RADIO
Welcome back, RotoBallers and dynasty managers! The knockout stages of the in-season tournament are on the horizon and the regular season is in full swing. NBA basketball has been on a great level of competition right now as long as the Washington Wizards aren't involved. Hopefully, those dynasty managers who are going for the championship don't have anyone outside of Kyle Kuzma on their roster.
For all of you who decided to jump into a dynasty league, these in-season tournaments could mean some big things for your prospects moving forward. Did that one bad game mean player X is ready to slide for the rest of the season or can it be written off as a rare occurrence? Could that big performance in the first-ever knockout stage of the in-season tournament mean that player Z is built for the playoffs?
What we're aiming to do each week is show which players are losing value and those that are gaining value. Hopefully, this will help some of you buy low, sell high, or brag to your league mates that you chose the right players from day one. Without further ado, let's check in on some of the risers and fallers through Week 6 of NBA action.
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Risers For Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Scottie Barnes (SF/PF, TOR)
After an excellent rookie season, Scottie Barnes had the entire fantasy basketball realm in a whirlwind about how good he was going to be. Then his second year happened, with some tremendous ups and downs, and everyone started to second guess his career trajectory. Now, Barnes has been hitting career highs in almost every traditional stat to start the season.
The former number-four pick is averaging 18.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 blocks, 2.4 turnovers, and 1.9 threes per game. This puts him in the top 20 of the league in terms of per-game fantasy value. Barnes' only negative fantasy stats compared to the league average are his shooting percentages and turnovers. Giving up two or three categories to get elite production in six others is a sacrifice that a lot of managers are willing to make.
Barnes just wanted to wait one extra year to make his leap! Plus, Pascal Siakam will likely be gone before next season and the Raptors look ready to hit the restart button with Barnes at the forefront, which is only going to boost his long-term value.
Alperen Sengun (C, HOU)
Are we able to call someone Nikola Jokic-lite? How about Diet Jokic? Fine, we'll have to come up with a different nickname for Alperen Sengun, but it's easy to see shades of the two-time MVP in his game!
We have entered Sengun's third year and he's already jumped all the way to 20 points per contest. To be exact, the 21-year-old big man averages 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while playing 32.9 minutes per game. His usage has sprung up from 21.0 to 26.4 and he's currently ranked in the top 50 in per-game value in category leagues. Just in case anyone needed some more stats, Sengun also boasts a 6.1 box plus/minus, which roughly translates to a borderline All-NBA level.
There's not much else to say here other than Sengun is turning into a beast.
Miles Bridges (SF/PF, CHA)
Miles Bridges' off-court issues and shortcomings have been well-documented at this point. After sitting out for more than a season, no one truly knew if he was going to return to the level he once played in 2021-22. Well, that question seems to be answered.
Bridges seems like he hasn't skipped a beat as he's putting up averages close to those of his last season. He's sitting at 33rd in per-game fantasy value and reached the top 40 over the last two weeks for total fantasy stats. The 25-year-old has posted shooting splits of .494/.407/.800 while averaging 19.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest.
He was most likely sitting on someone's bench this entire time or you were the risk-taking fantasy manager who decided to throw a late pick or project player to get Bridges on your team. Either way, he may turn into a league-winner if he continues this level of play.
Fallers For Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Bruce Brown (PG/SG/SF, IND)
One of the quintessential players who is an amazing basketball player but doesn't translate as well into fantasy basketball. That's a LinkedIn summary of Bruce Brown. He was a key piece in the Denver Nuggets' championship and was a great offseason addition by the Indiana Pacers, but he hasn't exactly kept fantasy managers happy.
After rising up as a do-it-all starter for the Nuggets, many people thought the Brown would vault himself into a bigger role whether that was with Denver or someone else. I also believed that, for the record. So, the fact that we're seeing Brown do the exact same thing with the Pacers and get some very inconsistent fantasy results, I'll be the first to say that I was wrong.
Brown is putting up 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 threes per game, which is almost identical to his stat line last season. He's barely hitting the top 100 in per-game fantasy value and his usage rate has even dropped from last year. It's just not going to win anyone a fantasy league in the foreseeable future.
Luguentz Dort (SG/SF, OKC)
The man, the myth, the legend, Luguentz Dort! The Dorture Chamber! Okay, while he may not be a superstar, everyone has to admit he has one of the best nicknames of all time.
Nicknames aside, Dort has not been the best fantasy asset so far this season. Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Josh Giddey, Cason Wallace, and even Isaiah Joe have all improved and found a solid role in the offense. Dort, on the other hand, has not found his groove and his offensive contributions are dwindling. He's down nearly three points, one rebound, and one assist per game from last season. The only positive stat categories that keep him in the top 100 are steals, blocks, and turnovers.
One thing that Dort still has going for him, besides the defensive stats, is the fact that he hasn't even turned 25 years old yet. Maybe you can convince another manager to take him on for some nice future assets because of that!
Klay Thompson (SG/SF, GSW)
My my my, how the mighty have fallen! The Golden State Warriors aren't looking too hot as a whole and Klay Thompson has especially fallen out of favor. He was even asked during a post-game press conference if he should bench himself. That kind of honor is usually reserved for much less established players.
Here's what Thompson has going against him: age, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, and turnovers. If you just thought to yourself, "Wow, that's a lot going against him," then we have something in common. All of that has contributed to the fact that he's ranked just 191 in per-game fantasy value. The last time Thompson wasn't in the top 100 was his rookie season!
This is the bad kind of scary hours, not the ones that James Harden refers to where his team is supposed to be good.
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