Fantasy basketball just finished its second week of play. We are starting to figure out which players will get minutes and a few players who will benefit from an early season injury.
I know fantasy basketball isn’t as widely-played as fantasy football and baseball, but it’s a fun game. You have to work the lineups daily like baseball, but need to keep a close eye on how many games a team plays that week.
We look at some of the players who weren’t drafted in most leagues, but are now worth a pickup.
Our list is loaded with guys on bad teams. Yes, a fantasy stud can be on a bad NBA team.
- Markieff Morris – PF (Phoenix Suns) – Channing Frye’s days are numbered as the starting power forward in Phoenix. Morris is coming off the bench and is playing more minutes than Frye. He has been a scoring machine off the bench. He is contributing in nearly every fantasy category.
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – SF (Charlotte Bobcats) – I was lucky enough to draft MFG late in my 12-team league. He’s a guy that will fill all categories. He has big upside and gets a lot of touches on a bad Charlotte team.
- Brandon Bass – PF/C (Boston Celtics) – I mentioned Bass in last week’s post. He’s still only owned in roughly 50% of leagues. He will get plenty of minutes as Boston is in midst of tanking the season for Andrew Wiggins or Julius Randle.
- Zaza Pachulia – C (Milwaukee Bucks) – I’m naming a lot of big guys, since they are undervalued in drafts. Fantasy owners look for flashy guys who put up points. Big guys are important since they often carry a high FG% and will help you in rebounds and blocks. You don’t get help in those categories if your team is loaded with wing players.
- Patrick Beverley – PG (Houston Rockets) – Houston clearly loves Beverley more than Jeremy Lin. Beverley is a better passer and can get Dwight Howard the ball. Beverley will end up starting more games at point going forward.
- Dion Waiters – SG (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Waiters is a flat-out scorer. He’s getting more minutes and will help you in points, steals and threes. His FG% isn’t great, but he’s a fantasy bench guy perfect for a few fill-in starts.
- Alec Burks – SG (Utah Jazz) – Burks once again makes the list. He’s only owned in half of leagues. If you own Tobias Harris, Wilson Chandler, Brandon Knight or Greivis Vasquez, drop them and pick up Burks.
- Nene Hilario – PF (Washington Wizards) – If you were afraid to pick up Nene, because Marcin Gortat might take away from his production…stop it. Nene has averaged a double-double the last four games. He should be owned in every league as a solid backup or starting power forward in deeper leagues.
- Corey Brewer – SF (Minnesota Timberwolves) – Need help in the steals category? Brewer will do just that and he’s scored in double-digits in six out of the last eight games. He’s only owned in 25% of leagues.
- Gerald Green – SF/SG (Phoenix Suns) – I think I’ve profiled every Phoenix Suns player this season. The team was under-drafted since they are projected to be bad. Well, even a bad team can have fantasy studs. Green has bounced back from his poor season in Indiana. He has scored in double-digits the last five games and helped a little in blocks in steals. He’s a nice spot start candidate on a day with minimal games.
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.