X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

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
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2019 NBA Free Agency: Fantasy Risers and Fallers

Justin Carter looks at the fantasy basketball landscape after free agency and which players are risers and fallers heading into the 2019-2020 NBA season. These are players whose new roles can either help them see more fantasy production or will see a decrease in their numbers.

NBA free agency was a pretty drawn out process this year, but things have slowed down enough that we can talk about where things stand now.

There's been a lot of movement around the NBA, especially when it comes to the big name players. Kawhi Leonard. Paul George. Kevin Durant. Kyrie Irving. Kemba Walker. All of these guys will be playing in a new uniform when next season kicks off.

Let's turn our attention, though, to some of the smaller names. Below, you'll find a handful of players that I see as risers -- players who are in better spots after free agency, either through moving to a new team or having a former teammate leave and increase their playing time -- and fallers, which are...well, the opposite of risers.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with 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!

 

Post-Free Agency Fantasy Risers

Willie Cauley-Stein - C - Golden State Warriors

I've been a big Cauley-Stein guy, but the Kings were clearly out on him at this point, even though he started all but one game for them last season.

He goes from a situation where he was definitely heading for a playing time reduction to a Warriors team where the battle for minutes at center is wide open. Cauley-Stein's offensive production puts him in the lead over Kevon Looney for the role, in my opinion, and Cauley-Stein's skill set best fits what the Warriors need right now with all the upheaval on the team, which is a source of scoring and rebounding in the paint. Cauley-Stein also averaged 1.2 steals per game last year, though his block numbers (0.6) were lower than you want to see from a center. Still, the Warriors are a good landing spot that should allow him to effectively do the things that he's best at.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson - SF/PF - Toronto Raptors

Hollis-Jefferson fell out of the Nets rotation at times last year, going through stretches where he barely touched the court. He was able to carve out minutes in the playoffs because of his ability to be a small ball five thanks to his ability to switch defensively and get inside, but the writing was on the wall that RHJ's time in Brooklyn was over.

Now, he's a Raptor, and he's got a chance to be an actual rotation piece there and earn consistent minutes. Hollis-Jefferson's not a shooter, and his offensively game as a whole leaves you feeling pretty meh. Synergy rates him as poor or below average in every playtype except for "miscellaneous," which is definitely not an encouraging sign. He can't spot up, or post up, or cut, or...well, any of those other things.

But he can defend, and that's going to keep him in the Raptors rotation. Hollis-Jefferson can defend pretty much any position and has a nose for making plays on that end. He's also better than Stanley Johnson, the team's other free agent forward acquisition, and while I don't see his numbers themselves looking significantly better than they have before, something like 10 points and six rebounds per night can help you in deeper leagues, and there's the added benefit of being able to count on him to actually play.

Enes Kanter - C - Boston Celtics

A good landing spot for Kanter, who takes over for Al Horford as the starting center. He's not even close to being the defensive player than Horford is, but Kanter is still a good offensive center who'll be able to put up good numbers as Boston's third-ish option offensively after Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, with Kanter and Gordon Hayward both filling roles where they'll be asked to do some things in terms of scoring.

Kanter's 44 games with the Knicks -- 23 of which were starts -- seem like a good starting spot to look at his predicted production. In those games, Kanter averaged 14 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He won't be a steal or block guy, but as a center for a block punting build? He could be extremely valuable, and the guaranteed role he has in Boston will help ensure that value doesn't suddenly dip mid-season.

Terry Rozier - PG - Charlotte Hornets

Let's talk about the difference between the NBA and fantasy basketball for a second.

In the real NBA, the Rozier signing is probably a disaster for the Hornets. They replace Kemba Walker with a point guard who hasn't shown himself to be an efficient scorer or great decision maker in the league yet. Rozier had the lowest PIPM on the Celtics last year, thanks in large part to an O-PIPM that ranked 14th-worst among all point guards in the NBA. For comparison, Rozier's O-PIPM was -2.2, while the guy he's replacing, Walker, had an O-PIPM of 3.3, the third-best among point guards. The Hornets will be significantly worse with Rozier.

But in fantasy basketball, the Hornets being worse only really matter if they're so much worse that they give up on Rozier in the first year of his contract. They won't do that, which means Rozier's going to actually be pretty valuable in punt-field goal percentage builds, as his usage will allow him to rack up solid numbers. So, bad move for the Hornets here, but finding a team to let him start at the point means it's a good move for Rozier's fantasy prospects.

Pascal Siakam - PF - Toronto Raptors

Well, with Kawhi Leonard gone, Siakam becomes the focal point of the Raptors offense. See our recent piece on all the changes in Toronto for more on Siakam.

Delon Wright - PG - Dallas Mavericks

Wright appears to be poised to start at point guard for the Mavericks, a move that probably doesn't make any Mavericks fans happy but does suggest that Wright's heading for his best NBA season.

Wright's impact in Dallas is going to depend on a few things. First, because the team has Luka Doncic and will likely run the ball through him a good amount of the time, Wright's going to be a point guard in name only on the offensive end a lot of the time. That means he's going to be better as an off-ball scorer, which means shooting below 30 percent from three again won't cut it. Has to get that number up to at least his 36.6 mark from the 2017-2018 season, though even higher would be better.

He'll also have to continue being a good rebounding guard and will need to take advantage of the Luka-less minutes he gets, when he'll have more control over the offense and can get his assist numbers up. But even with Luka Doncic in town, Wright's in a much better spot than he was with a Grizzlies team that just drafted JA Morant and added Tyus Jones to the team as well.

