Fantasy Hoops Schedule: Breaking down Week 13
Fantasy fringe players of interest in Week 13 (Monday, January 16 through Sunday, January 22)
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Malcolm Brogdon, Mil, G (4 games – 58% owned) – The former collegiate Cavalier is starting to find his groove with the Bucks, averaging 14.6 points, 6.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 treys over his past six games – he’s the No. 56 most valuable roto asset in the Yahoo game over the past two weeks.
T.J. McConnell, Phi, PG (4 games – 33% owned in Y! leagues) – For the dish-needy owner, consider McConnell, who has seized control of the Sixers’ starting point guard role, averaging 8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists and1.6 steals over his past five games.
Terrence Jones, NO, F (4 games – 38% owned in Y! leagues) – With Anthony Davis out, Jones started and led the Pelicans to a road victory at Brooklyn on Thursday, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while playing a season-high 38 minutes. In his past four games with at least 30 minutes played, Jones is averaging 18.5 points and 8.8 points. Even with Davis expected back in the lineup, don’t be surprised if Jones continues to log bigger minutes at the expense of the lackluster Dante Cunningham.
Allen Crabbe, Por G (4 games – 36% owned) – Crabbe has four games in the upcoming week, which could equate to a whole lot of three-pointers for his fantasy owners, as the former Cal Bear has dropped nine shots from behind the arc over his past three games, averaging 21 points in that span. Crabbe is a points/treys/% play only, but a good one at that.
Gary Harris, Den, GF (5 games – 60% owned) – Harris returned on Thursday from a one-game hiatus due to a groin injury and scored 16 points, five boards and six assists in a route of Indiana. With five games in the coming week, Harris’ Swiss Army Knife skill-set needs to be deployed.
Down and out: Players to avoid in Week 13
Detroit/Oklahoma City (2 games) – All Pistons and Thunder not named Westbrook (and maybe Drummond) need not apply
Derrick Favors, Utah, FC (3 games) – Favors has been back in the Utah lineup since mid-December after sitting for nearly a month with a knee injury. But since his return, he’s scored double-figures in points just three times (in 14 games) and has recorded 10-plus boards just once. He’s obviously still working to find his stride, and his minutes are still being curbed in the process. With three games on tap, he’s a low upside play.
Jordan Clarkson, LAL, G (3 games) – Owned in over 80 percent of Yahoo leagues (and started in over 50 percent), Clarkson ranks No. 175 in fantasy over the past two weeks, averaging an empty 10.7 points per game.
Notable injuries
John Wall, Was PG (4 games – pinky/wrist) – Wall, dealing a with a sprained left wrist and sore right pinky finger, hopes to play Saturday against the 76ers. With four games in the week ahead, you should feel good about Wall this week given that he’s been playing through the injuries and it’s now known (Thursday MRI) that his pinky finger is not broken.
Avery Bradley, Bos, G (3 games – achilles) – Bradley is expected to miss his fourth-straight game on Friday with an achilles injury. The Celtics play just three games next week, making Bradley a risky proposition in H-2-H leagues.
Nicolas Batum, Cha, GF (4 games – knee) – After a two-game layoff, Batum is expected to return to the court on Friday against the 76ers. If all checks out fine against Philly, be sure to have him locked and loaded in your lineup for his four-game week ahead.
Zach Lavine, Min, G (3 games – hip) – Lavine is questionable for Friday’s game against OKC. It’ll be important to see him play, and play well, against the Thunder given that he has a lighter schedule (three games) than most in the week ahead, and his play of late has been spotty for fantasy purposes.
Kristaps Porzingis, NY, FC (4 games – achilles) – Porzingis is an iffy bet this week as he’s been fighting an achilles injury that cost him a DNP and led to struggles in his two other games of the current week. He’s questionable for Sunday’s game against Toronto. Last week, we said that you should treat his four-game week as no better than a three-game week to account for the real possibility that he could be held out a game (or two). That came to fruition, and owners should now treat the upcoming week the same way.
Serge Ibaka, Orl, FC (4 games – shoulder) – Ibaka expects to play Friday after sitting on Wednesday with a sore shoulder.
