🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Unexpected Early Season NBA Fantasy Stars

Arkeno looks at some players off to unexpectedly hot starts in the 2016-17 NBA season. Follow RotoBaller for more fantasy basketball strategy, rankings, and waiver adds.

So here you are.  You are on top of your league with an unexpectedly hot start from a player you drafted in the 4th round or later -- or perhaps didn't draft at all.  Do you keep riding the wave or look to sell high?  Today we'll take a look at a group of players who weren't drafted in the top tier, but are putting up stats like it, and what to expect from them going forward.

 

Unexpected Early Season NBA Fantasy Stars

Myles Turner - Ranked 11th Overall / 14.6 Points / 7.0 Rebounds / 1.0 Assists / 1.0 Steals / 2.3 Blocks / 0.4 Threes

Simply put, Turner has been killing it.  With his ADP being around 75 his production is staggering.  Not only is he scoring high teens with great percents, he is also bringing in over two blocks while nearly averaging a steal a game.  The production is clearly top 25 worthy but can he sustain it?  My answer is yes!  If you have watched any of the Pacers games, you can clearly see how much this defense relies on him to protect the rim.  Guards funnel perimeter players to the middle so that Turner can start the block party.  His touches seem to be fairly regular and his touch is really special for a big man.  The only worry you could have is the fact that the Pacers have been so unpredictable.  This might lead to a change in style of player or rotation down the line, but from the looks of it this big man is ready to carry as must responsibility as the team is willing to give.

 

Rudy Gay – Ranked 18th Overall / 22.3 PPG / 6.5 Rebounds / 2.5 Assists / 1.4 Steals / 0.8 Blocks / 1.3 Threes

Rudy might be having the best start of his NBA career.  As a heavy offensive threat, he has found a way to expand his game this year and really give you some production across the board.  During the off season this summer Rudy did state that he will not be exercising his player option and will become a free agent in the summer of 2017.  His great start might be something that makes the Kings second guess putting Rudy on the trade market.  If they choose to stick it out they could lose him for nothing which makes his future uncertain.  The production has a great chance of maintaining throughout this season, but that is based on the assumption that he will stay in Sacramento or be traded to a team that needs his all-around input and not just his offense.

 

Avery Bradley – Ranked 20th Overall / 18.5 Points / 8.3 Rebounds / 3.6 Assists / 1.1 Steals / 0.4 Blocks / 2.4 Threes

This might be the biggest surprise of them all.  It isn’t the fact that Bradley is playing well, it’s the quality of the production.  With Al Horford and Jae Crowder out Bradley has seen minutes at Shooting Guard, and Small Forward.  Not only has this lead to an increase in minutes but Bradley is also averaging 8.3 rebounds which is second only to the ridiculous Russell Westbrook among guards.  Simply put, Bradley is playing out of his mind, but what will his production be once the team is back to full strength?  I am willing to believe that his numbers will go down across the board, but not by much.  You couldn’t complain much about a player putting up these numbers that you drafted in the second round.  Not only is Bradley as must own but he should be fetching a top 15 player at this point.

 

Otto Porter – Ranked 24th Overall / 15.2 Points / 7.8 Rebounds / 1.7 Assists / 1.1 Steals / 0.8 Blocks / 1.0 Threes

Porter started off playing pretty well, but as of late has been on fire.  Most of this can be attributed to the Wizards playing a pretty tight rotation with very little depth on the wings.  The Wizards need all the production they can get so they will keep going to Porter until the well runs dry.  Porter will have very steady numbers and every once in a while he might give you a great game with tons of counting stats as well as percents.

 

Steven Adams – Ranked 32nd Overall / 9.9 Points / 8.5 Rebounds / 0.8 Assists / 1.87 Steals / 1.0 Blocks / 0.0 Threes

Throw it down big fella throw it down.  This is what Adams does and is highly effective at.  While most of his dunks aren’t ally-ops the big man has great timing is almost always in perfect position for Russ to throw a great bounce pass for a dunk.  So far in the season Adams has found himself being one of Russell’s primary targets which is great news for his owners.  The one knock on Adams is that he doesn’t have much block upside, but the fact that he isn’t killing your FT% this year is HUGE!  Finding bigs that can give you a double double without hurting FT% is like finding a winning lottery ticket, it just doesn’t happen.  If you can get your hands on this big man, go for it, because the production will only get better.

