X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Hype Train: New Teams, New Games for Four Point Guards

FanDuel DraftKings daily fantasy basketball

Checking in on the point guard musical chairs with Ricky Rubio, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison, and George Hill. Trevor Crippen hops on the weekly NBA hype train to discuss buzz-worthy players.

In the midst of all the superstars changing teams this offseason, there was an interesting game of point guard musical chairs that took place with four mid-tier point guards and four small market teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up on Ricky Rubio as a shooter just when he was starting to shoot, and shipped him to the Utah Jazz. The Wolves replaced him by signing former Indiana Pacer point guard Jeff Teague. Meanwhile, former Jazz point guard George Hill, displaced by Rubio despite career best production in an injury limited season, found a new home with the Sacramento Kings. Then after all that, Kings point guard Darren Collison and the Indiana Pacers looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and decided to complete the circle.

Today we check in on the four point guards, who are each having very interesting starts to their new seasons with their new teams.

The Fantasy Basketball Hype Train is a season-long fantasy basketball feature where I can just have fun and write about the players me, you, and everyone else already wants to talk about. Are you ready for a ride on the fantasy basketball hype train?

 

Teague is Now Rubio, and Rubio is Now Teague

Last night, one of these two point guards scored 30 points with only 1 assist. The other racked up 9 assists with only 5 points. In a development that no one could have predicted, the former was Rubio in his new role as a scoring machine for the Utah Jazz, while the latter was Jeff Teague, whose assists have been up while his scoring has been down, to deliver a stat line for the Timberwolves that's been oddly similar to what they were getting out of Rubio for years.

Yes, we're only 8 games into the season, but it's pretty wild what we've seen out of these two guys so far, in a complete role reversal in fantasy terms. So far Jeff Teague, supposedly the superior scoring threat between the two is averaging a Rubio-esque 13.1 points, 1.1 treys, and .420 FG%, compared to Rubio's 17.5 points, 2.0 treys, and .437 FG%, all of which would be massive personal bests for a guy who's shot under 40% and averaged barely over 10 points per game in his career to date.

On the flip side, despite Rubio's legendary status as a passer, Teague is the one who's been dishing the ball at an elite level, with 7.8 assists per game vs. 3.4 turnovers per game, while Rubio's passing has been relatively sloppy for his part, with 6.5 assists vs. 4.4 turnovers, numbers which would both be massive career worsts for him.

Is it their teammates? Is it the coaching? What's up with them?

For Jeff Teague, I expect his shooting to eventually improve, but his assists to end up dropping as Jimmy Butler gets over his slow start and begins to integrate into the offense better. Butler needs to have the ball in his hands to maximize his talent, and he should be taking on the "point guard" role in the offense more and more with Teague playing off ball as a shooter. I think to start the season, with the team gelling, it's just been easier to run a more traditional offense with Teague running the point and Butler on the wing. But as the season moves along, and everyone starts getting more comfortable, things should stabilize and move toward what, from an outside perspective, seems to be the best way to use the Wolves' talent and what appeared to be the plan in the first place when the Wolves ditched Rubio for a better shooter in Teague.

As for Ricky Rubio, I think it's clear the Jazz believe in him as a scorer and a shooter, and they're encouraging him to be that for them in a lineup that's fairly devoid of many other scoring options. He's rewarded them by picking up where he left off in the second half of last season, with some excellent shooting. I think it's time to start believing in the new Ricky Rubio who can actually shoot the ball. The drawback so far to the Jazz encouraging him to be more aggressive as a scorer has been that he hasn't quite figured out how to fully integrate his passing and remain efficient. This is compounded by the dropoff in talented scorers to pass to. I think that Rubio's assists will start moving up, though it seems like they will not jump back up to Minnesota levels this year, given the new situation. But I do expect him to start trimming back on the turnovers as he gets more comfortable with his teammates and his new, aggressive scoring role.

