Sochan who remains viable in 12-team leagues but not a must-roster. If you need rebounds, assists, and a steal a night, he’s fine to have when the schedule works in your favor, but in 12-team leagues, there is no build that turns him into more than a back-end player. Even in 14-team leagues, it’s hard to call him a must. He hasn’t received a boost since Vassell went down and has only been a borderline top-200 player over the last two weeks.
Josh Richardson (Pick Up in 14+ team leagues): The Vassell injury hasn’t elevated any of the Spurs’ reserves to standard league status. It’s just led to a bunch of mediocre options getting extra minutes. Richardson should be rostered in 14-team leagues, but when Keldon is healthy, he’s going to struggle to hit the 25 MPG mark. In 12-team leagues, he’s just a points and threes streamer who can give you three or four dimes.
Zach Collins (Pick Up in 14+ team leagues): Collins is playing well right now and is worth considering as a stash as we get closer to the trade deadline. The center would become a must-grab in all leagues if Poeltl were to be moved at the deadline. Collins is a very strong per-minute producer who can give you more than most low-end bigs in the guard categories when given quality run. Over the last week, he’s needed only 22.0 MPG to average 12.5 PPG on 51.3 FG%, 0.5 3PG, 8.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG. In 14-team leagues, he should be rostered.
Kings 135 Rockets 115
Terence Davis: Davis is a nice stream if Kevin Huerter has to miss another game or two with his non-COVID illness. He didn’t have it last night, but Davis is a top-end per-minute player who usually produces some nice when given extra playing time. Give him a look if Huerter sits and you need points, threes, and steals. Davis is currently producing an excellent 17.5 PP36, 3.5 3P36, and 1.9 SP36.
Trey Lyles: You can ignore this big game from Lyles. He is not an add in any leagues. Most nights, he’s playing minutes in the mid-teens and isn’t doing anything useful. He’s usually five boards and not much else. Last night’s minutes were just due to him getting hot.
Kenyon Martin Jr. (Pick Up in 14+ team leagues): Martin is worth a flier in deeper settings with KPJ leaving early with what is being called a foot contusion. Martin started for KPJ in the second half and was the clear beneficiary of the absence. The Rocket is just a deep-league add instead of a 12-team add if KPJ has to miss time because his game is not category-league-friendly. Martin has barely been a top-300 per-minute producer this year and doesn’t offer much outside of points, rebounds, and FG% impact. In his eight starts this year, he’s average a decent, but not super useful 13.4 PPG on 55.1 FG%, 1.3 3PG, 6.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.1 BPG.
Jabari Smith: If Smith was doing this in late February instead of early January, I’d be calling him a drop. However, since there is still a lot of season to go, I’m willing to give the rookie some leash in 12-team setups. In 10-team leagues, he’s a borderline option. I don’t feel comfortable cutting Smith just yet because as we’ve seen at different points this year, he doesn’t have to play great to be fairly useful. If the rookie can play just decently instead of poorly like he has been lately, we get mid-round numbers out of him in punt FG%. His game remains very fantasy friendly. Smith has only been a borderline top-150 player over the last month because his shooting has regressed (39.8 FG%) and his book rate has suffered a slight dip (0.9 BPG).
Wizards 100 Bulls 97
Deni Avidja: Avdija is a must-stream if the Wizards are without their starting bigs again on Friday. Both Gifford and Porzingis are listed as questionable for tomorrow’s battle with the Knicks. If both are back, then you can almost certainly do better. Before last night’s explosion, Avdija had played a total of 39 minutes over the Wizards’ two previous games. The forward is just a 16-team league option for now. That is unlikely to change unless the Wizards run into injury problems or decide to scrap the two-big starting lineup.
Delon Wright (Pick Up in 14- team leagues): Wright is a must-roster in deeper punt points settings and a must-watch in shallower leagues. If Monte Morris goes down, Wright would step into a big-minute role and would almost certainly turn into a mid-round player. The Wizard continues to post unbelievable numbers in the steals column while providing his managers with low-end assists. On the year, in only 19.5 MPG, Wright has averaged 3.3 APG and 2.2 SPG.
Patrick Williams: Williams is fine to stream, but only until Sunday. Do not be dropping anyone with a decent long-term outlook for the Bull because outside of very deep leagues, he needs to be dropped Sunday night due to Chicago’s one-game Week 14. No one beyond the top three will be worth holding through the terrible schedule. As long as Williams continues to play minutes in the low-30s, he’ll be a back-end standard league option who helps you win threes, boards, and steals. The forward has averaged 11.3 PPG, 1.9 3PG, 4.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG over his last eight.
Alex Caruso: Same deal as Williams. Caruso would be interesting with DeRozan out if it wasn’t for the Bulls’ Week 14 schedule. Due to the schedule, he’s just a two-game steals and assists streamer. As a starter this year, Caruso has managed a solid 4.1 APG and 2.1 SPG. Caruso will likely go back to the bench once DeRozan is healthy. In a reserve role, he is just a deep-league punt points option.