 

Dwyane Wade – Ranked 45th Overall / 17.0 Points / 4.1 Rebounds / 2.9 Assist / 1.7 Steals / 0.5 Blocks / 1.2 Threes

Wade has shown some really impressive flashes so far this season.  He has been able to increase his shooting around the perimeter without taking too heavy of a dip in his FG%.  The 1.7 steals a game is a really big plus once you combine that with his 1.2 threes a game.  Wade provides grate scoring output while at the same time delivering great defensive stats.  In a perfect world, Wade could keep this up all season, but in reality it is more than likely that he will miss some time this year.  You should also take into consideration his career three point FG% being 28.6% in comparison to this year’s 35.3%.  The sample size is small but you are running the risk of Wade regressing to the mean which would also kill his FG% and total three-point output.  I would sell high.

 

Rodney Hood – Ranked 50th Overall / 17.4 Points / 4.4 Rebounds / 1.9 Assists / 0.9 Steals / 0.4 Blocks / 2.4 Threes

Hood is in a very interesting situation.  He has been playing far ahead of his 111 ADP and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. Even with the highest usage player on the team coming back he seems to be pretty set in his role.  Hood might be the player on the team that benefits the most from Alec Burks injury as he has very little competition for minutes.  Hood has been shooting lights out at 48% from the field and I think he can keep this up.  If you drafted him this season, as long as he doesn’t get hurt, Hood can easily continue to be one of the pieces that pushes your team over the top.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Cutter Gauthier

Scores Twice at MSG
CFB

Michigan QB Jadyn Davis Set to Enter Transfer Portal
CFB

Travis Williams Joining Texas A&M Defensive Staff
Tim Stützle

Tim Stutzle Records Three Assists in Dramatic Win
Filip Forsberg

Nets 11th Career Hat Trick
Sam Reinhart

Pots Two Goals Against Lightning
Darcy Kuemper

Hurt Versus Stars
Gustav Forsling

Injured in Monday's Win
Brandon Hagel

Makes Early Exit Monday
Cooper Flagg

Becomes Youngest 40-Point Scorer in NBA History
Victor Wembanyama

May Come Off the Bench Again Tuesday
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic to Undergo MRI Tuesday
Sam Hauser

Tweaks Left Ankle Monday
Peyton Watson

Not Expected to Be Out Long-Term
Ja Morant

Injures Ankle in Monday's Win
Darren Waller

Hauls in Two Touchdowns in Monday Night Loss
Brandon Clarke

Still Out Monday
Rome Odunze

Considered Week-to-Week With Foot Injury
James Harden

Officially Active on Monday Night
Ja Morant

to Remain Under Minutes Restriction Monday
James Harden

a Game-Time Call Monday
John Konchar

to Be Re-Evaluated in Three Weeks
Julian Strawther

Active on Monday
James Harden

Good to Go Monday
Tari Eason

Remains Out Monday
Daniel Gafford

to Be Limited to 17-20 Minutes Monday
Davante Adams

Considered Week-to-Week With Hamstring Injury
Kyle Filipowski

Starting Against Mavericks
Brandon Williams

Out Monday
Tyler Herro

a Late Scratch on Monday
Jaylen Warren

to Play Through Illness on Monday Night
Anthony Davis

Misses Monday's Action, Daniel Gafford Available
Georges Niang

to Be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Jamison Battle

Available Against Heat
Will Smith

Sharks Place Will Smith on Injured Reserve
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Expected to Return Before Christmas
Dylan Holloway

to Miss Six Weeks
Patrick Kane

Expected to Miss at Least Two Games
Quinton Byfield

Ruled Out for Monday
Mika Zibanejad

Won't Play on Monday
Connor Bedard

Out Until 2026
Bhayshul Tuten

to Miss a Few Weeks With Finger Injury
Joe Burrow

Will Start the Rest of the Season
Jayden Daniels

to be Shut Down for Final Three Games
Philip Rivers

Will Start Again in Week 16
Drake London

Falcons "Very Hopeful" Drake London Can Return in Week 16
CFB

Dylan Raiola Entering His Name into Transfer Portal
Micah Parsons

MRI Confirms Torn ACL for Micah Parsons
CFB

Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby Plans to Transfer When Portal Opens
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia, Phillies Finalizing One-Year Deal on Monday
Jaylen Warren

