RADIO
Happy holidays and new year, RotoBallers! We're back to our regularly scheduled programming this week before the calendar turns over to 2024. We've seen a lot of great basketball so far this season and also a 28-game losing streak finally come to an end. The good news is that there's even more in store for the next year!
For any fantasy managers who may be new to the series, this is The Cut List. We go over a list of players that managers can consider dropping or replacing because they're either on a downward trend or flat-out not contributing to fantasy wins. Sometimes players are suggested to be dropped in shallower leagues while they can still make an impact in deeper ones. There aren't many decisions that are black and white in fantasy basketball, so hopefully we can help make some league-winning choices.
So, with that being said, let's jump into the Week 10 edition of the cut list! If you have any other players to add to this list, let me know X/Twitter @__Fisch.
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Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing
Cam Thomas (SG/SF, BKN) - 85% rostered
Cam Thomas was a super hot commodity while he was dropping 30-point and 40-point games left and right. He started off with 27 or more points in five of his first eight games and even dropped a few more when he returned from an extended absence. The issue is that since his back-to-back games of 41 and 32 points in mid-December, his minutes have steadily declined.
After his last 30-point game, Thomas saw two games with 30 minutes on the court and then hasn't gotten more than 28. Most recently, he was removed from the starting lineup and only saw 24 minutes against a weak Washington Wizards squad. His appearance on this list is due to a downward trend in trust from the coaching staff, rather than a huge drop in stats.
Thomas' rank in nine-category leagues this year sits at 158 while over the last two weeks, he produced a fantasy stat line to drop him all the way down 235. To make matters worse, he fell as far as 350 across the last three games. Unless flat-out points and free throw percentage are all your fantasy team needs, Thomas can be replaced.
Gary Trent Jr. (PG/SG, TOR) - 36% rostered
Time and time again, Gary Trent Jr. has received the opportunity to prove he can be a consistent starter as a top-notch 3-and-D player, but he hasn't done enough. After the 2021-22 season, it looked like Trent was turning a corner and becoming a very good piece on the Raptors while also contributing some big stats to fantasy teams in all formats. Then, he regressed a bit last season and dropped even more this year.
Despite his upgraded play over the last week, his spot in the rotation is going to be affected big time by the arrival of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett after they traded away OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. Barrett will likely take on the starting spot that was vacated by Anunoby. Quickley will take on a chunk of minutes in the backcourt either for or with Dennis Schroder.
So, let's add it all together. Trent averages 11.6 points, 2.2 threes, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 26.0 minutes per contest while shooting 40.4% from the floor and putting up 1.4 free throw attempts per game. Add that to moving down in the rotation and we get a player that's expendable in all fantasy formats.
Isaiah Stewart (PF/C, DET) - 37% rostered
Isaiah "Beef Stew" Stewart hit a bit of a double whammy where he's producing very little fantasy value and then was bitten by the injury bug. Before the Detroit Pistons could end their historic losing streak, Stewart suffered a big toe sprain and is expected to miss the next two weeks. One could say that there's a correlation between the Pistons' win and Stewart watching from the sidelines.
Stewart's defense hasn't been what it once was, and while he was already sitting outside of the top 170 in nine-category value the past two seasons, he dropped even further so far this year. At the moment, he's flirting with falling outside of the top 200 this year as he sits at 198 with averages of 10.4 points, 1.4 threes, 7.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 turnovers per game. His only positive value compared to the league average comes in rebounds and turnovers.
He's not the best big man on his own team and he's one the lowest-ranked players that averages 30 or more minutes a night. While he's out for two weeks, this is the time to experiment with some of the bigs that are on the waiver wire.
Gordon Hayward (SG/SF, CHA) - 60% rostered
We've talked a lot about injury history and availability here on the Cut List because if someone isn't playing, they aren't helping your fantasy team. Gordon Hayward is the poster child of inconsistent playing time and never being available when fantasy managers need him the most. Everyone knows what Hayward is likely to produce throughout the season and when he's drafted, it's with the knowledge that he won't play many games.
The last time Hayward played more than 52 games was the 208-19 season when he was in Boston. Since then, he's had two seasons under 50 games and two at 50 and 52. His per-game numbers ranked as a top 75 player, but his totals only got him as high as 110. This year has been no different except for the fact that his averages have dropped along with missing games.
Get out there and find someone who can actually contribute all season long!
Kelly Oubre Jr. (SF, PHI) - 48% rostered
To start the season, Kelly Oubre Jr. looked like the free-agent signing of the year. He quickly went from coming off of the bench to joining the starting lineup and dropped multiple 20-point games along with some nice rebound value. He even had multiple games with three or more made threes and was getting to the free-throw line at a solid rate.
Well, ever since the strange car accident story, he hasn't consistently produced at the same level. Understandably, a lot of managers added him once he returned because they saw the potential. Over the last two weeks, however, he produced enough to rank 184th in per-game value for nine-category fantasy leagues. While he averaged two made threes per game, he only registered 10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest while shooting 39.7% from the floor.
Nick Nurse is going to tinker and experiment with the rotation until the playoffs come around. Some days Robert Covington will get more minutes, Nicolas Batum sees the starting minutes, and Marcus Morris Sr. is starting to get more minutes, too. Oubre will be too inconsistent to trust every night unless there are some injuries the team has to endure.
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