Fantasy Basketball 2016-17: A Dozen Dimes, Volume 20
With most fantasy hoops trade deadlines having already passed and the playoffs in the majority of head-to-head leagues starting soon, A Dozen Dimes has essentially converted into a waiver wire column for the rest of the season. In other words, instead of offering up 12 nuggets of adding, dropping, buying, and selling advice for this upcoming week and beyond, we're focusing on just the adding.
As usual, these are in relative order of importance. If you're looking for more advice, check the "related articles" section to cycle through other recent editions of this column. We try not to repeat ourselves too much from one week to the next, so you might find more ideas you like from previous weeks that are still valid.
Ok, let's get down to it.
Terrence Ross
Do we really need to mention Terrence Ross as an add for the third week in a row? Considering he's only owned in 50% of Yahoo leagues and 25% on ESPN, I guess the answer to that question is a resounding "yup".
In five games as a member of the Orlando Magic, Ross is the 23rd-ranked player in nine-category leagues with averages of 14.6 points, 2.0 three-pointers, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.0 turnover in a healthy 34.5 minutes, and a shooting split of 43.5% from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
Ross should be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues right now, considering he's already an entrenched starter for the Magic, averaging heavy minutes and putting up a solid all-around line with elite threes, steals, and low turnovers. Quit waiting and grab him for the stretch run if he's somehow still available in your league.
Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson has had a great fantasy season for the Miami Heat this year, ranking 68th in nine-category leagues with averages of 13.9 points, 1.3 threes, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 30.4 minutes, and a shooting split of 43.4% from the field and 76.8% from the free throw line.
Despite that solid all-around line, Johnson's ownership rates are still fairly modest at 65% in Yahoo leagues and 60% on ESPN. He's been so great since the All-Star break, however, that those percentages are starting to look criminally low.
Over his last six contests, Johnson is the 24th-ranked player in nine-category leagues with 14.8 points, 1.5 threes, 3.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in 27.3 minutes per contest, along with shooting 51.7% from the field and 81.8% from the free throw line.
If you're in a league where he's somehow still sitting on the waiver wire, I'd like to play in it and take all you and all your friends' money.
T.J. Warren
T.J. Warren was in the midst of a breakout sophomore season in the first month of the year, coming in as the league's 29th-ranked player in nine-category leagues through his first 11 games.
Unfortunately, his breakout campaign was derailed by a minor head injury that cost him 13 contests between mid-November and mid-December. Warren originally had to earn his starting job back from P.J. Tucker upon his return (which took seven games), and then had a hard time getting back on a consistent roll once he had.
Now, with Tucker playing in Toronto after a trade deadline deal, Warren is practically unimpeded for minutes as the starting small forward for the Phoenix Suns and is back on a major upswing. Over his last seven games, Warren is the 25th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 16.1 points, 0.1 triples, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, and a mere 0.6 turnovers in 31.1 minutes while shooting a ridiculous 67.1% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line.
That sky-high field goal percentage is bound to regress, but the minutes are real and he should manage to put up fairly consistent mid-round value going forward. He's still available to be added in 35% of Yahoo leagues and 50% on ESPN.
Maurice Harkless
Like Warren, Maurice Harkless is another guy that was unexpectedly killing it to start the season, but who hit a bit of a wall mid-year.
While Harkless' ownership percentages were higher a month or so ago when he was steamrolling, they've dipped to below 40% on Yahoo and under 30% on ESPN in recent weeks. Now, it's time for that to rise again, since Harkless has been the 36th-ranked player in nine-category leagues upon rejoining the starting lineup for the Portland Trail Blazers eight games ago (following a seven-game demotion).
Over that eight-game span, Harkless has averaged 11.9 points, 1.3 triples, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers in 32.0 minutes, while shooting 54.7% from the field and 60.0% from the free throw line.
He might not score a ton, but Harkless is subtly one of those rare guys that can get you at least one each of a three, a steal, and a block per game. Toss in the low turnovers and solid rebounding for the position, and there's no reason for him to be so widely available in fantasy leagues right now.
Alan Williams
Undrafted second-year player Alan Williams is suddenly a big contributor for the bottom-feeding Suns, and potentially a big add down the stretch of the fantasy season.
Wait, who?
Well, if you're also curious who this is, it's probably because he's only played 39 games in his two-year career and averaged 4.8 points in 10.0 minutes per game while doing it.
In his six games since the All-Star break, however, Williams is collecting 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers in 25.9 minutes per contest, and shooting 59.1% from the field and 50.0% from the line. That's made him the 44th-ranked player over that span, if you can believe it.
Who knows how long this will last, but for now, you've got to take a chance on Alan "Big Sauce" Williams until the other foot drops.
Willy Hernangomez
With Joakim Noah out the next few weeks (and potentially the rest of the season) following knee surgery, it's time for rookie Willy Hernangomez to shine.
He missed two of the New York Knicks' last three games with a sprained ankle, but returned on Sunday and put up 8 points and 5 boards in 14 minutes of action off the bench. He had started five straight before the injury and could be back in that role again soon enough, so take that relative dud for what it was and add him now that he's back in the lineup.
