X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Risers and Fallers: Week 2

We're already basically done with the second week of the NBA season. Times fles! The Suns are maybe good. The Warriors are going to get the number-one pick and mess that up by drafting James Wiseman, probably. Nothing makes sense!

Except, that is, in the basketball analysis world, because we're starting to build up slightly better sample sizes by which to draw some conclusions from. Not great sample sizes, but better enough that I feel more confident with some of my conclusions this week.

Welcome back 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. If you have other questions, follow me on Twitter, where I'm always willing to respond to your tweeted questions: @juscarts

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders joins the RotoBaller team in 2023-24 with his exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Fantasy Basketball Risers

D'Angelo Russell - G - Golden State Warriors

With Stephen Curry out a few months with a broken hands, the Warriors are now D'Angelo Russell's team on the offensive end. This likely means that we see the team shift some of their schemes around to better fit what Russell excels at, which is drives to the mid-range off pick-and-rolls.

Russell's seen an uptick in usage. Against the Spurs, for instance, he took 24 shots and had 10 free throw attempts. The free throws are a new thing:

This seems to signal a more aggressive version of D'Angelo Russell. With Curry out, the Warriors are likely looking to be a lottery team. After Russell and Draymond Green, there's just no one on the team who looks like a player on a playoff team. But that's good for D'Lo from a fantasy perspective, as he's about to be asked to do so much. Efficiency might be a concern, but if you can withstand the hit he gives you in field goal percentage, he'll be worth it.

Domantas Sabonis - F/C - Indiana Pacers

With Myles Turner week-to-week with an ankle injury, expect to see even more Domantas Sabonis in the short term. Over the last three games, Sabonis is averaging 22.7 points and 13 rebounds per contest while shooting 54.9 percent from the field. He's taking 17 shots per game over the span; to put that into perspective, last season played some very, very good basketball and averaged 9.5 attempts per game. Follow the usage. There should be no questions about benching Sabonis in fantasy until Turner gets back, but this also is a huge sell high window for the fourth-year big. At some point, he'll see his playing time fall back down some, but for now his value is at an all-time high.

Brandon Ingram - F - New Orleans Pelicans

I got a good amount of hate on Twitter for suggesting that Brandon Ingram's underwhelming career might have been more a product of the Lakers than it is of Ingram's talent. That that hate came exclusively from Lakers fans is telling; it shows that they weren't huge fans of letting Ingram go.

In two games this week, Ingram is averaging 26 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. In Thursday's win over the Nuggets, Ingram led the Pelicans in minutes and was second in points, even while finishing third to Jrue Holiday and Jahlil Okafor in shot attempts. Ingram's thriving in his current role, though the future return of Zion Williamson could hurt his value, as Ingram would go from being the second option to the third option on offense for the Pelicans. Still, take advantage of his current strong play.

Davis Bertans - F - Washington Wizards

While Bertans was aided by one of the highest-scoring non-overtime games that's ever happened, it's still worth noting that he has back-to-back games with at least 20 points. Credit his three-point shooting, which has been beyond impressive this year. He's shooting 55.2 percent on 7.3 attempts per game and while that percentage will certainly come down, fantasy owners who are looking for a source of long-range shooting should definitely have interest in Bertans.

Cody Zeller - C - Charlotte Hornets

The list of the leading rebounders per game in Week 2? Well, there's Andre Drummond first, and then Kevin Love, and then Anthony Davis, and then...Cody Zeller?

Yep. Zeller is averaging 14 rebounds per game over his past three contests. After grabbing a career-high 6.8 per game last year, his season average is up to 13.5 this year.

Other career highs for Zeller? 15 points per game. 2.5 three point attempts per game. 12 shot attempts per game. The Hornets are 2-3 on the year, but those wins are over two other bad teams, the Bulls and Kings. This roster just doesn't really have one key guy to shoulder the load, which is why Zeller's seen his usage skyrocket this season. He should remain a strong fantasy play going forward.

