RADIO
Welcome to Rotation Watch, Rotoballers! Each week, this article will highlight the players gaining minutes in their team's rotation. Fantasy managers want to roster the players that accumulate stats and rack up the playing time. They want to avoid the players falling out of favor and watching the action from the sidelines.
With the new season here, Rotation Watch is well... back in the rotation. With new rotations and players bouncing around from season to season, it's important to take note of who's "in" and who's "out". I've been consistently updating my data model to account for minutes over the 2022-2023 regular season, as well as each player's last four games, and their stats based on who's on and who's off the floor (accounting for injury, etc.).
So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores and look for those hidden gems that grabbed minutes to help your fantasy basketball team achieve the ultimate prize: a championship. Of course, these suggestions are the cream of the crop, and if you ever need an extra slice of advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS.
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NBA Playing Time Changes
Royce O'Neale - PF, Brooklyn Nets
ESPN: 19.6% rostered
Week 1: 37:00 Minutes per Game
I'll start off this week's column with a guy that's relatively high-rostered, but should be mentioned nonetheless. Albeit their struggles, O'Neale has been a solid addition for the Nets this offseason. He's averaging 10.8 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game to start off his 2022 campaign, including a 20-point showing against the Bulls on Tuesday night.
With Ben Simmons in and out of the lineup due to injury management, as well as a change of the guard in terms of head coaching, I believe that O'Neale is a guy to keep your eye on as the season develops. Sure, he's no more than a low-usage role player for the Nets, but he has the ability to fill up the statsheet and can help you in all formats at what seems to be a relatively thin small forward position this season.
Jalen McDaniels - SF, Charlotte Hornets
ESPN: 8.6% rostered
Week 1: 24.54 Minutes per Game
I wrote up Jalen's brother Jaden McDaniels last week, and we'll share in the brotherly love here this week. McDaniels is averaging 10.9 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 2.4 assists per game for the Hornets this season.
While McDaniels averages just under 25 minutes per game on the season, it should be worth noting that he played a whopping 36 minutes in Wednesday's matchup against the Bulls after Gordon Heyward left the game with a shoulder injury. While it's unclear how long of an absence Heyward will have, I think McDaniels is a quality waiver option as long as he's out as he should see more minutes while filling the stat sheet with points, rebounds, and peripheral stats.
Max Strus - SG, Miami Heat
ESPN: 12.1% rostered
Week 9: 31:00 Minutes per Game
I'll finish things off with Max Strus. Strus started Miami's game against Sacramento on Wednesday night, logging 33 minutes in Jimmy Butler's stead. He scored ten points and logged four assists in that matchup.
Wednesday night was the only game that Strus has started for the Heat this season. Despite that, he's still playing 31 minutes per game while averaging 14.4 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game. I would prefer to pick Strus up in a points-based league rather than a category league, but he could do the job for you, at least temporarily, in either.
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