The Fantasy Basketball Drop List: Week 8

February 11, 2021

Justin Carter looks at fantasy basketball players who can be dropped in Week 8. These are players who are struggling in the 2020-21 NBA season.

Every fantasy sports site is filled with articles about which players you need to pick up, but what about the guys you need to be dropping in order to fit those new players into your lineup?

Have no fear -- RotoBaller is here is tell you who you need to be dropping when you make your waiver claims this week.

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

De'Andre Hunter (F, Atlanta Hawks)

57% rostered

Look, I'm a huge fan of De'Andre Hunter, but the second-year forward is set to miss the next 7-10 weeks after knee surgery.

That's a long, long time to wait for Hunter. And while his numbers this year -- 17.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 51.4 percent shooting -- are really good, I'm not sure Hunter is at the level where I'd be willing to use a bench spot on him while he's out.

If you have an open spot on your team's injured list where you can stash Hunter, great. If you're in really good shape and can afford to hold Hunter for his future upside, also great. But for the vast majority of fantasy teams that can't wait for Hunter to return because they need that roster spot for someone who can play now, you can drop Hunter, even if it won't feel good to do it.

De'Anthony Melton (G, Memphis Grizzlies)

12% rostered

Another player who I like in theory, Melton has missed the last two games with a shoulder sprain. His biggest issue right now is that other plays are seeing their roles in Memphis grow, limiting what Melton is capable of doing.

The biggest reason is rookie Desmond Bane, who has scored in double figures in seven of the past eight games. Bane has been shooting efficiently from deep and is staking a pretty firm claim on the backup guard minutes in Memphis.

Because of that, it's hard to really know what Melton's role looks like when he's back. He'll be in the rotation, but will he get the minutes he'll need to be a positive fantasy contributor? I wouldn't bet on that.

Larry Nance Jr. (F/C, Cleveland Cavaliers)

58% rostered

Another injury-related drop, Nance had finger surgery and is out for six weeks.

Even before the surgery, I identified Nance as faller in my Risers and Fallers column last week. The key reason why was that Nance had gone 2-for-12 from the field in two games in between a couple of injury absences. It seemed like his role was in threat because of the impending return of Kevin Love, who'll definitely be back by the time we see Nance again.

The only thing that makes me hesitate here is that Cleveland could be super active in the trade market this year, with Love and Andre Drummond candidates to move. If that happens, Nance would have a fairly big role when he returns. But look: that's all speculative, and I don't really want to bet on something as speculative as that, you know? If the Cavs make some big trades that will make Nance a strong fantasy option in six weeks, we can deal with that when it happens. No real point in wasting a roster spot on him until then.

Derrick Favors (F/C, Utah Jazz)

13% rostered

While he's still a solid backup big in real life, Favors just isn't really getting it done in fantasy.

It's not that Favor is bad; it's just that he doesn't offer enough upside to really make him someone I want to roster.

He's averaging a career-low 16.4 minutes per game, with averages of 6.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. The blocks are an improvement from last year in New Orleans, but the points are the lowest number of Favors' career and the rebounds are his lowest number since he averaged 5.3 per game as a rookie.

Utah just doesn't need Favors to play huge minutes, which has hurt Favors' ability to post big numbers. And while he could still hold value in 16.4 minutes per game if he was rebounding at an elite rate or shooting over 60 percent or something like that, none of those things are happening.

If you desperately need blocks in a super deep league, fine -- hold onto Favors. But in every other scenario, it's fine to go ahead and send him to the waiver wire.

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