 

Fantasy Basketball Fallers

Dewayne Dedmon - C - Sacramento Kings

Rough start for Dedmon. He played just four minutes against the Hornets despite being healthy, and then returned to the rotation against Utah just to put up an inefficient 10 points that included a 1-for-6 mark from three. He grabbed seven rebounds and blocked a pair of shots, but it's clear that things just aren't working for Dedmon in Sacramento. I recommended dropping him in another piece on this site. Friday's game didn't really change my mind about that.

J.J. Redick - G - New Orleans Pelicans

Redick was 1-for-10 from the floor against the Warriors. That resulted in him moving to the bench against Denver, a game in which Redick made all of his shots.

All of his, uhh...two shots.

Redick's trending down after that move to the bench because he's just not going to be getting the minutes and shot attempts to drive his value forward. Redick's entire fantasy thing is predicated off his ability to hit those catch-and-shoot and off-screen threes, and if he's not doing that then I don't know what he's supposed to be doing.

Cam Reddish - G - Atlanta Hawks

Reddish was a top-10 pick this year, but was predicted to be a top-five pick before a tough year at Duke drove his value down. But the Hawks had a young team and room to get younger, so they took Reddish and he's started all five games for them. A Trae Young injury even made Reddish their de-facto point guard for a game.

The results have been...well...look, if you're rostering Reddish, you already know. If you're not, don't even think about buying low on him.

In five games, Reddish is averaging 5.2 points 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 20.9 percent shooting. He's shooting 5.6 percent from three on 3.6 attempts per games. Yes, this means that Reddish is 1-for-18 from deep this season, a mark that's just so, so bad.

Often, owning a player who takes a good number of shots per game is fine just because the volume leads to counting stats, but that's not the case with Reddish.

(On the bright side, he's averaging 1.6 steals per game, if you're in a steals-only league!)

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Frederik Andersen5 mins ago

Continues Winning Streak With Second Shutout
Jackson Chourio7 mins ago

Leading Off For Brewers Opener
Anton Forsberg11 mins ago

Shuts Out Chicago
Kevin Love17 mins ago

Probable On Friday
Joel Eriksson Ek19 mins ago

Makes Scoring Return Thursday
Nathan MacKinnon24 mins ago

Home Point Streak Ends
Jaime Jaquez25 mins ago

Jr. Expected To Play Friday
Ryan Graves34 mins ago

Evaluated For An Upper-Body Injury
Tyler Herro39 mins ago

Remains Sidelined Against Portland
Timothy Liljegren40 mins ago

To Miss "Some Time"
Alec Burks56 mins ago

Questionable On Friday
Dean Wade1 hour ago

Won't Play Against 76ers
OG Anunoby2 hours ago

Ruled Out Again Friday
Nick Senzel10 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray10 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele10 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons12 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler13 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson13 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele13 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle13 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans13 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic13 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric13 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney13 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga13 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant13 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith13 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen13 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara13 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele13 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes14 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
Cameron Johnson14 hours ago

Out Against Chicago On Friday
Luka Doncic14 hours ago

On The Injury Report For Friday
David Bednar14 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Rhys McKee14 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Chidi Njokuani14 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson14 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo14 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley14 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque14 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez15 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler15 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel15 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley16 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal16 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes17 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis17 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer18 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw19 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler19 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager19 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz19 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds21 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Aaron Ekblad23 hours ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov24 hours ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto24 hours ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin24 hours ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard24 hours ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins24 hours ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist1 day ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear1 day ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen2 days ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson2 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown3 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff3 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins3 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams3 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT3 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn3 days ago

Could Return Wednesday
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Pittsburgh Steelers4 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson4 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Marvin Harrison Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

2024 NFL Mock Draft: First-Rounder With Trades

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than a month away. Yet, that isn’t soon enough for football fans. While everyone wants to discuss the quarterback class and the first few picks, the NFL Draft doesn’t end after the first round. Teams will find starters and star players on the second and third days of the... Read More


Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football, Waiver Wire Pickups

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact- Part III

Throughout the NFL's offseason, many players see their fantasy football values fluctuate based on their movement and personnel decisions by their respective teams. Throughout this series, we have identified 12 players who have seen their fantasy football value increase over the free-agency period. The final big fantasy football value movement will come after the NFL... Read More