Hype Diagnosis: It's time to start thinking of Rubio as a top 10 fantasy point guard with this new found scoring. At this point, I'd consider him in the same conversation with the struggling Kyle Lowry and the banged up Mike Conley at the back end of the top 10 behind Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, and (when healthy) Chris Paul. For Teague, I'd hold at his current overall value, though I would start treating him as a punt points / super-high assist guy.

 

Over the (George) Hill?

This will be a short one. Because... ugh. We knew it wasn't going to be as great in Sacramento as it was in Utah for Hill, given that the Kings have two young guards in De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield who warrant plenty of playing time for a rebuilding team. But this has been exceptionally bad. So far Hill is scoring only 9.6 points with only 2.7 assists and 0.9 treys, miles below his averages of 16.9 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.9 threes last season. His minutes are down to 27.6, and he's already missed one game for rest. The future doesn't look rosier, as De'Aaron Fox looks more and more like the PG of the future, and Hill faces the risk of a late season shutdown.

Hype Diagnosis: I don't really know what else to say. He's 66% owned in Yahoo, still, but I don't see the upside. I'd rather roll the dice on Kris Dunn or Mike James at this point.

 

Collison Course with Regression

If someone were to have said before the season that the Pacers would have three top 50 fantasy players NOT including Myles Turner, they would've been treated like Kyrie Irving teaching an earth science class. But 8 games into the season and here we are. Victor Oladipo has been breakout everyone's been hoping he'd be for years, and a top 20 fantasy option to date with his 23.8 points per game on a bonkers .485 FG%. Meanwhile, steady as ever, Thaddeus Young is back to being the solid fantasy producer he was in his Brooklyn days now that Paul George isn't relegating him to a bit part in the offense. The final, and perhaps most unexpected, hot starter for the Pacers, though, has been Darren Collison -- the last man standing in the game of point guard musical chairs.

Collison, unbelievably, has the highest FG% of the trio, at .532. He's always shot from an extremely high percentage from the field as PG -- his career average is .470 -- it's pretty nuts that he's at .532, despite attempting more 3s per minute than any season in his career so far, hitting them at a very nice, but not otherworldly 38.5%. It's all coming from two for Collison, where he's hitting an absurd 60.8% of his shots. While the Pacers have put him in a great position to convert, that's a pretty unsustainable rate.

His hot start as a shooter has been buoyed by a couple of extremely hot games against some of very bad defenses, including Wednesday's game against the stumbling Cleveland Cavaliers where he shot 9/10, and a season opener where he ripped the Brooklyn Nets for 9/12 shooting. Collison has actually struggled when he's facing any semblance of good point guard defense, shooting 3/9 against Miami, 4/10 against San Antonio, and 0/4 against his former team, Sacramento.

Of the three hot starters in Indiana, Thaddeus Young is the one who I think might keep things up close to the reasonably modest borderline top 50 level he's at. Victor Oladipo, while he's proven the haters wrong, isn't going to continue at a top 20 rate. Meanwhile, Darren Collison, while he will certainly continue to be a useful fantasy player, should see his shooting numbers come to earth a bit, and his assists, at a career high 7.3 right now, also come down as the rest of the team also cools off.

Hype Diagnosis: It's a nice story so far for the Pacers, but it won't last forever. However, before you sell high on Collison, consider waiting out the upcoming soft schedule of Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans, Detroit, and Chicago, to see if he can put a few more hot games in the bank to entice a potential buyer.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

NBA DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful NBA Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and NBA Lineup Optimizer & Generator with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy basketball.

Sign Up Now!


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jon Runyan

Limited During Minicamp
Saquon Barkley

Feels Great Physically
Justin Simmons

Panthers Have Talked With Justin Simmons
Jordan Addison

Trial Date Set for July 15
New York Jets

Jets Sign Kingsley Jonathan, Marquis Hayes
Jarace Walker

Remains Sidelined for Game 5
Justin Verlander

Returning to the Rotation on Wednesday
Tony Finau

Finishes Tied For 38th at U.S. Open
Bud Cauley

Misses The Cut at U.S. Open
Cameron Young

Finishes Tied For Fourth at U.S. Open
J.J. Spaun

Wins U.S. Open
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 12th at U.S. Open
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Second at U.S. Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 42nd at U.S. Open
Vershon Lee

