2023-24 Fantasy Basketball Week 17 Risers and Fallers

February 15, 2024

Aidin Ebrahimi looks at three risers and three fallers from Week 17 of the 2023-24 NBA season as we get closer and closer to the All-Star break.

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to the 17th edition of my weekly fantasy basketball risers and fallers for the 2023-2024 season!

The trade deadline is behind us and we're now rapidly approaching All-Star weekend! If things haven't gone your way yet in your fantasy leagues, don't lose hope! I'm here to help you assess the value of some players who are seeing major production swings during the year.

With that being said, let's look at the risers and fallers from Week 17 of the NBA season.

Fantasy Basketball Risers: Week 17

Herbert Jones - F, New Orleans Pelicans

Herbert Jones must have had a very turbulent day during the trade deadline because so many people expected New Orleans to trade away the defensive stalwart for a third star. However, the Pelicans decided to keep their young core and kept Jones around. He is trying his best to prove to the Pelicans that they made the right call, as he bounced back from a very disappointing week.

It's a great day to be a Herb Jones fan.

In addition to his All-NBA defense he is currently averaging

50% FG
41.1% 3PT
85.7% FT pic.twitter.com/8c8eYDNVnp

— retroPels (@retro_pels) February 14, 2024

Two weeks ago, he failed to score more than nine points in three games in a row, but he scored 10+ points in all of his four games last week, averaging 14.3 points and five rebounds a night while shooting 57.1% from the field and 58.8% from three.

Myles Turner - C, Indiana Pacers

A Myles Turner trade deadline trade is like The Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. Some swear that everyone will see these things one day, but it's fair to assume that this will never be the case. Turner has once again gone through another trade deadline filled with rumors only to stay in Indiana, and at this point, that is the best thing for him.

He has responded well to the Pacers showing faith in him, as the two-time blocks leader has been fantastic over his last four games, averaging 20.3 points while shooting 60% from the field and 38.9% from three. Turner was great in February last year, so we can expect him to continue doing well this year, too.

Buddy Hield - G/F, Philadelphia 76ers

Buddy Hield has finally gotten his wish. After months of being unhappy with the Pacers and (allegedly) using a fake X account to voice his frustrations, Hield was finally traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers have had a history of getting the best out of sharpshooters in the Joel Embiid era, as players like Marco Belinelli and JJ Redick easily had their best seasons while playing in Philly alongside Embiid.

The number of Sixers players in my lifetime who can hit a step back 3 in transition like Buddy Hield does here is a short list. pic.twitter.com/Y9k7OGnRvv

— Daniel Olinger (@dan_olinger) February 15, 2024

Yes, Ben Simmons' playmaking and driving helped them a lot, too, but Embiid and Tyrese Maxey have already made Hield's life easier. He has averaged 22.3 points while shooting 52% from the floor and 44.8% from deep ever since joining his new squad.

Fantasy Basketball Fallers: Week 17

Jordan Poole - G, Washington Wizards

Jordan Poole didn't get traded, and neither did Kyle Kuzma, so his situation remains the same. Jordan Poole's first season in Washington has been a nightmare and it just keeps getting worse and worse for him. Every time we think things can't get worse for Poole in Washington, it just keeps getting worse.

And now there might be serious concerns and questions about Poole's future as an NBA player, which is crazy to think about since he was averaging 20.7 points a night for the defending NBA champions in February 2023. Over his last five games, Poole has averaged just 7.4 points while shooting (cover your eyes if you must) 25.5% from the field and 22.2% from three.

Bilal Coulibaly - F, Washington Wizards

Poole's teammate Bilal Coulibaly was also really hurt by the trade deadline. Many thought that Kyle Kuzma and/or Poole would get traded, which would open things up for the seventh overall pick of this year's draft. However, as we know, that wasn't the case. It was reported that Kuzma was set to get traded, but the Wizards let him have the final say and he declined.

Coulibaly certainly won't benefit from these two chucking-up shots, and his numbers aren't looking too promising right now. Since the start of February, he has averaged just 8.2 points a night while shooting 28.9% from the floor and 27.3% from deep, which gives him the fifth-lowest true shooting percentage among all NBA players who took 40+ shots since the start of the month (45.2%).

Jalen Green - G, Houston Rockets

Jalen Green was another name who was in potential trade talks, but nothing came out of it and Green is still a Houston Rocket. Green ended January on a big run, as he put up 29.8 points and 7.2 rebounds a night while shooting 51.5% from the field. However, that stretch couldn't convince teams to trade for his services, and now he's back to being the same player he's always been.

Might be a bad take in a few months, but I’m actually a bit higher on Jalen Green right now than I was previously because of how much growth I’ve seen in his all around game.

If he’s able to get his 3PT% up, I think everything else will take care of itself as his game matures.

— ᵂᴵᴸᴸ (@BiasedHouston) February 14, 2024

He still shows flashes of potential, like his 26-point triple-double against Atlanta late in the week, but his shooting splits (especially his 17.6% three-point percentage over his last six games) are so bad that they tank his fantasy value and make him a poor fantasy option.

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