Holy Moly! There were a ton of injuries this past week. As much as they rained on many fantasy parades, there is always good that comes from the occasional shower. It helps the waiver wire grow! And I wonder why I’m still writing from my mom’s basement. Anyways, as usual, I scour the Yahoo database and highlight those players that are owned in less than 50% of leagues.
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Dorian Finney-Smith (SF/PF – DAL) – 8% owned
Over the past three games, Finney-Smith has been the #25 player, as he’s averaged 11.3 points, 1.3 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks. And he hasn’t turned the ball over once! Dennis Smith Jr. did not play in any of those games, but guess what? While Finney-Smith has only started 11 games all year, he has played in every game so far, averaging 26.9 minutes per game. There have been only five games in which he’s received less than 20 minutes of run. Now, he’s a low usage player (13.3 rate), but he hustles, which has endeared him to the coaching staff. In addition, he contributes in every category except for assists. For the season, Finney-Smith is the #125 player for fantasy. Not bad for a role player, who you can acquire for free.
Monte Morris (PG – DEN) – 18% owned
The Denver Nuggets are banged up, as Isaiah Thomas, Gary Harris, and Will Barton are all out due to injury. As a result, Morris has filled in admirably. Over the past three games, he’s been a top 30 player, averaging 27.8 minutes, 14 points, 2.7 three-pointers, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2 steals per game. The most eye-popping stat, though, is the 5.68 assist-to-turnover ratio (105 assists/19 turnovers), which leads the league by a wide margin. You know coaches love that, which gives him a relatively high floor for fantasy.
Allen Crabbe (SG/SF – BKN) – 48% owned
Crabbe was absolutely dreadful to open the season, as he shot under 30% from the field and 30% from downtown. Recently, though, he’s been en fuego. The last seven games he’s been a top 70 player, but I’ll focus on the past three games when he’s been a top 50 player. Crabbe has averaged 29.2 minutes, 16 points, a whopping 4 three-pointers, 4.3 rebounds, and 1 steal. You’re rostering Crabbe for those three-pointers and three-pointers are what he’s been providing. For perspective, there are only two players in the NBA that make over 3.3 per game: James Harden with 4.1 and Stephen Curry with 5.2.
Kelly Olynyk (PF/C – MIA) – 32% owned
Olynyk was averaging 20 minutes a game to begin the season. The number plummeted to 17 in November, and it looked like Olynyk was getting phased out of the rotation. Recently, though, that number has zoomed up to 26.8. Hassan Whiteside has been in and out of the lineup, so that’s one reason for the uptick in minutes, but another reason has been the horrendous play of James Johnson. It’s been 12 games since he returned from injury, but Johnson has been averaging around 20 minutes per game and has acknowledged that it’s been difficult finding his rhythm. The third and final reason has been the realization from Spoelstra that Olynyk can provide offensive punch and space the floor. I’m not one to disparage an NBA coach, but it’s not like Olynyk suddenly changed. That’s been his M.O. forever.
Kevin Huerter (SG – ATL) – 3% owned
I don’t know what Huerter needs to do in order to get more love. He plays over 30 minutes on the fastest-paced team in the league and has been a top 100 player over the past five games. He’s averaged 10 points, 1.8 three-pointers, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks. He has been shooting 50% from the field, which will probably come down, but he was known as one of the best shooters coming out of this past NBA Draft. The Hawks look to be committed in developing the Hotlanta Splash Brothers (Trae Young and Kevin Huerter), so he should continue getting plenty of opportunites. In addition, he’s a rookie and there’s a good chance he continues to develop and elevate his game.
Matthew Dellavedova (PG/SG – CLE) – 1% owned
I’m kidding. MVP!
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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.
