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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 5 played out for the Rotation Watch with their player ranking over the last seven days:
- Dennis Schroder - 45th player on Yahoo
- Talen Horton-Tucker - 137th
- Eric Bledsoe - 159th
- Duncan Robinson - 172nd
- Franz Wagner - 186th
Not as impressive of a return as previous weeks, but it's good to see Schroder keep his value that high even with the return of Jaylen Brown. I may have been a week too early with Talen Horton-Tucker as he was fantastic in Detroit this week. Still, I will learn from these dips, and now I'm recommending five new players to keep your eye on for fantasy basketball success in Week 6 and beyond.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win more with RotoBaller! Read More!So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores and look for those hidden gems that grabbed minutes to help your fantasy basketball team achieve the ultimate prize: a championship. Of course, these suggestions are the cream of the crop, and if you ever need an extra slice of advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut.
NBA Playing Time Changes
Isaac Okoro - SG/SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
Yahoo: 9% rostered
Week 5: 39:19 Minutes per Game
The Cleveland Cavaliers are dealing with a case of the injury bug this season. Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, and Evan Mobley have all dealt with or are currently dealing with long-term absences. However, it's enabled Isaac Okoro to take on a massive minutes load, and he is finally showing signs of turning the corner for fantasy basketball managers.
The sophomore guard out of Auburn has played at least 32 minutes in each of his previous four games, but Monday night's contest against the Brooklyn Nets was the most encouraging of the lot. In 36 minutes, Okoro recorded 15 points with four rebounds, three triples, two assists, and two steals. The 20-year old is averaging two steals per night in this four-game stretch, and it's given him an avenue into the top 130 players over the last seven days. Okoro is an excellent stream at nine percent rostered, especially while Cedi Osman (back) is also on the sidelines.
Dean Wade - PF/C, Cleveland Cavaliers
Yahoo: 2% rostered
Week 5: 37:19 Minutes per Game
Another Cavalier makes the Rotation Watch in Week 6 due to Cleveland's growing injury list. Rostering Wade is only for 14-team leagues or deeper, and it depends on the health and condition of Lauri Markkanen and Jarret Allen. In his last four games, the 25-year old has seen at least 34 minutes of court time in every game. Over the weekend in a back-to-back set with Brooklyn and Golden State, Wade averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 three-pointers, and a steal. It's not a massive contribution by any means, but he was an invaluable weekend streamer if you were in a pinch in daily leagues.
If the Cavs suffer any more front-line injuries (as they have done multiple times this season), it looks like Wade is the first man up to get the extra playing time. The third-year big man can stay on waiver wires but should be on watch lists in 12-team formats.
Patty Mills - PG/SG, Brooklyn Nets
Yahoo: 38% rostered
Week 5: 34:00 Minutes per Game
As is often the case with this article, many of the players mentioned are the beneficiaries of injuries. That trend does not stop here, as Patty Mills has been lighting up the box score in Joe Harris's (ankle) absence. Since Nov. 15 (five games), the Australian averages 19.4 points, 5.2 three-pointers, 2.4 assists, and one steal per contest. Right now, Mills is unconscious from behind the arc. The veteran is shooting 56.5 percent from three-point land on 9.2 attempts per game.
If you require some early-season points, threes, or even assists, Mills should be a high-priority target on your wire. Brooklyn plays five games over the next eight nights, so Mills should remain helpful in all formats if Head Coach Steve Nash decides to rest some of his star players. So the 33-year old has the green light to shoot and a green light to be added to your fantasy squad.
Frank Jackson - PG/SG, Detroit Pistons
Yahoo: 14% rostered
Week 5: 28:19 Minutes per Game
You won't believe it, but Frank Jackson is a top-35 option in nine-category leagues over the last seven days. In his fourth year, the 23-year old is playing a career-high 21 minutes per game this season. However, with some changes in the Pistons backcourt, those minutes have shot up in recent matchups.
Over his last four games, Jackson is averaging 28.9 minutes per game and posting 16.5 points and 3.5 three-pointers per game. This week's edition of Rotation Watch has been a bit heavy on those categories, so maybe the theme of the week is to trade for other categories right now, as there are plenty of avenues to acquire your points and threes in the league right now. In this article, Jackson is the third guard rostered in less than 40 percent of leagues and would be my lowest priority when searching through your waiver wire for the weekend streamers.
Desmond Bane - PG/SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies
Yahoo: 55% rostered
Week 5: 29:19 Minutes per Game
Desmond Bane puts an exclamation point on the points and threes week in Rotation Watch as the final recommendation of Week 6. The Memphis guard is sky-rocketing in roster percentage, with Dillon Brooks and De'Anthony Melton dealing with injuries. In Monday's game against Utah, the sophomore guard set a new career-high with 28 points. It was an impressive way to cap a sparkling three-game stretch.
In those three games, Bane posted 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 three-pointers, two assists, and one steal against the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Jazz. He's joined the previously mentioned Frank Jackson as a top-35 player in nine-category leagues and will keep this kind of ceiling as long as Brooks and Melton remain sidelined.
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