We are almost halfway through the fantasy basketball season! Madness, as I feel it was just yesterday I was touting Jakob Poeltl as a sleeper. I guess it’s true that time flies when you’re having fun. Anyways, while the sexy waiver wire pickups have all been made, that doesn’t mean it’s not a useful resource to enhance your team. You probably won’t find any league-winners at this time of year, but you can identify edges to find a little production here and a little production there. Keep an eye on injuries, number of games played, and players that are carving out roles for themselves. Be diligent and remember every little move, every point, every rebound, and every minute counts towards your quest to immortality. With that said, hopefully this weekly column helps.
As usual, I utilize the Yahoo database and highlight those players that are owned in less than 50% of leagues.
Before I begin, I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday!
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Marcus Smart (PG/SG – BOS) – 39% owned
What’s Smart have to do to get more love? He’s started the last 10 games for the Celtics and has averaged 30 minutes per game. Half the battle for fantasy is opportunity, so score one for the good guys. He’s been contributing 3.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and a whopping 2.9 steals per game. Now, he’s only averaged 9.1 points and has been known to be a field goal percentage assassin, but while he’s been shooting 41% from the field, he’s been converting 36% of his shots from downtown. He’s been a top 60 player.
Reggie Bullock (SG/SF – DET) – 29% owned
Bullock has been on a serious heater the past three games: 55% from downtown on 9.7 three-point attempts per game. He’s been a top 30 player even though he hasn’t contributed much outside of three-pointers (three rebounds and one assist per game). For the season, Bullock is averaging 5.9 three-pointers per game and converting at a 40% rate, so this recent heater is unsustainable. But, there’s always a but, that doesn’t mean he’s worthless. The Pistons offense revolves around Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, so defenses more than often sag down to limit their production. Bullock is going to get open looks. Not at the current rate of 10 per game, but even at six, that’s useful if you need three-pointers.
Cody Zeller (PG/C – CHA) – 39% owned
Remember when we all thought the Free Willy Hernangomez movement was going to be a rousing success? Yeah, me neither. I’ve repressed it from my memory. Zeller is the center in Charlotte and, over the past six games, he’s been a top 40 player for fantasy. Seriously. He’s averaged 28.2 minutes, 10.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He’s shot 63% from the field and 92% from the free throw line. Most of the centers available on the wire are strictly boards or blocks specialists. Rarely do you see one that can contribute across the board like Zeller.
Marvin Williams (SF/PF – CHA) – 43% owned
Another Hornet? I promise this is not a homer call, as I’m actually a Lakers fan. Plus, I actually find no enjoyment in watching him play, but the numbers are the numbers, and they are not lying. Williams has been a top 50 player over the past six games. He’s been averaging 12.3 points, 2.5 three-pointers, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Williams was absolutely dreadful to open the season, as he shot 36% from the field and 21% from downtown. The spike in efficiency to 47% from both the field and downtown have been huge in the spike in value, but it’s been the minutes allocation that has been the biggest boon. Earlier in the season, he was averaging around 25-26 minutes per game. Now, he’s over 30 minutes per game.
Jae Crowder (SF/PF – UTA) – 45% owned
Over the past three games, Crowder has notched two double-doubles (points and rebounds) and played 31, 33, and 25 minutes. He’s been a top 50 player. Back when he was with the Celtics, Crowder was putting up top 40-50 seasons, but that’s when he was receiving over 32 minutes per game. In Utah, he’s not starting and is probably capped at 30 minutes. With that said, he can contribute points, three-pointers, and rebounds. The Jazz move the ball as a team on offense and have two slashers who can drive-and-kick, so Crowder will continue getting plenty of open looks. Don’t expect top 50 numbers. Top 100 seems more likely.
Robert Williams (PF/C – BOS) – 15% owned
Al Horford is hurt and Aron Baynes just had surgery on his left hand. Opportunity has opened up for Williams. The rookie is an athletic freak who can protect the rim on the defensive end and punish it on the offensive side. Kyrie Irving came out after the other game and said he would like to play with him. All you need to know is that per-36, he’s blocking 6.4 shots. 6.4!!!!
Kelly Olynyk (PF/C – MIA) – 41% owned
Over the last six games, Olynyk has been a top 80 player. He’s averaged 27 minutes, 13.8 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.0 steal. The shooting efficiency hasn’t been great (40% from the field and 32% from downtown), but he’s a career 47% shooter from the field and 36% from downtown. The usage rate has been 21.8, after languishing in the 18-19 range all season. It’s all about minutes for Olynyk, so it probably helps that James Johnson has been playing so poorly.
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Stan Son is a featured writer at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.