UFL DFS PICKS, FANTASY FOOTBALL, DRAFTKINGS, FANDUEL

UFL DFS Value Plays: Week 1 Bargain Bin for DraftKings Including E.J. Perry, CJ Marable, Jace Sternberger, more

Welcome to the Week 1 edition of RotoBaller's UFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players in DraftKings' Week 1 UFL contests. Each week during the UFL 2024 season and postseason, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit for DraftKings'... Read More


2024 NFL Draft: Bold Predictions and Potential Surprises for Round 1

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! With the 2024 NFL Draft fast approaching, we're digging into what might transpire on draft night. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones previews the 2024 NFL Draft and makes some BOLD Predictions about possible surprises and potential landing spots for the first round of the draft. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller!... Read More


George Pickens - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Early Look At Wide Receivers In 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts

The upcoming NFL Draft is less than a month away. While everyone is excited for the NFL Draft, fantasy players are looking forward to the regular season. While we won’t have meaningful NFL football for months, it’s never too early to prepare for your fantasy football drafts. Last year, the fantasy football world saw multiple... Read More


Spencer Rattler, College Football Transfers

Underrated Rookie Draft Targets - Early 2024 Sleepers for Dynasty Fantasy Football

We are a month out from the NFL Draft, meaning if you are here, you are probably looking for draft content and reading up on prospects. You probably have all of the information you need on stud prospects like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. That’s not what you’re here for.  Rookie draft season for... Read More


Breece Hall - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part II

The NFL's offseason, including trades and free agency, can strongly impact a player's fantasy football value. This effect can be positive or negative. For this series, we're focusing on fantasy football players who have seen their fantasy value increase. This can occur via a player's direct movement, such as a trade or signing with a... Read More


UFL RANKINGS, FANTASY FOOTBALL,

UFL Fantasy Football Rankings for Week 1: QB, RB, WR, TE Rankings and Analysis (2024)

It's finally here: the UFL season is set to kick off with two games on Saturday, March 30 and two games on Sunday, March 31. Saturday's games will be broadcast on Fox Sports while Sunday's matchups will be on ESPN. The most anticipated Week 1 matchup pits the 2023 USFL champion Birmingham Stallions against the... Read More


Jared Goff - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Will the Lions Extend Jared Goff's Contract This Offseason? 2024 NFL Outlook

Jared Goff's career in Los Angeles didn't take off like many expected after his appearance in Super Bowl LIII, and he was traded to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Goff's first season in the Motor City was terrible, but he has completely turned things around over the last two seasons. In 2022, he almost led... Read More


Kyle Pitts - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2024 NFL Free-Agency Winners and the Fantasy Football Impact - Part I

Free agency symbolizes the start of a new NFL season. It's the first opportunity for NFL clubs to start addressing their weaknesses and considerably impacts how the upcoming season plays out. Just as free agency can improve or worsen a team's outlook, a player's fantasy football value is also impacted. Free agency marks the real... Read More


Malik Nabers - Fantasy Football Rankings, College FB, WR, NFL Draft Sleepers

Coach Knows Ball: Malik Nabers 2024 NFL Draft Film Breakdown of LSU WR

Welcome to Coach Knows Ball, an NFL Draft series analyzing the top prospects in the 2024 class. I'm a college football coach with nine years of NCAA experience and have been scouting NFL Draft prospects for over 15 years. This series will give a deep dive into the film of some of the top players... Read More


Avoid These Running Backs in 2024: Fantasy Football Outlook

Football never sleeps at RotoBaller! The staff is already looking ahead to the 2024 season to help our readers get the jump on their competition. RotoBaller analyst LaQuan Jones discusses five Running Backs that you should AVOID in 2024 fantasy football drafts. Win MORE in 2024 with RotoBaller! Be sure to tune into RotoBaller Radio... Read More


Brock Bowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NCAA College Football, Prospects

Brock Bowers 2024 NFL Draft Stock Update – When Will the Georgia TE Be Selected?

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers was arguably the top tight end in college football over the past few years. Bowers was outstanding his freshman year, totaling 56 receptions for 882 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his production slightly slipped in 2022 as defenses started to game plan for the star tight end. Bowers had... Read More