Vikings Ink Undrafted Offensive Lineman Vershon Lee
Luke Clanton

Misses The Cut at RBC Canadian Open
San Francisco 49ers

C.J. West Signs Rookie Deal with San Fran
Jaylen Warren

Training to Handle Larger Workload
Giancarlo Stanton

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Will Campbell

Ends Minicamp as Top Left Tackle
Sam Cosmi

Making Good Progress From Torn ACL
Kamaru Usman

Gets Back In The Win Column
Adonai Mitchell

Impresses at Minicamp
Joaquin Buckley

Winning Streak Comes To An End
Miranda Maverick

Drops Decision At UFC Atlanta
Bradley Chubb

Fully Healed, Looking Disruptive
Jonnu Smith

Contract Talks "Still Fluid"
Rose Namajunas

Wins Decision At UFC Atlanta
Andre Petroski

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Edmen Shahbazyan

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Raoni Barcelos

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Chase Elliott

Ends Mexico City with A Great Finish of Third
Christopher Bell

has A Strong Runner-Up Performance At Mexico City
Chase Briscoe

Wild Day Ends with A Top-10 Finish
Michael McDowell

Leaves Mexico City with A Top-Five Finish
Cody Garbrandt

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Brundage

Defeated After Accidental Clash Of Heads
Cody Brundage

Mansur Abdul-Malik Defeats Cody Brundage By Technical Decision
Oumar Sy

Suffers His First Loss
Alonzo Menifield

Scores Upset Win
Alex Bowman

Delivers Bravura Performance After Michigan Injury
Tyler Reddick

Inexplicably Mediocre on his Once-Best Track Type
John Hunter Nemechek

Canny Strategy Gives John Hunter Nemechek Best Career Road-Course Finish
Cole Custer

Earns Best Finish Since Cup-Series Comeback at Mexico City
Grant Holmes

Punches Out 15 in Loss
Elly De La Cruz

Goes Yard in Fourth Straight Game
Will Vest

Dealing With Finger Injury
Jackson Merrill

Placed on Seven-Day Concussion Injured List
J.J. McCarthy

Looking "a Lot Stronger"
Shohei Ohtani

Will Be Dodgers' Starting Pitcher Monday
Roki Sasaki

Shut Down From Throwing
Garrett Wilson

Receives New Contract Offer
Jordan Hicks

Headed to Boston
Kyle Harrison

Traded to Red Sox
Travis Kelce

Slims Down During the Offseason
Trey Hendrickson

Bengals Restart Contract Discussions
Brady House

Nationals Promoting Brady House to Major Leagues
Rafael Devers

Traded to San Francisco
Logan Gilbert

to Start on Monday
Jayden Higgins

Impresses During Minicamp
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

on the Move to Memphis
Cole Anthony

Dealt to the Grizzlies
Seattle Seahawks

DeMarcus Lawrence Making an Impression With his New Team
Isaiah Simmons

Being Used Exclusively as a Linebacker
Tyler Mahle

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Travis Etienne Jr.

the Jaguars Lead Back?
Luis Robert Jr.

Scratched with Thumb Soreness
Desmond Bane

Traded to Orlando
Byron Buxton

Scratched from Sunday's Lineup
Brendan Donovan

Returns to the Lineup
Steven Adams

Rockets Agree to Three-Year Contract Extension
Royce Lewis

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Ty Dillon

Is a Respectable Cap Flexiblity-Focused DFS Option For Mexico City
Corey Perry

Produces 10th Postseason Goal
Connor McDavid

Scores First Finals Goal
John Hunter Nemechek

Is John Hunter Nemechek Worth Rostering In Mexico City DFS Lineups?
Shohei Ohtani

Blasts Two Homers in Win
Sam Bennett

Nets Another Road Goal in Game 5 Win
Eetu Luostarinen

Earns Two Points Saturday
Michael King

Not Making Progress
Brad Marchand

Pots Two Goals in Game 5 Victory
Jackson Merrill

Removed Early on Saturday
Sergei Bobrovsky

Ties NHL Record with 10th Road Win
Ross Chastain

Trackhouse Racing's Mexico Focus Makes Ross Chastain a Leading Contender for the Win
Kyle Busch

