RADIO
Welcome back, Rotoballers and dynasty managers! Hopefully, everyone had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed some great Black Friday basketball. The in-season tournament is getting close to the knockout stages and we've already gotten some high-level hoops in the process.
For all of you who decided to jump into a dynasty league, these in-season tournaments could mean some big things for your prospects moving forward. Did that one bad game mean player x is ready to slide for the rest of the season or can it be written off as a rare occurrence? Could that big performance in the first-ever knockout stage of the in-season tournament mean that player z is built for the playoffs?
What we're aiming to do each week is show which players are losing value and those that are gaining value. Hopefully, this will help some of you buy low, sell high, or brag to your league mates that you chose the right players from day one. Without further ado, let's check in on some of the risers and fallers through Week 4 of NBA action!
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
Risers For Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Craig Porter Jr. (PG/SG, CLE)
Do you know the textbook way to increase a player's stock, especially when they're an undrafted free agent? If you answered, "Play so well that you make it into the starting lineup in the second month of the season," then you'd be spot on! This happens to be exactly what Craig Porter Jr. accomplished just 10 games into his NBA career.
The Wichita State product was vaulted into more playing time after Donovan Mitchell went down with a hamstring injury and has been unable to play over the last four games. Over that time, Porter averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers per game. He even played a major role in taking down both the Nuggets and 76ers.
While his playing time is likely to take a hit once Mitchell returns, Porter has definitely played his way to a bigger role off the bench than before. Over the team's first eight games, he was registering some DNP-CDs (did not play - coach's decision), and now he seems to be a mainstay in the rotation. Porter could help in deep leagues right away but would be a great option for rebuilding teams that can wait to see how he develops.
Mark Williams (C, CHA)
The seven-footer out of Duke seemed to get lost in the mix of the plethora of bigs in the latest prospect class. Mark Williams was often mentioned much later than Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Dereck Lively II, and even Jalen Duren. When it comes to production, however, Williams can hang with the best of the young centers.
Among the five names mentioned, Williams and Duren are the only two to average a double-double. He also averages the second most rebounds, third most points, and second most steals among this group. He actually leads the group in field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage, and has the least amount of turnovers. Oh, plus he's second to only Holmgren in box plus/minus and value over replacement player.
If that doesn't show you how valuable Williams has been in just his second year in the NBA, then I'm not sure what else will.
Keyonte George (PG/SG, UTA)
One of the biggest question marks about Keyonte George heading into his rookie year was how much playing time he was going to get with Talen Horton-Tucker, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and Kris Dunn all there at the same time. Well, we're starting to get the answer to that question as he's started the last seven consecutive games.
Through his seven starts, George is averaging 10.9 points, 7.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 turnovers, and 1.6 threes per contest. He's put his playmaking abilities on full display which is exactly what the team was missing as they were filled with score-first guards. The biggest drawback, however, has been his efficiency as he's shooting 30.6% from the floor during that stretch and 35.5% overall.
When it comes to rookie guards though, rebuilding teams are more likely to be patient and let them figure it out. Point guards continue to have the biggest learning curve when it comes to the NBA. George's stock is steadily rising and will only improve when he becomes more efficient.
Fallers For Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Leagues
P.J. Washington (PF/C, CHA)
Well, this was the moment that everyone was waiting for once Miles Bridges returned to the court. Many thought it may affect Brandon Miller more since he's a rookie, but P.J. Washington seems to be slipping behind the times as the Hornets continue to grow. With how long it took for the Hornets to resign Washington, they made it seem like he's not in their long-term plans, despite offering him the three-year contract.
Bridges, Miller, and Mark Williams have all been contributing in multiple ways and they're still young enough to not even scratch the surface of their potential. Washington is 25 years old but has proven to be quite one-dimensional, even though he's received north of 30 minutes per contest in four of his five seasons with the team. While he averages 14.8 points per contest, his 5.0 rebounds aren't anything to write home about for a starting big man.
To make matters worse, he's not hitting as many threes, dishing as many assists, shooting as many free throws, or collecting as many steals and blocks. That's a lot of negatives all at once!
Gradey Dick (PG/SG, TOR)
Going from a small bit of playing time to essentially no playing time is never a recipe for growth or rising fantasy stock. Gradey Dick was averaging just 15.1 minutes per game as it is but has now seen no more than 12 in his last few appearances.
Part of the issue may be the fact that he's shooting a horrid 27.0% from the floor so far, which is not a typo. He's made a total of 17 shots in 14 games to start his career despite taking 63 shots overall. Combine that with the fact that he's averaging just 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, and there's not much he's actually contributing to wins.
To get his fantasy value back to a level that may be tradeable, he needs to either get the type of playing time that a tanking team would give their rookies, or get no playing time at all and remain a bit of a mystery. Both scenarios aren't exactly foregone conclusions, so we'll stick with the fact that his stock is falling quickly.
OG Anunoby (SG/SF/PF, TOR)
This is where we have to make sure that the distinction between falling in fantasy value and real-life value are two completely separate things. OG Anunoby has been able to defend at a very high level, as he does at the beginning of every season, but his box score stats that help fantasy managers haven't exactly taken the next step that everyone hoped.
Anunoby has been the player that everyone has been waiting to make the star leap. Instead, he's been battling injury after injury and this season his numbers have taken a step back for the most part. He's regressed so far in points, rebounds, steals, free throw attempts, and free throw percentage. To go along with that, he's already missed four games and his name has been in trade rumors for what feels like years now.
If Anunoby was shipped off to a contending team, his fantasy value would take a hit since he wouldn't be featured as often as he usually is in Toronto. So, if he doesn't turn around his numbers soon, they don't seem very likely to get much better on a different team. This has made his ceiling seem lower than it did before as he's entering his prime years in the NBA as well.
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