Pau Gasol is having a career year in his first season with the Bulls.
An 82-game NBA season makes it inevitable for players to go through hot and cold stretches. As fantasy owners, we try to exploit these fluctuations in player value. Knowing where players stand is half the battle. With that said, here are a number of players who have seen their stock rise or fall in the last few weeks.
Risers
Pau Gasol, PF/C, Chicago Bulls – When Gasol signed with the Bulls after a few injury-plagued seasons with the Lakers, no one knew exactly what to expect. His average draft position in fantasy reflected the uncertainty as Gasol was taken in the fifth/sixth round range in most drafts even after recording 18 points and 10 rebounds per game with Los Angeles. Even after missing three games due to injury earlier this season, Gasol is on pace for the finest season in his 14 year career. He is averaging personal bests in rebounds (11.3) and blocks (2.3). Gasol’s season has been highlighted by an absolutely dominant start to 2015, as he’s putting up 21.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and four blocks per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 92 percent from the line since calendars flipped. Good for the top spot in fantasy over the past seven days.
Kenneth Faried, PF, Denver Nuggets – After a strong finish to the 2013/14 season where Faried averaged nearly 11 rebounds per game, the Nuggets power forward did not live up to expectations early on this season. With only four double digit rebounding performances and a 7.2 rebounds per game average in his first 25 games, Faried was well on his way to bust status. In his eight games since December 23rd, the ‘Manimal’ has turned things around big time. Averaging 14.1 rebounds to go along with 14.4 points per game in that span, earning Faried a top 30 fantasy standing since Christmas.
Brandon Jennings, PG, Detroit Pistons – Plagued by a thumb injury earlier this season, Jennings has been off to the worst start in his six year career. The point guard is averaging career lows in points (14.1), rebounds (2.8), steals (1.0) and minutes (28.4). But just like the rest of the Pistons, as soon as Josh Smith was waived Jennings has gone off. The sixth best player in fantasy the past week, Jennings is averaging 19.3 points, 2.6 three pointers, 5.9 assists to two turnovers in his last seven games.
Jarrett Jack, PG, Brooklyn Nets – Ever since taking a spot in the starting lineup for an injured Deron Williams on December 21st, Jack has been a top 20 player in fantasy. Averaging 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting a near perfect 97 percent from the charity stripe during the nine game stretch; Jack has earned his place in fantasy lineups. With Williams out for at least a week with a broken rib and possibly on the trade market, Jack will continue to start for the Nets for the foreseeable future.
Rudy Gobert, C, Utah Jazz – The second-year Frenchman has made a name for himself as he has been filling in at center for Enes Kanter. Drawing the start in his last three contents Gobert has averaged 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. The number one rim protector in the NBA this season, according to nyloncalculus.com, Gobert has been the No. 16 ranked player the past seven days. Even though his starting days may be over when Kanter returns, Gobert has definitely proven himself and can expect to still see around 30 minutes per game.
Fallers
LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers – To call a player averaging 25.2 points and 7.6 assists per game a disappointment may come as a shock to some, but when that player is LeBron James we have come to have a different level of expectations. You can blame the slow pace in Cleveland, lack of communication with teammates or the massive amount of minutes played finally catching up to him, but for whatever reason LeBron is simply putting up his worst stat lines since his rookie year. This season James is averaging a career low in rebounds (5.3), steals (1.3), and is committing a career high in turnovers (3.8). The ‘King’ has clearly fallen from the top spot in fantasy as James is ranked 15th on the season. When he returns from resting his knee in mid-January, James will have even more new teammates to get acquainted with, perhaps prolonging his struggles.
Al Horford, F/C, Atlanta Hawks – Finally healthy after missing big portions of two of the last three seasons due to injury, many envisioned Horford posting 18 plus points and double-digit rebounds on a nightly basis. The 14.5 points per game Horford is averaging is definitely a disappointment, but the big blow has been his rebounding or better yet, his lack of it. Pulling in only 6.2 rebounds per game is a career low for the eight-year veteran. Playing barely over 30 minutes per game, another career low, does not help his cause. In the past two weeks Horford has been ranked outside of the top 125 in fantasy as he has grabbed a measly 5.4 rpg.
Chandler Parsons, SF, Dallas Mavericks – Ever since Rajon Rondo was traded to Dallas, Parsons’ role in the Mavericks’ offense has diminished. In the 10 games with Rondo running the point, Parsons has seen his field goal attempts drop from 13.4 to 10.7 per game, his scoring average plummet from 16.7 to only 12.6 points per game and his usage rate go down from 21.6% to 18.4%. While Parsons is ranked in the top 50 this season, his stock has dropped to 85th over the past two weeks and closer to 100 in the past seven days. Parsons’ value seems to have bottomed out though, but unless you need three-point shooting I would not consider him a buy low option.
David Lee, PF/C, Golden State Warriors – After averaging 18.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over the past two seasons, David Lee was considered one of the best value picks in fantasy drafts. But after a hamstring injury sidelined him for all of November and most of December, Lee has lost his starting job to Draymond Green. Since Green is posting huge stat lines on a nightly basis, Lee’s days as a starter in Golden State appear to be numbered. As a bench player the 10-year veteran has averaged only 18 minutes per game. While his 10.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game are solid numbers, they have Lee ranked outside of the top 125 over the last two weeks.
Deron Williams, PG, Brooklyn Nets – With news that Williams will be out at least another week with a rib fracture, his stock takes a big hit. Even before the injury, Williams’ ranks have been falling all season long. He’s shot a career worst .396 from the floor, and the lowest scoring numbers (13.9 ppg) since his rookie season. In fact after straining a calf muscle on December 19th, Williams hasn’t started a game for the Nets. In the six games played before the rib injury, Williams came off the bench and averaged only 9.3 points, while shooting .361 percent from the floor. Williams is the 192nd ranked player over the past 30 days.
Dale Redman is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Dale, check out his archive and follow him @fantasytool.
