RADIO
Euan Leith looks at fantasy basketball starting lineup changes for Week 4. These NBA players are seeing increases or decreases in minutes and playing time.
Welcome to Rotation Watch! Each week this article will break down who is gaining and who is losing minutes around the NBA. You want the players on your team that are getting their opportunity to shine, not the ones who are sitting on the bench and watching from the sidelines.
The Boston Celtics are 8-1 and it's looking like losing Kyrie Irving in the offseason has been an addition by subtraction for the chemistry of this team. Then Gordon Hayward had to go and break his hand on a fluke play and now there are 31.1 minutes of basketball available for the remaining Celtics. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are already playing 34.4 and 31.3 minutes respectively and you shouldn't be shocked if one of those two or a surprise Celtic appear in this article next week.
So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores from November 4th to November 10th and look for those hidden gems that are grabbing some minutes to help your fantasy basketball team.
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NBA Playing Time Changes
Raul Neto (PG - Philadelphia 76ers)
Philadelphia 76ers star point guard Ben Simmons suffered a Grade 1 AC Joint sprain in Week 3 and has missed consecutive games for the first time in his career. It's not considered serious, but while he is out there is a massive void to fill in the 76ers lineup.
That's where Raul Neto steps in. The 27-year old has taken on the starting role and performed admirably. Before the Simmons injury, Neto was averaging 14.5 minutes per game, but in the last 7 days, the fifth-year player is up to 25.3 minutes per game.
His 8.8 points, four assists, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 made three-pointers, and one steal are not exactly fantasy-league winning numbers, but for owners in deeper leagues that need to just survive until Simmons comes back, Neto should be given a look.
Bruce Brown (SG - Detroit Pistons)
This week's shooting guard is a warning to fantasy owners. Do not chase Bruce Brown on the waiver wire. He had a phenomenal Week 3 in terms of minutes, but his teammates Derrick Rose, Tim Frazier, and Reggie Jackson are all on the mend or already back.
Hopefully, fantasy managers were able to enjoy Brown's fantasy-relevant week as he was up to 36 minutes per game last week. In those minutes he was able to provide the lucky few with 11 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, two steals and one block per game.
Brown may have won owners their Week 3 matchup, but do not expect that to continue as he played only 14 minutes on Monday night while all of his Detroit teammates were getting healthy and back on the court.
Glenn Robinson III - (SF - Golden State Warriors)
Hello Glenn Robinson III! It's probably well overdue that he is mentioned in this article, but that mistake is being remedied this week. He has started all 11 of the Warriors' games this season and is making them count. He has had one season in his six-year NBA career where he averaged over 20 minutes per game. Now it's a whole new world and Robinson III is averaging 31 minutes per night.
Week 3 was the icing on the cake though as he was pushed up to 35.3 minutes per game to go along with 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.3 made three-pointers. He is rostered in less than 10% of leagues and should be owned in 14-team or deeper leagues.
The 22nd-ranked small forward is not spectacular in any particular category, but it's the solid and consistent players that help build a strong foundation for championship-winning teams in fantasy basketball. Go get him before the rest of your league mates catch on.
Eric Paschall (PF - Golden State Warriors)
Golden State Warriors rookie power forward Eric Paschall has had an interesting start to his NBA career. In his first five games, he played over 32 minutes in only one game. Since then he has eclipsed that mark in four of five games as the Warriors try to compete amid all the injuries that have decimated their core.
In fact, Paschall averaged 36 minutes in Week 3 and he took full advantage of those minutes. The former Villanova player filled up the box score with 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2 made 3s per game last week. He hasn't just been a one-week wonder though as his contributions have made him a top-16 PF in fantasy over the previous two weeks.
The Warriors are a mystery right now in terms of their rotation and Draymond Green came back from his hand injury on Monday night to throw further uncertainty into the mix. If Paschall is available in your league, go and pick him up to hold in the event that the Warriors have liked what they've seen from the rookie and want to continue giving him big minutes.
Frank Kaminsky (C - Phoenix Suns)
Another loser in terms of minutes and production in Week 3. With Deandre Ayton still serving his 25-game suspension, Kaminsky was one of the candidates to take on those minutes and prosper with his new team. That has not happened.
He was only averaging 24.3 minutes per game coming into Week 3 of the fantasy basketball season, but it hit a new low. The former lottery pick saw his average minutes per game drop to 21.7. Combine that with his fantasy-wasteland of a weekly stat line and it's safe for teams in all league sizes and formats to drop him.
2.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and zero made 3s (0-for-7 on the week) will not get it done in fantasy basketball and it is time for any remaining Kaminsky owners to move on to the next diamond in the rough at the center position.