One of Two Past Mexico City Winners in the Field
Ryan Preece

Earns Surprising Front-Row Start
Austin Cindric

Not as Strong of a Road Racer as People Think
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Stronger on Infield Road Courses Than Purpose-Built Ones
Joey Logano

Seemingly Alternating Between Good and Mediocre Races
Brad Keselowski

One of the Few Drivers with Mexico City Experience
Denny Hamlin

Ryan Truex Makes First Cup Series Start Since 2014
Erik Jones

Mexico City Will Likely be a Struggle for Erik Jones
Noah Gragson

Front Row Motorsports' Speed May Make Noah Gragson a Decent DFS Option
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Road Courses Are Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s Worst Track Type
Evander Kane

Drops to Fourth Line Saturday
Kasperi Kapanen

Won't Play on Saturday
Calvin Pickard

Starts Game 5 for Oilers
Tyrese Haliburton

Struggles in Friday's Loss to OKC
Chet Holmgren

Dominates the Glass in Game 4
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Leads the Way in Game 4
Jalen Williams

Has a Quality Showing on Friday Night
Russell Westbrook

to Decline Player Option
Kevin Durant

Trade Could Happen in the "Next Few Days"
Joaquin Buckley

Set For Main Event
Kamaru Usman

An Underdog At UFC Atlanta
Miranda Maverick

Set For Co-Main Event
Rose Namajunas

Looks To Bounce Back
Andre Petroski

Looks To Extend His Win Streak To Four
Edmen Shahbazyan

A Favorite At UFC Atlanta
Raoni Barcelos

Set To Take On Former Champion
Cody Garbrandt

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Mansur Abdul-Malik

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Connor Hellebuyck

Wins Vezina And Hart Trophies
Aleksander Barkov

Records Two Power-Play Assists Thursday
Sam Reinhart

Collects Three Points in Thursday's Loss
Matthew Tkachuk

Notches Three Points in Losing Effort
Calvin Pickard

Joins Exclusive List with Thursday's Win
Mattias Ekholm

Logs Two Assists in Comeback Victory
Leon Draisaitl

Delivers Victory in Overtime Thursday
Myles Turner

Playing Through Illness
Reed Sheppard

Will Play in the NBA Summer League
Kevin Durant

Deal Could Come Sooner Rather Than Later
Dorian Finney-Smith

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Anze Kopitar

Wins Third Lady Byng Trophy
Sergei Bobrovsky

Heading Out for Win No. 15
John Klingberg

Won't Play in Game 4 Against Panthers
Viktor Arvidsson

Sits Out Game 4 Against Panthers
Stuart Skinner

Remains in Oilers Crease Thursday
Jalen Williams

Leads Thunder in Scoring Wednesday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Settles for 24 Points in Game 3 Loss
Pascal Siakam

Does Everything for Pacers Wednesday Night
Tyrese Haliburton

Gets Close to Triple-Double in Game 3 Win
Bennedict Mathurin

Leads All Scorers with 27 Points Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Has Second Offseason Surgery
Matt McCarty

Comes Off Season-Best Showing at RBC Canadian Open
Justin Thomas

Desperate to Continue Good 2025 Season
Jon Rahm

Seeks Revenge at U.S. Open
Tom Kim

Aiming for Improvement in U.S. Open
PGA

Sungjae Im Expects Solid Performance at Oakmont
Brian Harman

Aims to Rebound From the Memorial
Tony Finau

has Been Up and Down at U.S. Open
Patrick Cantlay

Hoping This is the Year at Oakmont
Akshay Bhatia

Improving in Time for U.S. Open
Xander Schauffele

Primed for Another Major Championship Run
Cameron Young

May Struggle at U.S. Open
Collin Morikawa

Eyeing Third Major Championship Title
Matt Fitzpatrick

Seeks to Avenge Oakmont Collapse
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF