So, hear me out. I know last weekend I did not get out the Week 13 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire article. Saturday night ended up being a little exciting for me following a 49ers’ victory and I spent Sunday recovering from the night before leading up to my softball game. Softball is over and football is now on Sunday’s only so we’ll be good for every week moving forward. Again, I apologize for missing last week after saying I was back for good.
Since we don’t have any Week 13 suggestions to go off of, we will look at how our Week 12 players did over the last two weeks. Aaron Holiday, who we once deemed a must add player, is now droppable. He’s losing minutes and his production is down, even before Victor Oladipo returns to the team. Jordan McRae continues to excel in his roll with the Wizards. Aaron Baynes, like Holiday, can also be dropped, as his court time has dropped below 20 minutes-per-game and he is averaging less than seven points and six rebounds-per-game. Michael Porter Jr. ended up being a giant bust that we all got behind after one big game. Obviously, I’m guilty. Garland’s numbers aren’t where we want them to be exactly but he’s playing nearly 30 minutes-per-game, so he’s deserving of roster spot for that alone. Christian Wood does play less than 20 minutes-per-game but he makes great work of his court time to be fantasy relevant and should remain on rosters.
*To be eligible, players must be owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues
Week 12 Results (Last 14 Day Average)
Aaron Holiday, PG, Indiana Pacers - 10.5 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2.4 PRG and 0.8 SPG in 23:34 MPG
Jordan McRae, PG/SG, Washington Wizards - 14.7 PPG, 2.4 APG, 4.6 RPG and 0.7 SPG in 25:34 MPG
Aaron Baynes, C, Phoenix Suns - 6.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 0.3 BPG in 19:49 MPG
Michael Porter Jr., SF, Denver Nuggets - 9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG in 17:51 MPG
Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers - 12.2 PPG, 3.6 APG, 2 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 29:37 MPG
Christian Wood, PF/C, Detroit Pistons - 9.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG and 1.1 BPG in 19:17 MPG
Week 14 Suggestions
Sekou Doumbouya, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons - Owned in 36% of Yahoo and 24.1% of ESPN leagues
Doumbouya is by far our must add player of the week as for somehow, he remains owned in less than 40-percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. The rookie has recently burst onto the scene, benefiting from the season-ending surgery of Blake Griffin. Doumbouya was one who started the season in the G-League but is now average over 31 minutes-per-game in the NBA over the last two weeks. In that same time span he’s averaging 14.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1 SPG and 0.6 BPG. He’s only going to get better as well, as he is just 19 years old and will develop further each and every game. Keep an eye on the Andre Drummond trade rumors as well. If he leaves the team, Doumbouya takes another massive jump in value. Get him now while you can.
Week 14 Schedule: @WAS, SAC, MEM and BKN
Shabazz Napier, PG/SG, Minnesota Timberwolves - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 14.4% of ESPN leagues
Napier was a player who I almost included in my Week 12 edition and I’m kicking myself in the butt now for not. Obviously I can’t predict the future where we saw Jeff Teague traded to the Atlanta Hawks. This obviously frees up much more playing time for the one time Uconn star. Since hitting the starting lineup over the last 14 games, Napier has averaged 12.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal. He has at least 12 points or more in six of his past 10 games and at least seven assists in five of those games. He’s a must add in my books, especially now with Teague out of his way.
Week 14 Schedule: DEN, @CHI, HOU and OKC
Omari Spellman, PF, Golden State Warriors - Owned in 20% of Yahoo and 9.4% of ESPN leagues
Spellman is in the position where he’s forcing Steve Kerr to give him more court time, where he is already averaging just under 23 minutes-per-game over the last two weeks. The Warriors are obviously making a change to develop their future players for the first time in what seems like forever. Due to this, Spellman has seemed to jump Willie Cauley-Stein in the starting lineup. Spellman has averaged 12.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 0.6 BPG over the last two weeks. He was a suggested addition earlier this season and now we’re back, saying he’s a must add for teams in deeper leagues.
Week 14 Schedule: @POR, UTA and IND
Elfrid Payton, PG, New York Knicks - Owned in 24% of Yahoo and 22% of ESPN leagues
It’s taken Payton some time to make his way back into the Knicks’ regular rotation after returning about a month ago. Over his last five games, where he’s joined the team’s starting lineup, he’s averaged 13 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.8 SPG. He’s playing around 25 minutes-per-game during that same time span. He still doesn’t have a three-ball, so if you’re playing in a categories league, he may not be your best bet, but he still shot 50% from the field over his last five games.
Week 14 Schedule: @CLE, LAL, TOR and BKN
Luke Kornet, PF/C, Chicago Bulls - Owned in 12% of Yahoo and 3.6% of ESPN leagues
Kornet has by default fallen into fantasy relevancy. Due to a series of injuries, he’s basically the last man standing the Bulls’ front court. Wendell Carter Jr. is out for at least three more weeks. Daniel Gafford, who took over for Carter initially, is out for at least the next two weeks. Lauri Markkanen too is banged up but is not set to miss anytime. With that being said, Kornet is the only healthy body left basically. Kornet’s fantasy relevance is directly related to the health and availability of Carter Jr. and Gafford, so you essentially have a two week window where he’ll play a boat-load of minutes.
Week 14 Schedule: @MIL, MIN, SAC and @CLE
Monte Morris, PG, Denver Nuggets - Owned in 13% of Yahoo and 7% of ESPN leagues
Jamal Murray, the Nuggets starting point guard, hurt his ankle on Wednesday and now is set to miss multiple games. In his absence, for how long as that may be, Morris will serve as the Nuggets’ starting point guard. This may seem all good but on Friday he played just 26 minutes when the Nuggets chose to go with a non-point guard lineup down the stretch. We don’t know if this will always be the occasion in close games without Murray, but without Murray, I’m still rostering and playing Morris in the Nuggets’ offense.
Week 14 Schedule: @MIN, @HOU, @NO and HOU
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