Fantasy basketball: Dr. A’s weekly risers and fallers
Welcome to this week’s roundup of the biggest risers and fallers in fantasy basketball!
As the season unfolds, player performances continue to shake up the rankings and affect fantasy rosters. Whether it’s a breakout star making waves or a struggling veteran losing ground, staying ahead of the trends is crucial for your fantasy success.
In this weekly breakdown, we’ll highlight the top performers climbing the charts and those whose value is slipping, helping you make smarter lineup decisions.
Risers
Luka Doncic, PG, Los Angeles Lakers (100% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling and they got a huge overtime win against the New York Knicks on Thursday night. The Lakers have won eight straight games and have taken sole possession of second place in the West, thanks in large part to the strong play of Doncic. In his last seven games, he has averaged 27.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 9.2 APG and 2.4 SPG. Throwing money on the Lakers to win it all (+550) could pay off and his fantasy owners are loving life right now.
Derrick White, PG/SG, Boston Celtics (97% rostered)
White has been a Top 10 fantasy player over the last two weeks, has been fantastic, and should be a force whenever the Celtics rest their stars on random nights going forward. White went off for 41 points and nine 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers and has helped the Celtics win three straight games. While the Celtics are basically locked into the No. 2 seed in the East, they’re going to look for opportunities to give their main guys a night off from time to time.. And, as far as I can tell, White is not one of the guys they’ll put in street clothes for most of their remaining games. He’s basically rendered Jrue Holiday useless in fantasy this season and is simply on fire for Boston.
Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls (90% rostered)
White scored a career-high 44 points with seven 3-pointers on Thursday and has scored at least 24 points in four straight games. Josh Giddey is also killing it, but White is finally healthy again and taking out everything in his path. He’s shooting it lights out, racking up steals and 3-pointers, and is looking to finish the season on a high note. If you stuck with him through the injury woes, you’re being rewarded for your patience.
Payton Pritchard, PG, Boston Celtics (65% rostered)
Pritchard probably locked up the Sixth Man of the Year Award with his unique triple-double of 43 points, 10 rebounds and 10 3-pointers against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday and then backed it up with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and four 3-pointers on Thursday against the Sixers. The Celtics are likely going to be resting one or two stars every night the rest of the way, but Pritchard is going to be out there every night racking up points, rebounds, assists, steals and 3-pointers. He’s been one of the best fantasy sleepers of the season thus far.
Ty Jerome, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers (19% rostered)
Jerome doesn’t catch a lot of hype or time on SportsCenter, but he’s been one of the best sixth men of the season thus far. He had 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals and two 3-pointers last Sunday against the Trail Blazers and has averaged 17.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 SPG and 1.7 3PG in his three March games. Like Pritchard, Jerome should keep it going the rest of the way, especially with the Cavaliers resting their stars from night-to-night down the stretch, as they’ve all but locked up the No. 1 seed in the East. Jerome should be rostered in all leagues the rest of the way.
Fallers
Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers (99% rostered)
Maxey is currently sidelined by a back injury and I’m worried about him being shut down for the rest of the season. The Sixers are officially tanking, trying to protect their draft pick, and have to finish in the bottom six to keep it. And he was struggling even when he was healthy, scoring 16 or fewer points in five of his last seven games before going down with the injury. He had a great season and, while a shutdown isn’t imminent, it sure feels like he will not be playing many more games down the stretch for the tanking Sixers.
Jalen Green, SG, Houston Rockets (96% rostered)
Even with Fred VanVleet injured for the Rockets, Green has been struggling over his last three games, scoring just 18, 12 and 9 points and hitting 13-of-37 shots. We’ve seen Green go into slumps like this before this season, and until he finds his shot it is no fun for fantasy managers with Green.
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, New York Knicks (94% rostered)
Bridges is a very good player and doesn’t miss games, but he’s also been quiet for the last month, scoring 15 or fewer points in 10 of his last 11 games, while not exactly filling up the stat sheet. He’s played a ton of minutes over the course of his NBA career and could probably use a night off, but Tom Thibodeau will play him until the wheels fall off, and Bridges has no interest in getting rest. He’s scored six or fewer points in two of his last three games. I’m not ready to pull the plug on him just yet, but there’s reason for concern here.
Paul George, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers (92% rostered)
George has missed two straight games with groin soreness, which is a huge red flag. Joel Embiid is done for the season, Tyrese Maxey is dealing with a back injury, the 21-41 Sixers are cooked, and a groin injury is probably enough for the medical staff to shut George down for the rest of the season. I’d put his over/under for games played the rest of the way at three, and he’s near the top of my list of shutdown candidates, especially since the Sixers need to continue to lose games to ensure they get to keep their first-round draft pick.
Clint Capela, C, Atlanta Hawks (52% rostered)
Capela has been forced to the bench by the strong play of Onyeka Okongwu and has averaged just 5.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in five February games, along with 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in his three March games. He hasn’t had a good season and there are a ton of intriguing centers on the waiver wire I’d rather have than Capela. Unless Okongwu goes down, Capela isn’t going to help your fantasy team.
Source: espn.com