Yeah, I was the guy that told you your team (probably) sucked a few weeks ago. I’m back, now on a semi-regular basis, to help you identify which players should be copped, dropped, or monitored a little closely.
The Fantasy Follow Up is going to be a series where I point out a few players that you should add to your team, release into the wild, or add to the nigh-checked watchlist of yours. Like you, I’m a big fan of the NBA, but I can’t possibly watch every game, or keep up with every new advanced stat because… life. Trust me, this will be fun.
Who to Scoop
Jalen Williams – SG, SF: After entering the Thunder’s starting lineup in December full-time, Williams has been a steady source of points across major categories. He may not blow your mind nightly, but you can expect a few steals and blocks along with solid rebounding and assist totals to go with his usual double digit scoring efforts. He’s only rostered in 16.9% of leagues, but that number is growing. Get him now before the Thunder start inevitably tanking and his usage skyrockets.
Josh Richardson – SG, SF: Another solid pickup right now in the shallow SG,SF pool is the Spurs’ Josh Richardson (3.1% rostered). He’s normally just a solid 3&D guy, but San Antonio is shorthanded and find themselves relying on his veteran chops to contribute until Devin Vassell is back. When he plays more than twenty minutes, he gives you north of twenty fantasy points easily. Low risk, meh reward if you’re in a deeper league.
Drop ‘Em
Malik Monk – SG, SF: I spoke glowingly of Monk in my prior piece, but wow, have things confoundedly changed. He just can’t seem to get steady minutes even with his stellar play earlier this season. Mike Brown is known for his defense first approach, while Monk isn’t, so that may be a factor. Either way, there are two perfect replacements I already named.
T.J. Warren – SF: Bubble GOAT. Warren is a big wing that made the Pacers look formidable in Disneyland 2020 – then he got injured. When Warren signed with the Nets it was clear he could be their bench spark after recovery, but he hasn’t exactly moved the needle fantasy points-wise. Pair inconsistent minutes and subpar shooting performances and you have a spot that could be better used. If you stashed him, it may be time to let this legendary Bubble player go.
That Boy Good, For Now
Thomas Bryant – C: Bryant has been a force since AD went down, and should continue to be. Thomas has averaged 41.5 points in his last ten games with 6 monster double-doubles to boot. However, Anthony Davis’ return is looming. Bryant should be a nice fit alongside him, but AD has regained some semblance of his New Orleans’ form playing the five this season after avoiding it for so long. Either trade him for a regular starter with value or pray he stays in the neighborhood of 25-30 fantasy point nights.
Montrezl Harrell – C, PF: This one is a little weird; when Embiid was out earlier this season, Harrell barely contributed which led to little minutes off the pine. Embiid has been out again and Montrezl seems to be his old self. He’s scoring the ball, but still hasn’t cracked more than 28 minutes of playing time in the last ten games. If you have Trezz, look to Daniel Gafford (8.4% rostered) and Jalen Duren (13.6% rostered) as possible replacements. If you don’t, keep looking the other way unless you have unlimited adds and drops.
