The Cut List - Who To Drop for Fantasy Basketball Week 15

January 31, 2024

Alex's fantasy basketball players to drop when making waiver wire moves in Week 15 (2023-24). He helps fantasy NBA managers decide on who to cut from rosters.

You know what time it is, RotoBallers! It's that time of the week to bring out the cut list for fantasy basketball! Don't worry, if anyone is sensitive to All-Star snubs, we won't be debating any of that. Instead, we're just going to talk about the players who have lost all of their fantasy value and are making you pull your hair out while the fantasy season comes down to the wire.

The funny thing is that the All-Star debate isn't even the most prominent one on the internet these days. 65-game requirements are the new, hot debate topic. Well, here at the cut list, we're always meeting the requirement for games played otherwise I'd have to cut myself and that isn't conducive to my productivity. Sorry, let's get back to the topic at hand.

For those that are new to this series, we run down a list of players that can be dropped or replaced in fantasy leagues. We have at least one for each size of fantasy league and we even get into the values for category versus points formats. So, let's get into the Week 15 version of the cut list! Let me know @__Fisch on X/Twitter if there's anyone I missed or anyone you agree with.

Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing

Spencer Dinwiddie (PG/SG, BKN) - 69% rostered

This might be the first time ever in fantasy basketball that someone has essentially lost all of their value because they're "on strike." Yes, you read that right, some reports say people around the NBA think that Spencer Dinwiddie is on some sort of strike and will just refuse to play hard. Although, if you think about it, this could be the perfect description of the Brooklyn Nets season.

If he's going on strike against his own team and failing to crack the top 150 in nine-category fantasy value, then there's no use letting him hang around on your fantasy squad. By striking against his real team, he's also on strike against your fantasy team! Who would want that happening?!

So, take one last look at his 8.7 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game stat line over the last week with 30.8% shooting from the floor and wave goodbye!

Kyle Lowry (PG, CHA) - 20% rostered

What a coincidence that we go from one player who's not playing to his potential to another one who's just not playing at all after getting traded. Okay, maybe there are not many similarities in that situation, but you get the picture. Kyle Lowry was shipped out of Miami to the Charlotte Hornets for someone who actually contributes more to winning in Terry Rozier.

Lowry has yet to play a game for the Hornets and it seems like they're stalling to find a trade partner who will take him for some added draft capital or a younger player with some promise. He may even get bought out at some point, but it remains to be a waiting game. At this rate, it's better to drop Lowry altogether and just wait to possibly pick him back up depending on where he goes.

Cole Anthony (PG, ORL) - 30% rostered

If anyone looked up the folder that contained the most frustrating players in the NBA, Cole Anthony's name and photo wouldn't be too difficult to find. He can show a world of promise in a week-long stretch and then spend the next two months barely getting off of the bench and putting up dreadful numbers.

As of right now, Anthony ranks 177 in per-game value for nine-category leagues. Over the last two months, however, he ranks 219th with a stat line of 10.6 points, 3.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.6 turnovers, and 0.9 made threes per game. Not exactly sure how much help a high-volume guard that doesn't get much volume can be for nine-category leagues. Deeper points leagues could still have a use-case, but that's far from the majority of fantasy leagues.

It's gotten even worse over the last two weeks. His points per game mark has dropped all the way down 5.7 as he shot 31.3% from the floor. Add in the 1.8 turnovers per game and you have a detrimental fantasy player.

Jordan Poole (PG/SG, WAS) - 87% rostered

Have we already talked about frustrating players? Well, you have to flip right past Jordan Poole. He's already been on plenty of lists to be dropped or for his value falling like a brick from a 10-story building. There aren't many starting combo guards who have been known as a three-level scorer to put up single-digit points on multiple occasions despite receiving well over 25 minutes.

We've gone over Poole's shortcomings before in a different drop list, but those haven't changed at all. To this day, he remains outside of the top 150 in nine-category leagues and he's even fallen short many times in points formats too. Since the turn of the new year, Poole has registered the same amount of single-digit scoring games and 20-point games.

Dynasty and deeper leagues should hold on to him, but shallower leagues can just let him live on the waiver wire at this point because he's not consistently going to win fantasy matchups.

Jalen Suggs (PG/SG, ORL) - 48% rostered

Oh, we're back in Orlando! How many of you expected to see one of the other members of the backcourt on this list? Not only that but Suggs has shown up on this list twice now! We're going to keep this one short and sweet because a lot of his issues remain the same just like Poole.

He started off the season in a great way which had him hovering around the top 100 in per-game value. Since then, he's been producing numbers that put him all the way down to the 170s. His health hasn't been consistent and has averaged 12.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. Over the last two weeks, that has dropped to 9.0 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

Unless you happen to be in a fantasy league that has more than 14 teams, Suggs isn't going to be much of an asset. When it comes to the Orlando Magic, the main two players to have are Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Outside of them, there is zero consistency to hang your hat on and Suggs fits that description perfectly.

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