Questionable for Monday Night Due to Illness
Bam Knight

has "Bad Sprain," Unlikely to Play in Week 16
Brandon Royval

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
CFB

Baylor, LSU, Miami Among Potential Suitors for DJ Lagway
CFB

Aidan Chiles Will Enter Transfer Portal
Manel Kape

Shines At UFC Vegas 112
New York Jets

Jets Fire Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks
Kevin Vallejos

Gets Second-Round Knockout Win
Christian Watson

Avoids Long-Term Injury, Status for Week 16 Unclear
Giga Chikadze

Suffers His First Career Knockout Loss
CFB

Quarterback DJ Lagway Entering Transfer Portal
Cesar Almeida

Gets Dominated
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Wins Sixth Fight In A Row
Teddye Buchanan

Ravens Linebacker Teddye Buchanan Believed to Have Torn ACL
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Melquizael Costa

Gets First-Round Knockout Win
Lane Hutson

Sends Out Two Power-Play Assists
Kirill Kaprizov

Nearing Wild Goals Record
Marcus Buchecha

Still Winless In The UFC
Benjamin Kindel

Posts Three Points in Sunday's Loss
Alex Tuch

Delivers Two Assists in Sunday's Win
Quinn Hughes

Scores in Wild Debut
Kennedy Nzechukwu

And Marcus Buchecha Fight To Draw
David Jiricek

Hurt Against Bruins
Marcus Johansson

Exits With Injury Sunday
Lance Gibson jr

Lance Gibson Jr. Drops Decision In His UFC Debut
King Green

Gets Back In The Win Column
Dallas Goedert

has Third Two-Touchdown Game on Sunday
Nico Collins

Records First Multi-Touchdown Game of the Season
D'Andre Swift

Falls Just Shy of 100 Rushing Yards, Scores Twice in Week 15
Josh Jacobs

Scores Two Touchdowns in Week 15 Loss
Jameson Williams

has Fourth 100-Yard Game in Sunday's Loss to Rams
Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Scores as a Runner and Receiver in Week 15
Kenley Jansen

Agrees to One-Year Deal With Tigers
Merrill Kelly

Returns to Diamondbacks on Two-Year Deal
Jorge Polanco

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Mets
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Return to South Carolina in 2026
CFB

Washington State Expected to Hire Kirby Moore as Next Head Coach
CFB

Kyle Whittingham Stepping Down as Utah Head Coach
Manel Kape

Set For UFC Vegas 112 Main Event
Brandon Royval

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Giga Chikadze

In Dire Need Of Victory
Cesar Almeida

Set To Welcome Cezary Oleksiejczuk To The UFC
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Maikel Garcia

Royals Agree on Five-Year Extension
Melquizael Costa

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Looks to Win Second Consecutive Fights
Marcus Buchecha

Looks To Bounce Back
CFB

Sherrone Moore Charged with Home Invasion, Among Other Charges
CFB

Freddie Kitchens Fired from North Carolina Coaching Staff
CFB

Bryce Underwood Could Leave Michigan Without Buyout
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Padres Not Considering Trading Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tarik Skubal

Tigers Engaged in "Serious Talks" Around Trading Tarik Skubal at the Winter Meetings
CFB

Chris Brazzell II Declaring for NFL Draft
CFB

Fernando Mendoza Named AP College Football Player of the Year
Raisel Iglesias

to Remain the Braves Closer
Robert Suarez

Agrees on Three-Year Deal With Braves
CFB

Sherrone Moore Remains in Police Custody
CFB

Joe Klanderman Joining Baylor Coaching Staff
CFB

Kentucky Hiring Jay Bateman as Next Defensive Coordinator
Si Woo Kim

Closes 2025 With Strong Finish Among Putting Woes
Akshay Bhatia

Looks to Rebound in 2026 After Down Year Off the Tee
Brian Harman

2025 Season a Step Back Despite Spring Win
Sam Burns

' Elite Putting Headlines a Solid 2025 Season
Sepp Straka

Ends Stellar 2025 Campaign on a High Note
Robert MacIntyre

Closes Out a Steady 2025 Campaign
CFB

Chip Kelly Interviews for Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

Louisville Receiver Chris Bell has a Torn ACL
Min Woo Lee

Breaks Through to Win in Texas This Year
PGA

Alex Noren Wins Twice on European Tour This Year
Wyndham Clark

has Up-and-Down 2025 Golf Season
CFB

Michigan Fires Head Coach Sherrone Moore
Corey Conners

Comes Close to Winning Again in Very Good 2025
Justin Rose

Turns Back the Clock in 2025
Harris English

Enjoys Solid Finish at Hero World Challenge
Pete Alonso

Orioles Finalizing Five-Year Deal

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP