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Welcome to Rotation Watch, Rotoballers! Each week, this article will highlight the players that are gaining minutes in their team's rotation. Fantasy managers want to roster the players that are accumulating stats and racking up the playing time. They want to avoid the players falling out of favor and watching the action from the sidelines.
Here's how Week 2 played out for the Rotation Watch with their player ranking over the last seven days:
- Tyrese Maxey - 77th player on Yahoo
- Chris Duarte - 122nd
- Franz Wagner - 52nd
- Scottie Barnes - 44th
- Dorian Finney-Smith - 221st
Some good, and some bad for the initial run of the season. Maxey and Wagner seem like the real deal, but Duarte is already seeing his numbers dip with Caris LeVert back in the Pacers lineup. Unfortunately, Scottie Barnes suffered a thumb injury and is day-to-day too. Hopefully, it doesn't linger for too long because he has been a revelation for fantasy managers who took a chance on the rookie.
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NBA Playing Time Changes
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - PG/SG, Washington Wizards
Yahoo: 11% rostered
Week 2: 33:00 Minutes per Game
Acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade, Caldwell-Pope is having a productive start to his Washington Wizards tenure. In Week 2, the 28-year old averaged 11.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.3 three-pointers across four games. He drained 53.1 percent of his shot attempts and 52.9 percent of his threes. In the nation's Capital, KCP has been playing the most minutes per game since the 2017-18 campaign, his first year in Los Angeles. Spencer Dinwiddie and Bradley Beal offer the occasional game off here and there for rest purposes, and Caldwell-Pope becomes a great streamer in those scenarios. The guard has three games remaining in Week 2 (vs. TOR, vs. MEM, vs. MIL) and is a perfect addition in 12-team leagues if you are trying to make up some ground in points and three-pointers.
Damion Lee, SG/SF, Golden State Warriors
Yahoo: 8% rostered
Week 2: 29:30 Minutes per Game
The momentum for Damion Lee hit a bump in the road after he missed the Halloween contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, before his injury, Lee recorded at least 11 points in all five games this season and strung together 14 and 20-point outings in back-to-back games where he hit four threes in each contest. Fortunately, he logged a full practice on Tuesday, and all signs are pointing to a return to the court against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. In addition, Lee may be a viable Week 4 streamer as he lines up against Houston, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Chicago for a four-game week.
Gary Trent Jr. - SG/SF, Toronto Raptors
Yahoo: 69% rostered
Week 2: 33:15 Minutes per Game
My third player on the rotation watch barely makes it under 70 percent rostered, but he has a vital role on a minutes-heavy team. If you are one of the guys in Toronto, you will get the desired amount of playing time for fantasy basketball. And the early returns tell us Gary Trent Jr. is one of the guys. As of this writing, he is a top-50 option in nine-category leagues, and he needs to be 100 percent rostered. Through eight games, the former-Trail Blazer is averaging 15.3 points on only 38.7 percent shooting, with 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers in 33 minutes each night. Trent averaged 42.1 percent from the floor and 39.7 percent from downtown over the last two seasons, and improvements in those numbers should only bolster his appeal in all formats as the NBA's second-month rolls along.
Jae Crowder - SF/PF, Phoenix Suns
Yahoo: 19% rostered
Week 2: 33:20 Minutes per Game
Crowder was an integral piece of the Sun's Finals run last season. While he has never been a must-have fantasy option, he's one of those end of the bench options which can contribute in all the categories. Those types of players become more needed as the season wears on, and with half the league carrying a questionable tag after two weeks, Crowder is already useful in 14-team leagues. On the year, the 10-year veteran averages 8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, two assists, 1.6 stocks (steals+blocks), and 1.5 threes in 30 minutes a night. The playing time rose to 33 minutes in Week 2, as the Suns try to find their footing in the 2021-22 season. As I mentioned, Crowder isn't exciting, but he deserves to be on a few more rosters than the 19 percent he's at now. He plays four games in Week 4 and should be on your watchlist for next week's slate of games.
Nicolas Batum - SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers
Yahoo: 13% rostered
Week 2: 30:00 Minutes per Game
Batum and Crowder are more of a wait-and-see recommendation than the first three on this week's Rotation Watch. Still, I expect their playing time to be helpful in the coming weeks. Nicolas Batum has been a top-100 player in nine-category leagues over the last seven days and easily deserves a spot on your watchlist. The Clippers need his veteran presence to steady the ship on a nightly basis, considering how volatile most of their roster can be, and it fits Batum like a glove. The Frenchman has double-digit points in two of his last three games, at least five rebounds in four of five, and has a minimal two turnovers in the entire season. He's adding some numbers in all the categories each time he is out there, and the recent uptick in playing time should only bolster those numbers for the end of Week 3 and the beginning of a four-game Week 4 schedule.
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