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Welcome to the fantasy basketball risers and fallers column, a weekly look at a few players whose stock is rising and a few who've been struggling with some analysis of why that's been the case. As always, this doesn't mean you need to drop these players who are struggling, but this could be a useful piece for making some trade decisions or for making some tough lineup choices.
The NBA is nearing the end of its second week of action, so we're starting to get a better idea of how some teams and players are doing. That definitely makes it easier for us to write about!
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Fantasy Basketball Risers
C.J. McCollum - G - Portland Trail Blazers
Over the past seven days, McCollum is fifth in the NBA in points per game. A big part of that was his 44-point explosion against the Rockets, but he's also scored 20-plus points in his other games as well. Couple that with his 7.3 assists per game this week -- that ranks 11th on the week -- and we're seeing a whole new version of McCollum in the early going.
Obviously, McCollum is already rostered in your league, so you aren't going out and adding him. But you might still have a small window in which you can trade for him at a bit of a discount before everyone catches onto how he's playing.
It's also interesting that in the 106 minutes McCollum has played with Damian Lillard, McCollum leads his star teammate in field goal attempts, effective field goal percentage, and true shooting percentage.
Darius Garland - G - Cleveland Cavaliers
SEXLAND!
While Collin Sexton is getting much of the attention for his play right now in Cleveland, second-year guard Darius Garland is trending up too, with averages of 18.3 points and 7.5 assists this week. He's also adding 1.5 steals per game.
I was cautiously high on Garland before this season started. But on a Cavs team that's pretty bereft of depth, I should have been even higher. Garland is going to get nearly limitless chances to show he can be a good NBA player. So far, he's delivering.
Jarrett Allen - C - Brooklyn Nets
In my Brooklyn Nets group chat, the calls for Jarrett Allen to start for the Nets have gotten very, very loud.
And they should! His 13.3 rebounds per game this week rank second in the league, and he averaged 10 points and 1.3 blocks per game too. Starter DeAndre Jordan? 3.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. So, why is Allen only playing about two more minutes per night right now?
We have to assume head coach Steve Nash is going to figure this out soon and that Allen's minutes will creep up into the high 20s. I want him on my fantasy roster when that happens.
John Wall - G - Houston Rockets
It's only been one game, but John Wall looks like he's back. That was a huge worry of mine -- if Wall would be able to keep up in the regular season after two years away from regular season action. But in his Rockets debut, Wall scored 22 poiints and added nine assists and six rebounds. We've seen Houston have success with a strong point guard beside James Harden, and if the Rockets do eventually trade Harden, Wall would see his role increase even more. Good spot to be in.
Fantasy Basketball Fallers
R.J. Barrett - G/F - New York Knicks
This week has not been kind to R.J Barrett.
Let's start with one potential bright side:
He's getting to the rim! But he has the lowest field goal percentage of anyone who ranks in the top 10 in most field goal attempts at the rim, so...that's not so good.
Also not so goos: his other shooting. Barrett is shooting 12.5 percent from three, but that's inflated by a 3-for-3 night in the first game of the year. Since then, Barrett hasn't made a three, despite averaging 5.3 attempts per game. Since the 26th, his numbers are just...very bad. Per Basketball Reference:
At least the rebounding is going okay! But the shooting numbers are just absolutely abysmal right now. I think Barrett will figure it out, but maybe he shouldn't be in your lineup until he does?
Davis Bertans - F/C - Washington Wizards
Maybe Bertans just isn't in game shape yet? Something has to explain why a shooter as good as him has a 24.2/20.7/83.3 shooting split over the past four games.
The Wizards are a team that I thought could have a solid 2020-21 season and challenge for a playoff spot, but instead they're just...bad. They haven't won a game yet and seem to be firmly in the hunt for the No. 1 pick and Cade Cunningham at this point.
But even on a bad team, Bertans should be doing things! He shot 42.4 percent from three on 8.7 attempts per game last year. You just don't shoot that well on that many attempts unless you're an elite shooter!
He should put things together soon-ish and get back on track, but also I'd be hesistant to play Bertans in my lineup or in DFS until I see him start to actually make those treys. He takes seven of them per game, so so much of his value is tied up in his ability to make them. Hard to play him if he isn't doing the primary thing you drafted him to do!
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