It’s Sunday, and you know what that means.
It’s time to get ready for another week of fantasy hoops. We are already heading into Week 5, as this season has been flying right out of the gate.
Each and every week, we’ll look at players that you should consider picking up who are rostered in four different rostership tiers:
- 50-60%
- 30-49%
- 15-29%
- 0-14%
What’s more, we’ll give you a breakdown of how many games each team has for the upcoming week so that you can maximize the minutes of your streamers.
Without further delay, let’s get to it, starting with the schedule and offensive pace ratings, thanks to our friends at Razzball.
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Four games:
BOS, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIN, NOP, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHX, SAC, TOR, WAS
Three games:
ATL, BKN, CHA, CLE, HOU, MEM, MIL, PHI, POR, UTA
Two games:
SAS
Rostered in 50-60% of leagues:
Desmond Bane (PG/SG/SF – MEM) 52%
Bane was red hot to start the season, and then he cooled down more recently, scoring 11 combined points in two games. What’s more, with Dillon Brooks back into the fray, fantasy managers had a right to have some pause for his involvement in the offense. If what Bane did alongside Brooks with the first unit (RIP, Deanthony Melton‘s fantasy value), it’s a great sign of things to come. Bane registered 14 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. He has top 75 potential moving forward, so he should be rostered in all leagues – especially this week with three games on the schedule for the Grizzlies.
Caruso is putting up top 60 value on the season so far, but his minutes haven’t ticked up the way we thought they would when Patrick Williams went out for the season. Still, he’s a great add if you need some help with steals especially. Just make sure that you plan around his low-scoring output.
Rostered in 30-49% of leagues:
How long will Deandre Ayton be out with his weird leg injury? We have no idea, but what we do know is that however long that absence is, Kaminsky is a must-start option during that stretch. He followed up a 31-point outburst with just eight points his last time out, but Kaminsky has been stuffing the stat sheet in Phoenix. Stream him until Ayton returns.
Devin Vassell (SG/SF – SAS) 36%
The Spurs only have two games this week, so it’s tough to use any of their players in weekly leagues, but Vassell should be rostered in far more than 36 percent of leagues. He’s scored in double-digits in five of the Spurs’ last six games, and he’s a plus-defender, which will keep him on the court and actually increase his playing time. The window to get him for cheap – especially for free – is closing.
Crowder has been right around the top 100 all season, ranking 96th as of this publishing. That’s about right for him, as he offers no ceiling at all but gives you a nice across-the-board floor. Crowder has scored in double-figures in three of his last four games, and during that same stretch, is averaging three three-pointers per game.
Rostered in 15-29% of leagues:
Davion Mitchell (SG – SAC) 24%
Mitchell is known for his defense, but it’s been his offense that has drawn my attention recently. Mitchell is averaging 4.1 assists per game over his past two weeks, and his usage is good. While the scoring will fluctuate game to game, the assists are steady enough to warrant a higher rostership number, and when the steals appear, he’ll be even more coveted.
Gary Payton II (PG/SG – GSW) 18%
I didn’t think we’d be talking about Payton in November, but here we are. He’s played at least 20 minutes in three of Golden State’s last four games, and Coach Steve Kerr has trusted him to stay on the court thanks to his defense. Payton has 11 steals in his last four games, and as long as he remains a regular in the rotation, he should be rostered in 15-team leagues.
Rostered in 0-14% of leagues:
Bones Hyland (PG/SG – DEN) 11%
For redraft leagues, Hyland was a top 10 rookie for me because I expected him to step up in Jamal Murray‘s absence for some consistent playing time. Hyland has come through, and his playing time has increased as the games have gone by. Hyland has played 21 and 22 minutes in his last two games, and he scored 27 combined points in those contests. Coach Mike Malone has said all season he’s going to play Hyland more, and Hyland is making his coach live up to his promise. There are no Bones about it.
Killian Hayes (PG/SG – DET) 12%
Hayes was terrible as a rookie. There’s no sugar-coating it. Hayes has been pretty bad to start his sophomore campaign, too. But his last two games warrant a watch list add for him. Two games ago, Hayes posted five points, six boards, five assists, and six (!) steals. Then his last time out, Hayes flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists. We know the upside is enormous here. Keep a close eye on his play this week.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.