Fantasy Basketball Drop List: Week 5

November 19, 2022

Alex Fischbein looks at fantasy basketball players who can be dropped in Week 5. These are players who are struggling in the 2022-23 NBA season.

What's up, RotoBallers! Hopefully, the 2022-23 NBA season hasn't gone sour for you this early on.

The Drop List returns for another week, and it might not be kind to some of your rosters. Each week, I'll take a look at a handful of NBA players that can be dropped from your fantasy team.

Without further ado, let's get to the fantasy basketball drop list. Every Saturday, we'll have a list of NBA players and a small dive into why they can be cut from some or all fantasy formats. Please take into account: each fantasy league is different. Make sure you check out the waiver wire and have a player in mind to replace one of the following players that you may drop.

Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing

Seth Curry (PG/SG, BKN)

33% rostered

His last two seasons, mostly during the time while he was in Philadelphia, were the best fantasy seasons of Seth Curry's career. So, it makes a lot of sense that fantasy managers everywhere would chase that same success coming into this season.

Curry's ADP this year, despite coming into it battling an injury, was 138.4. That put him right around the middle of the 12th round in a 12-team league. His rank right now, based on value, is 236 which would put him in the 20th round of a draft. A lot of drafts don't even have that many rounds in case anyone was wondering.

He's already missed nine games due to injury and he's scored in the single digits in five of the seven games he has played. To go even further, in three of those single-digit games, he scored either zero or one point. All of his shooting percentages are drastically lower than the previous few seasons and now the Brooklyn Nets are getting healthier as well as welcoming Kyrie Irving back soon.

That's one big formula for dropping someone.

Norman Powell (SG/SF, LAC)

38% rostered

Since he blew up in Toronto back in the 2019-20 season, Powell seemed like he was always going to be fantasy relevant. Whether he was starting or a sixth man, he was shooting at high percentages all over the floor, scoring near the 20s, and peppering in some rebounds, assists, and steals.

Fast forward to this season. He's not doing much of anything and his scoring is at its lowest mark since 2018-19. His three-point percentage is even at a career-low 28.3% at the moment. The fact that he's on a team that has a lot of depth does not bode well for his minutes if he continues this level of play.

In leagues that have less than 14 teams, there are players on the waiver wire that can provide the same scoring but give more value in other areas. Powell is currently ranked at 265 in terms of per-game value, which is below the likes of three of his own teammates in Robert Covington, Terance Mann, and John Wall.

Ayo Dosunmu (PG/SG, CHI)

46% rostered

Unless you're in a dynasty league or a very deep league, Dosunmu can hang out on the waiver wire. The Chicago Bulls have only three players in the top 100 for fantasy value. Dosunmu is not one of them.

In regard to per-game stats this season, he's ranked right around 128 but in the last week he's 187 and over the last two weeks he's 204. The regression has been real and the team still doesn't have Lonzo Ball back. Coby White has also barely seen the floor. So, while receiving more minutes and opportunities, he's getting worse in fantasy value.

That value is matching players such as Nikola Jovic and Wenyen Gabriel who play 10-to-13 minutes per game fewer than Dosunmu.

Chuma Okeke (PF, ORL)

12% rostered

Orlando has suffered injuries to their starting power forward, small forward, and center at one point. Okeke has been a big beneficiary in terms of minutes and he wasn't able to turn in much value out of that.

In the last two weeks, he did move up to rank 165 and 115 in terms of per-game and total value respectively. Overall, he still sits in the 200s. Now, the team is starting to get healthier and those minutes are going to be fewer for every player that gets healthy again. Especially once Paolo Banchero comes back, that's the real sign to drop Okeke.

Jeremy Sochan (PF, SAS)

19% rostered

Before we get into the reasons to drop him in most fantasy formats, he's a definite keeper in dynasty leagues. We're not going that crazy around here.

In leagues with 14 teams or fewer in any other format, however, it's time to cut. He's the 209th-ranked fantasy asset and the only positive parts to his stats are his field goal percentage and turnovers. Other players that are ranked just above him include Tre Mann, Edmond Sumner, and Austin Reaves. That isn't the type of company one wants to hear above Sochan.

While he has plenty of room and time to grow, he's only averaging 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. If wins are needed sooner rather than later, then look to the waiver wire to get a better contributor.

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