 

Post-Free Agency Fantasy Fallers

Jarrett Allen - C - Brooklyn Nets

This upcoming season could have been a breakout year for Allen, but the Nets signed DeAndre Jordan as part of their recruitment of Kevin Durant, and right now signs point to Jordan being the starter for Brooklyn. Allen's still likely to see significant minutes as the backup center, but since Jordan and Allen can't be played together, it's hard to see him topping 25 minutes.

Even if Allen does wind up as the starter, Jordan's presence tops what he can do. The best case scenario would be for Allen to try to get back to developing an outside shot so that he can play some minutes at the four beside Jordan. But unless defenses actually start to fear leaving Allen open, that scenario would be so bad for Brooklyn's spacing. I don't see Allen's numbers increasing much past the 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks he produced last season.

Nikola Mirotic - PF - N/A

You could have made a good argument that Mirotic was one of the 25 best players in free agency and that a lot of landing spots would be better for him than Milwaukee, but unless you're playing in a European fantasy league, his decision to sign a multi-year deal with Barcelona means he has no NBA fantasy value now.

J.J. Redick - SG - New Orleans Pelicans

Well, Redick goes from the starting lineup of one of the NBA's best teams, a place where he got easy three after easy three, to the bench of a young, rebuilding Pelicans team.

Ehh.

Defenses will pay more attention to Redick this year, which means the troubling drop below 40 percent from three that he had last year has a decent chance of continuing. He'll also be behind Jrue Holiday in the rotation, and while we'll likely see plenty of Holiday-Redick lineups when Lonzo Ball is on the bench, I just don't see Redick getting the chances he had in Philly. I'd likely downgrade his value by a round or two next season.

D'Angelo Russell - PG - Golden State Warriors

Russell goes from being the first option and starting point guard in Brooklyn to being the off-guard next to Steph Curry. If Russell was a better three-point shooter, I'd see him excel in a Klay Thompson role, but so far he's been much better as a guy who puts the ball on the floor and runs pick-and-rolls.

Russell will be fine, probably, but his scoring and assist numbers are unlikely to reach the levels they did in Brooklyn. He's also a liability defensively, which means we may actually see a slight reduction in minutes for Russell. And there's also the big rumors about being on the trading block still. If the Warriors trade him when Klay returns, a whole new level of uncertainty is introduced into the mix. I don't want to deal with that uncertainty.

Justise Winslow - SF - Miami Heat

RIP, Point Justise.

Miami used Winslow as a point guard at times last season, but with Goran Dragic healthy and Jimmy Butler able to play that point forward role that Winslow held, it's back to an off-ball role for the young forward. I expect fewer minutes, fewer assists, and fewer shot attempts for Winslow this year, and while he'll still have some fantasy value, it won't be at the level it was in 2018-2019.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cal Raleigh

Continues Historic Homer Pace Tuesday
Jacob Wilson

Exits Early On Tuesday With Left Hand Contusion
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
NASCAR

Sepp Straka Not Likely to Find Momentum at Scottish Open
Justin Rose

Hopes Month Hiatus Helps Him Bounce Back at Scottish Open
Laken Tomlinson

Confident in Texans Offensive Line
J.K. Dobbins

the Starter in Denver?
JT Woods

Seahawks Release JT Woods
Darren Waller

Trade to Miami Becomes Official
Asante Samuel Jr.

Dolphins Interested in Asante Samuel Jr.
Nyheim Hines

Seeking Return to NFL
Dak Prescott

Expects to be Full-Go for Training Camp
Ajay Mitchell

Posts 16 Points in Summer League Win on Monday
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Waived by Bucks
Brice Sensabaugh

Logs 37 points in Summer League Win on Monday
Luis Garcia

Fans Four in Rehab Outing
GG Jackson II

Collects 27 Points in Summer League Loss
Ace Bailey

Scores 18 Points in Summer League Victory
NHL

Tyler Johnson Retires After 13 NHL Seasons
Jack McBain

Inks New Five-Year Deal with Mammoth
Cam York

Re-Signs with Flyers for Five Years
Kobe Bufkin

Cleared for Summer League Action
Jake Knapp

Fits the Mold for Success at The Renaissance Club
Milwaukee Bucks

Vasilije Micic Agrees to Contract Buyout with Bucks
PGA

Sungjae Im Still a Liability at Scottish Open
James Wiseman

Pacers Bring Back James Wiseman
Ludvig Aberg

is a Solid Option at Scottish Open
Tyrese Haliburton

to Miss Entire 2025-26 Campaign
Paolo Banchero

Signs Historic Five-Year Extension with Magic
Anthony Santander

Hoping to Hit Soon
Luis Robert Jr.

Returning in Short Order
Alex Bregman

Could Return Later This Week
Ketel Marte

Day-to-Day with Groin Tightness
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Hunter Greene

Suffers Setback on Monday
Kyle Lowry

Staying With 76ers
Kyle Anderson

Lands in Utah
Kevin Love

Traded to Jazz in 3-Team Swap
Norman Powell

Traded to Miami
John Collins

Dealt to Clippers
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied For 14 at Travelers Championship
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 61 at Travelers Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Tied For 17 at Travelers Championship
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 11 at John Deere Classic
Viktor Hovland

Withdraws From Travelers Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Second at Travelers Championship
Brian Campbell

Wins John Deere Classic
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 10 Points
Harrison Ingram

Limited on Sunday
Golden State Warriors

Isaiah Mobley Drops 16 Points
Ryan Rollins

Staying with Bucks
T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Still Not Close on New Contract
Terry McLaurin

Still Not Pleased with Contract Situation
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Yu Darvish

to Make Season Debut on Monday
MLB

Nationals Fire Dave Martinez, Mike Rizzo
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins