The Fantasy Basketball Drop List: Week 12

March 18, 2021

Justin Carter looks at fantasy basketball players who can be dropped in Week 12. These are players who are struggling in the 2020-21 NBA season.

This week, you're probably going to have a lot of eyes on the NCAA tournaments, with the men's tipping off with the First Four on Thursday and the women's on Sunday. But don't forget about the NBA!

As always, the best way to win in fantasy basketball is to actually do things with your roster. But to add someone, you've also got to drop someone, so we're going to chat about the dropping.

Below is our weekly fantasy basketball drop list, a look at players who are can be dropped in some or all formats. Every Thursday, we'll look at why it's fine to move on from certain players based on their recent play. Remember: every league is different, so make sure you evaluate what options you have to replace these players before you actually drop them.

Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing

T.J. McConnell (PG/SG, IND)

36% rostered

The return of Caris Levert has cut to McConnell's minutes, with him playing 21 minutes or less in the last two games after being at least in the mid 20s for a while.

Less minutes means that McConnell has to take advantage of those minutes. But even on Wednesday when he shot 66.7 percent from the field, he only had a line of 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

McConnell's fantasy value was pretty reliant on assists and steals, but fewer minutes means less chances to get those things. Fast approaching his 29th birthday, it seems like McConnell has settled into being a situationally-valuable NBA player. And right now, that situation is trending down, making McConnell someone you should consider unloading.

Kevin Love (PF/C, CLE)

63% rostered

Kevin Love was out for a long time. Then he came back. He played 10 minutes, scoring four points and grabbing a rebound.

"Oh," we all said. "He's just working his way back onto the floor. He'll keep getting better."

Then he played two minutes against Atlanta and exited with a calf injury.

Waiting on Love to return from that first injury was fine. We know how high his upside is, so stashing him in an IR spot and waiting things out was a smart call at the time.

But as the season winds down, we can't just keep waiting. Another Love injury that could stretch out into the future starts to really make us wonder about how viable it is to keep rostering him. Yes, at his best he's someone who can be a 20 and 10 guy, but we're not getting Love at his best in 2021. Heck, we might never get him at his best again.

Kendrick Nunn (PG/SG, MIA)

39% rostered

No player is going to wind up appearing in this article more this year than Kendrick Nunn will. The second-year guard opened the year as barely part of the rotation. Then, he wound up playing 30-plus minutes for awhile. Then, no minutes. Then 30-plus again.

And now? He's played 25 minutes or less in three straight games and the Heat just traded for Trevor Ariza, both things that hurt his overall value.

Over the three games heading into Wednesday's meeting with the Grizzlies, Nunn was shooting 31 percent from the floor, averaging 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. The 1.7 threes per game are at least something, but Nunn's inconsistency is a real issue. His shot has just vanished and it's hard to see his minutes going anywhere but down. On Wednesday, he shot just 20 percent, and while his six rebounds were a good bonus, his overall numbers remained bad.

If Nunn can't shoot the ball, he doesn't need to be on your fantasy roster.

Nerlens Noel (PF/C, NYK)

50% rostered

Noel has now failed to grab double-digit rebounds in four consecutive games. The blocks are still there, but to be rostered in half of all fantasy leagues, you need to do more than block shots.

The big issue is Noel's minutes have roughly been cut in half. That'll happen with Taj Gibson back in the lineup, and it'll only get worse for Noel when Mitchell Robinson returns.

Noel has a useful role on this Knicks team, but for fantasy purposes, this drop in minutes is a killer. He's going to be a virtual zero in the points department, and there won't be enough other things happening to make him worth a roster spot, unless you're in a deep league and are completely desperate for blocks.

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