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Welcome 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 or for making some tough lineup choices.
Who is trending up this week? Who's trending down? Let's dive in and find out.
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Fantasy Basketball Risers
Blake Griffin - F, Brooklyn Nets
So, over the All-Star break, the Brooklyn Nets signed Blake Griffin, who'd just been bought out by the Pistons.
Griffin is a fantasy riser by default this week. He was out of the rotation in Detroit by mutual agreement, but now he'll be on a Nets team where frontcourt minutes are available, especially with Kevin Durant currently sidelined.
Now, I don't have high hopes for Griffin. His athleticism has waned. He hasn't dunked since 2019. He won't be the first or second option. But things will be easier for him than they were in Detroit, and I don't see why Blake couldn't at least average around what he was for the Pistons -- 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists -- except with much better efficiency, which would make up for a drop in field goal attempts. Don't expect a high ceiling, but Griffin should provide solid minutes.
Carmelo Anthony - F, Portland Trail Blazers
I want to apologize to Carmelo Anthony for that whole "thinking he was washed" thing. My bad. You're still a very good scorer!
Over the last four games, Anthony is averaging 20 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting. His peripheral stats aren't so nice -- 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals -- but Anthony has the green light to score off the Portland bench, which has led to 2.8 threes per game over this span.
Don't get too attached to Anthony, as C.J. McCollum should be back soonish. But I think Anthony's scoring role is more secure from a post-McCollum drop than someone like Gary Trent Jr. is. We'll see. This could be a good time to sell high on Melo.
Michael Carter-Williams - G, Orlando Magic
With Cole Anthony still without a timetable to return to the floor because of his rib injury, MCW continues to pilot the Orlando Magic. Over the past three games, he's playing 31.1 minutes per contest, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per contest on 57.5 percent shooting.
The former Rookie of the Year has bounced around a lot during his NBA career (and is already 29, somehow), but he seems to have found something in Orlando. Carter-Williams long-term profiles to be a nice backup PG for at least a couple more seasons, but for now, he's tearing things up in the Magic starting five.
Kevin Porter Jr. - F/G, Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are a mess. Losers of 14 games in a row, it appears they've now lost P.J. Tucker for the rest of the season because he's just done with the team (more on him later). Unlikely players are being forced to step up, which is how Kevin Porter Jr. has become a huge fantasy riser this week, with a 29 percent increase in his rostered rate over the last day.
What happened? KPJ was traded to Houston earlier this season and then spent time down in the G League bubble, but the second half of the season is going to see a lot of Porter. He put up 13 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds against the Kings on Friday, plus added three steals. He's going to be doing a lot of ball-handling duty with Houston's second unit and, at this rate, the first unit. Porter's talent has never been in question, but if he can keep things clean off the court too, he'll be productive the rest of the way and potentially a part of Houston's future.
Fantasy Basketball Fallers
LaMarcus Aldridge - F/C, San Antonio Spurs
This week's fallers share a common theme: we won't see them again until the trade deadline.
Despite the Spurs sitting seventh in the Western Conference, the team and veteran LaMarcus Aldridge have agreed to trade Aldridge away, ending his time in San Antonio. Of all of this year's "we're trading or buying out this guy and he won't play for us again" players, Aldridge is arguably the most confusing. Is he going to find a team better than the Spurs that will give him minutes this season?
Anyway, Aldridge is averaging his fewest minutes since his rookie year, as well as his fewest points since then and fewest rebounds ever. The Spurs are playing younger guys and it's working out for them, leaving Aldridge's role there in limbo.
But even after he gets dealt, what will his role be on the team that acquires him? Surely there isn't a contender that would put Aldridge in their starting five, right? Who needs him that bad? It's a weird situation.
P.J. Tucker - F, Houston Rockets
Tucker didn't show up for Houston's first game post-All Star break, and news trickled out that he might be done in Houston:
It makes sense. The team never got an extension done with Tucker and now he's on a team that's lost their last 14 games. Why would a veteran like Tucker who has the skillset to help a contender want to languish on this messy Rockets team?
An issue arises when you look at Tucker's numbers though. Will he be fantasy relevant on a contender? His 36.6 percent shooting mark is by far the worst of his career. His 31.4 percent mark from three is his worst since 2012-13. His rebounds are down. He's scoring 4.4 points per game. He's really just going to be a bench piece who can provide some decent minutes on a team like Brooklyn, right?
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