Fantasy Basketball: A Dozen Dimes, Week 14
Welcome back to our weekly transactions article, where we dish out 12 dimes of advice fantasy hoops advice, including the top adds, drops, buys, and sells for this upcoming week and beyond.
These are generally listed in relative order of importance. If you're looking for even more advice, check the "related news" section underneath 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.
All fantasy rankings are courtesy of BasketballMonster.com.
Okay, let's get down to it.
Add Bismack Biyombo
We mentioned Bismack Biyombo as an add last week, and we don't like to get too repetitive from one instalment to the next, but he's still only 45% owned in Yahoo leagues and 25% on ESPN, so we have almost no choice but to talk about him again.
In his nine games since joining the starting lineup for the injured Nikola Vucevic (fractured hand), Biyombo has been the 35th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 10.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.9 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers in 27.7 minutes per contest, while shooting a sterling 57.4% from the field and 87.5% from the line.
We're only three weeks into Vucevic's six-to-eight-week timetable following hand surgery, so Biyombo is likely to remain a must-own, must-start player for another month or so at least. If he's unowned in your league and you have even the slightest need for boards or blocks, scoop him up immediately.
Buy Goran Dragic
Goran Dragic is having a bit of a down season from a fantasy perspective, coming in as the 114th-ranked player in nine-category leagues on the year after ranking 56th overall just a year ago. With Dion Waiters out for the season following ankle surgery, however, Dragic has picked up some of the slack lately and has been particularly excellent during the Miami Heat's current seven-game winning streak.
Over that seven-game span, Dragic has averaged 21.9 points, 2.1 three-pointers, 5.1 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 2.9 turnovers in 36.0 minutes per contest, while shooting 46.6% from the field and 76.2% from the free throw line. That line has made him the 56th-ranked player in nine-category leagues over that span, which has him looking much more like the mid-round asset he was drafted as this year, rather than the late-round version that he's been on the season as a whole.
If you can convince Dragic's owner that this is some kind of sell-high moment or that his late-round ranking on the year is more indicative of his value than these last few weeks, you should make a deal to acquire him. He's been a mid- to early-round asset in four of his last five seasons, so it's a decent bet that he'll be able to keep up his strong play going forward.
Add Tyler Johnson
Tyler Johnson has been solid since joining the Heat's starting five back in mid-December, but he's been really good over the team's current seven-game winning streak.
Over that span (six games played for Johnson), he has been the 42nd-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 15.7 points, 2.2 triples, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.5 turnovers in a healthy 34.1 minutes per contest, while shooting 50.7% from the field and 81.8% from the free throw line.
He's now up to being the 72nd-ranked player in nine-category leagues over the last month and 99th on the season as a whole. With an arrow firmly pointing up, you should be looking for Johnson on your wire if you're lucky enough to be in one of the 50% of Yahoo leagues or 80% on ESPN in which he's currently available.
Add Jarrett Jack
You wouldn't think that a 34-year-old journeyman like Jarrett Jack would end up being a hot add in any given week this season, but here we are.
Over Jack's last four games, he's averaged 17.0 points, 1.0 triple, 4.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 3.8 turnovers in 33.8 minutes per contest, while shooting a blistering 61.7% from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. The turnovers are an eyesore, but the rest of that line has made Jack the 26th-ranked player in nine-category leagues over that span.
Jack's been starting for the New York Knicks all season at point guard and averaging 27.1 minutes per contest, yet has been only the 211th-ranked player on the year, with little going for him outside his 6.2 assists per game. His recent surge could dry up just as quickly as it came, but for now, he needs to be added while he's this red hot. He's out there in 65% of Yahoo leagues and 85% on ESPN if you're looking for a point guard with a hot hand.
Add Bogdan Bogdanovic
Rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic has been coming on lately, ranking 48th in nine-category leagues over the last week.
Over that four-game span, he's averaged 17.5 points, 1.8 threes, 3.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in 30.4 minutes per contest, while shooting 58.1% from the field and 86.7% from the free throw line.
He's been coming off the bench for the lowly Sacramento Kings (the 30th-ranked team in our NBA Team Power Rankings) for most of the season, despite being their best player of late. At some point, it stands to reason that the Kings would shift their focus to youth development, so if Bogdanovic can make his way into the team's starting five, he could be in for a second-half breakout in fantasy hoops.
He's currently available in 65% of Yahoo leagues and over 80% on ESPN, so give him a look if he's just sitting on your waiver wire.
Sell Eric Gordon
Eric Gordon excelled earlier in the year when the Houston Rockets were without Chris Paul, and he's been doing the same over the six games he's started in place of the injured James Harden (Grade 1 hamstring strain).
Over that span, Gordon has been the 51st-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 21.7 points, 3.2 threes, 3.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers in 33.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 41.6% from the field and 77.3% from the free throw line.
He's been a fine asset on the year as the 96th-ranked player overall, but the better games that make up that ranking have mostly come while the Rockets have been without one of either Paul or Harden. With Harden potentially coming back this Thursday, your sell-high window on Gordon is about to close. See what kind of return he can net you before he goes back to contributing middling returns off the bench.
Buy Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas has looked very rusty in his four games since returning from a hip injury that cost him half the season.