Over those five starts before the injury, Hernangomez was the 38th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 10.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers in 29.1 minutes per contest, while shooting a blistering 60.0% from the field and 88.9% from the free throw line.
He might concede some time and touches to Kyle O'Quinn from time to time, but Willy's fantasy-friendly game should still make him a reliable standard-league asset from here on out, regardless of his role. He's still available in 60% of Yahoo leagues and 75% on ESPN, so there's a decent enough chance that you can still scoop him up in your league before his next big game.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might always be looked at as "the guy selected after Anthony Davis" by casual fans, but fantasy owners had better quit sleeping on his great all-around contributions.
His lack of scoring (8.9 points per game on the season, 7.7 over the last month) and three-pointers (one make on the year) probably stand as the biggest reasons for his humble 55% ownership rate on Yahoo and 50% on ESPN, but the rest of his line has made him a top-50 player over the last month and a must-own asset as far as we're concerned.
Over his last 12 games, MKG has been the 43rd-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 7.7 points, 0.0 threes, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in 29.5 minutes, shooting 45.9% from the field and 77.8% from the free throw line.
If you can get enough points and threes elsewhere, MKG is a perfect add right now for his contributions in rebounds, steals, blocks, both percentages, and low turnovers.
T.J. McConnell
T.J. McConnell has been a top-50 player over his last 10 games, yet is still unowned in 50% of Yahoo leagues and 60% on ESPN. Assist-starved owners, take notice.
Over that 10-game span, McConnell has averaged 10.1 points, 0.1 threes, 3.7 rebounds, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 1.9 turnovers in 29.5 minutes while shooting 56.4% from the field and 75.0% from the free throw line.
He might never give you much in terms of points, threes, or blocks, but the percentages are solid, the turnovers are manageable and the assists, steals, and rebounds (for the position) make him something of a poor man's Ricky Rubio. Grab him if you need a boost in dimes or pilfers.
Malcolm Brogdon
Malcolm Brogdon took the starting point guard job back from Matthew Dellavedova three games ago and has scored in double figures in each of his last five, making him worth a look in standard leagues.
Over that five-game period, Brogdon has collected 16.2 points, 2.0 threes, 2.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers in a healthy 30.8 minutes off the strength of shooting 50.8% from the field and 75.0% from the free throw line.
He has been the 75th-ranked player in nine-category leagues over that span, but is readily available in 55% of Yahoo leagues and 65% on ESPN. He might not get you a ton of assists for a starting point guard (thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton taking care of a lot of the ball-handling duties for the Milwaukee Bucks), but there's plenty to like in that line outside the modest dimes.
Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu has been a decent late-round asset on the year (127th overall), but has really come alive since the All-Star break.
Over his last four games, Aminu has been the 65th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 13.0 points, 1.8 threes, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.8 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers in 29.3 minutes, along with shooting a solid 54.5% from the field and 81.8% from the charity stripe.
He's been coming off the bench for the Blazers since mid-January, but he's been playing well enough to overtake Noah Vonleh at any moment. He's currently available in 45% of Yahoo leagues and 70% on ESPN, so he's worth picking up if you need a bit of everything, with the chance of a raised ceiling if he slips back into the starting lineup.
Richaun Holmes
Joel Embiid is out for the rest of the year, Jahlil Okafor is injury-prone and currently nursing a sore right knee, and Nerlens Noel has been a Dallas Maverick since the trade deadline. Philadelphia's once crowded frontcourt is starting to look kind of thin.
Enter Richaun Holmes.
In his six games since the All-Star break (one start), Holmes has averaged 12.2 points, 0.5 threes, 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 1.2 steals, 2.0 blocks, and a mere 0.3 turnovers in 24.0 minutes, while shooting a red-hot 66.0% from the field and 80.0% from the free throw line.
That's made him the 17th-ranked player over that span and a must-add player until further notice, especially for those in need of some defensive stats. He's currently owned in 35% of Yahoo leagues and 15% on ESPN, so he's more readily available than most of the other guys in this column if you're in a deeper league.
Terrence Jones
Terrence Jones has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks after being released by the New Orleans Pelicans. Considering Jabari Parker is out for the year with a torn ACL and Michael Beasley is nursing a hyperextended knee, Jones will have the opportunity carve out a nice role for himself right away as one of the team's only healthy power forwards.
He averaged 11.5 points, 0.4 threes, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.0 turnover in 24.8 minutes per contest through 51 games with the Pelicans, while shooting 47.5% from the field and 60.6% from the free throw line. If he can get an increased opportunity with the Bucks, perhaps he could get back to the mid-round value he was posting with the Houston Rockets in both 2013-14 and 2014-15 when he was averaging over 27.0 minutes per contest.
It might take a few games before head coach Jason Kidd puts any kind of trust in him, but Terrence Jones has an interesting ceiling that makes him worth an add if you have the room on your roster, just to see where this goes.
