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What's up, Rotoballers! Here we are, already in the second week of the NBA season and the brand new in-season tournament kicked off with new courts, city edition jerseys, and confusing details for all of those wanting to understand what's going on. This is the time when having a friend who enjoys soccer could help everyone out.
Confusing tournaments aside, we're now getting into the portion of the season where rotations start to clear up a bit and we see some players hitting their rhythm that will reflect a better picture of how the rest of the season will unfold. Some of the rookies are getting the first-week jitters out and the veterans are "ramping up" to their regular season dominance.
What we're here to help with is figuring out which players are safe to drop so that fantasy managers can hold on to the real contributors. Each week, we'll give a list of players that warrant a decision on whether or not to drop and let them be free on the waiver wire. So, let's get into Week 2 of the drop list and find out who's been hanging on to false hope!
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Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing
Gary Trent Jr. (PG/SG, TOR) - 55% rostered
Over the last two seasons, Gary Trent Jr. has been a great source of threes, points, steals, and low turnovers. He was a staple on most fantasy rosters despite the format and league size. Injuries derailed some of last season, but he was consistent up until then and he was starting most of the year.
Fast forward to this year, he's only started one out of the team's six games so far and it hasn't been very pretty. Trent is averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.0 steals across 26.8 minutes per game. He's only shooting 32.3% from the floor and hitting 1.5 threes per contest. Every one of those numbers, except for rebounds, are the lowest marks he's achieved since either his rookie or second year in the league.
Especially for those of you who are in 12-team leagues or smaller, there are much better players out there on the waiver wire. Herbert Jones, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Caris LeVert are just a few names that are around the same availability as Trent, but producing bigger numbers.
Marvin Bagley III (PF/C, DET) - 18% rostered
Second week of the drop list and we have another Detroit Piston making it on here! The good news is that most fantasy managers have been watching some games and realize they can let Marvin Bagley III hang out on the waiver wire. The bad news is that there's still a solid portion of managers hanging on to hope.
While those who are hanging on to Bagley could just be in very deep leagues, 18% rostered still seems a bit too high. The 24-year-old is seeing the fewest minutes of his career so far with 19.2 minutes per contest. On top of that, he's down to career lows in points, rebounds, and steals.
Let's not make this too complex. Bagley can be dropped and we'll only revisit if injuries plague the Pistons' frontcourt.
Bones Hyland (PG/SG, LAC) - 10% rostered
Everyone knew once James Harden was finally traded to the Los Angeles Clippers that there were going to be some fantasy implications that came along with it. Bones Hyland, despite playing well for an injured Terance Mann, is unfortunately one of those fantasy casualties.
Not only is he going to lose some playing time to Harden, but he's going to lose even more time when Mann gets back on the floor. We still don't have a firm timetable for Mann's return, but Harden played north of 36 minutes per night with the 76ers and Nets, so that's likely to continue with the Clippers.
This drop isn't necessarily about bad play, it's more so a lack of minutes on the way. Hyland will still be useful in deeper leagues until Mann gets back, but in 12-team leagues, it's better to cut bait now.
Norman Powell (SG/SF, LAC) - 44% rostered
This week is the time to call out all of the Clippers guards and let them know that a change is coming! I'm sort of kidding, but just like we mentioned Harden eating into Hyland's minutes, and he's going to do the same with Norman Powell. I can't imagine that having Harden and Powell on the floor at the same time is going to do wonders for the Clippers' chances of winning more games.
Pop quiz, can anyone tell me what Powell does well for fantasy managers outside of a bit of scoring? If your answer was, "not much," then you are correct! The only stat outside of points that Powell has registered more than three in one game is fouls. Currently, his averages come in at 14.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 turnovers per game.
In those 12-team leagues, and probably even 14-team leagues, Powell is helping out with minimal stats for category formats and shouldn't even be a thought in points leagues. Throw James Harden in the mix and those stats don't exactly get much better. He might hit one or two more threes if they play together, but that doesn't constitute hanging on to him in favor of someone like Bogdan Bogdanovic or Dillon Brooks, who are both rostered in just 43% of leagues as well.
Xavier Tillman Sr. (PF/C, MEM) - 54% rostered
Normally, a good rule of thumb is to roster every starter throughout the league. That's not only a good rule in basketball but for every fantasy sport out there. For those fantasy managers in 12-team leagues or smaller, however, it might be time to break that rule with Xavier Tillman Sr.
Don't get me wrong, Tillman hasn't been completely awful. He's filling in admirably for a team that has been devastated by injuries already and a hefty suspension for their star guard. If we're looking at value in category leagues, however, he's bringing back negative value in points, threes, assists, field goal percentage, and free throw percentage. His only game-changing positives are coming from rebounds and steals.
To add more fuel to the fire, Tillman is seeing less than 30 minutes per night despite being the starting center right now, and the team brought in Bismack Biyombo to help stop the bleeding after a 0-6 start. Tillman even fell out of the starting lineup in their latest matchup against the Trail Blazers which doesn't bode well for managers still hanging on for hope.
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