Over those four contests (three starts), IT has been the 471st-ranked player in nine-category leagues, with averages of 12.3 points, 1.5 threes, 1.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers in 20.9 minutes per contest, and a putrid shooting split of 35.3% from the field and 63.6% from the line.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue monitoring his minutes for a while and sitting him one game in every back-to-back, but Thomas' ceiling is far too high not to capitalize on this buy-low moment. His owner in your league obviously isn't going to give him up for peanuts after holding him all season, but you should take any chance you can get to buy in on a guy that's been an early-round asset in three of the last four seasons and the 11th-ranked player just last year.
He might not reach the same heights this year as he did playing the alpha role in Boston last year, but it's certainly worth seeing what it would cost you to acquire him. There's room for another big scorer on the Cavaliers following the departure of Kyrie Irving, and Thomas simply won't be this bad for long. If you're into taking big risks, this one has the potential to result in a big reward.
Add Dewayne Dedmon
Dewayne Dedmon recently returned from a 19-game absence caused by a stress fracture in his left leg. He's been coming off the bench and only playing 20.3 minutes per contest in his three games since returning, but don't sleep on how well he was playing for the Atlanta Hawks before going down with the injury.
On the season, Dedmon is the 88th-ranked player in nine-category leagues (reason alone to make an add), but he was ranked 61st over the 10 games leading up to his absence. Over that 10-game span, he averaged 13.5 points, 1.0 triple, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers in 24.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 66.7% from the field and 65.0% from the charity stripe.
He should be back in the Hawks' starting lineup before too long and his fantasy-friendly skill set makes him a good bet for mid-round value moving forward. He's a bit of a forgotten man coming off a lengthy injury on a lowly Hawks team, so he's still available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues and 80% on ESPN. Grab him if you need a consistent contributor at center.
Add Allen Crabbe
Allen Crabbe's fantasy relevance has been in flux all season, but it has certainly been on the rise since the calendar flipped over to 2018.
Over seven January games, Crabbe has been the 68th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 13.7 points, 3.0 threes, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in 30.9 minutes per contest, while shooting 38.7% from the field and 89.5% from the free throw line.
His sub-40% shooting over that span and on the season is certainly a bummer, but the threes, free throw percentage, and low turnovers make him someone worth seriously considering if you need help in either of those areas.
Crabbe is currently available in 50% of Yahoo leagues and a whopping 90% on ESPN, so check your wire if you need a hot wing player with a solidified starting role and consistent minutes to go with it.
Add Yogi Ferrell
Yogi Ferrell has seen a major bump in minutes over his last three games, and his production has followed suit.
Over that span, Ferrell has averaged 16.0 points, 3.3 threes, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 0.7 turnovers in a healthy 37.3 minutes per contest, while shooting 54.5% from the field and 66.7% from the free throw line. That line has made him the 36th-ranked player in nine-category leagues during that period, while also elevating him to 90th-ranked value over the last month (15 games).
Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle credits Ferrell's speed as a reason for going to him more lately. It's unclear if moving him into the Mavs' starting lineup over the last two games will be a permanent move, but Dallas has won two of the three games in which Yogi's minutes have spiked, so there's not much of a reason to go away from him just yet.
Ferrell is available in 85% of Yahoo leagues and over 90% on ESPN, so if you're looking for someone who's fantasy stock is on the rise on a waiver wire that's otherwise picked clean, he might be your man.
Buy Jamal Murray
Jamal Murray has had a bit of an up-and-down year as the starting point guard for the Denver Nuggets and he's currently in the midst of a downswing.
Over Murray's last five games, he's averaged 13.0 points, 1.4 triples, 2.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.6 blocks, and 2.4 turnovers in 34.7 minutes per contest, while shooting an ice-cold 33.8% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line. That horrible shooting mark, in particular, has him ranked 206th in nine-category leagues over that span.
Don't sleep on the fact, however, that Murray was the 21st-ranked player over the 13-game period leading up to this current lull. Over that larger sample size, Murray averaged 19.8 points, 2.8 triples, 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers in 33.0 minutes per game, while shooting a much more palatable 49.7% from the field and 92.3% from the charity stripe.
You will get periods when Murray is more Player A than Player B, but the ceiling of Player B is certainly worth pursuing when a buy-low window like this one presents itself, especially since his role and minutes seem perfectly secure in both scenarios. Take a look to see what Murray would cost you while he's mired in this shooting slump.
Drop Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley has been a very hot add in fantasy hoops over the last month (we talked about him just last week), but it's clear now that he largely benefited from the absence of Tim Hardaway Jr.
The two don't play the same position, but Beasley provided a bit of instant offense off the bench while THJ was on the shelf with a stress fracture in his leg. In the two games since Hardaway's return, however, Beasley's minutes have dropped to 16 on Friday and a shade more than 9 on Sunday after a month of averaging 24.1.
We'd like to think that Supercool Beas could continue his recent resurgence, but his dip in minutes over the last two contests is disconcerting. Be careful when it comes to holding him over a hot free agent like any of the guys listed above. If you need to drop someone to fit a hot hand on your roster, Beasley's current situation and history of streakiness suggests that he's most likely a safe player to get rid of.
