As the calendar turns to March, the fantasy playoffs are in the near future, making each remaining week even more significant than the last. This makes it critical to find the hot hand down the stretch, and to know when to move on from some other options who might not do much to help your team win right now. It’s important to find guys whose stock is on the rise, as that extra boost down the stretch might be the difference between your fantasy team seeing another week, or finishing the season early. So let’s dive right into it and try to identify some of these players whose stock has made a jump recently, so that you are in the best position possible to keep your season alive.
Fantasy Basketball Stock Report
Stock on the Rise
Precious Achiuwa, SF/PF/C, Toronto Raptors
In part due to the injury to OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa has seen his stock rise quickly over the past few games, playing some of the best basketball of his career. Playing 24 or more minutes in three straight games to finish off the month of February, Achiuwa scored 41 points in a two game span, adding 17 rebounds and 5 threes as well. This level of production is almost certainly unsustainable, but Achiuwa certainly looks like someone who can provide some sneaky value down the stretch. He offers solid across-the-board production, and continues to gain the trust of his coaching staff with strong performances like these. He should carry some nice value down the stretch, especially while the Raptors are at less than full strength.
Brandon Goodwin, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Taking full advantage of the absence of Darius Garland, Brandon Goodwin has looked the part of an impressive floor general in the first three games back from the All-Star break. The 26-year-old has averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and an impressive 7.7 assists in that span, tacking on 1.3 steals and 1.3 triples on top of it. Most recently, the fourth-year guard double-doubled with 17 points and 12 assists, flashing an impressive ceiling for as long as Garland remains out of the lineup. Slated to continue seeing major minutes for at least the next week while the Cavs hope to have their franchise point guard fully healthy to avoid a setback before the postseason, Goodwin is in a great position to keep filling up the stat sheet, as his stock continues to rise in the short term.
Bruce Brown, SG, Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have been something of a disaster of late, but one of the few bright spots for the team has been Bruce Brown. His impressive play has kept the team in a number of games recently, and he has been rewarded with consistent minutes in the 30s as a result. Brown has topped double figures in six of his last eight games, scoring at least 9 points in all of them, and he has contributed 5 or more boards in each of those games as well. The 25-year-old has also chipped in 13 steals in that span, along with 8 threes. And with Durant, Irving, and Simmons still absent from most, if not all games in the foreseeable future, Brown should have no trouble continuing to see major minutes and producing across the entire box score. His stock is easily the highest it’s been all season, and there are no signs that indicate him slowing down any time soon.
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks
With his first season in Washington heading downhill fast, a trade to the Mavericks seems to be just what the doctored ordered for Spencer Dinwiddie, who seems to be finding his groove with his new team. Seeing 26 or more minutes in each of his last three games, the 28-year-old has shot an impressive 68% from the floor, averaging 17.3 points and 2.0 threes per game. The veteran guard has also tacked on a steal in each of his last four, while passing out five assists in two of those contests. And with three of those four games resulting in wins for Dallas, including games at Miami and Golden State, it is becoming apparently that Dinwiddie is making a notable difference. As a result, his minutes have a chance to increase even more, while the production should only continue to improve as he builds chemistry with his new teammates. With his stock on the decline less than a month ago, things have changed quickly, as his stock is now beginning to skyrocket.
Stock on the Decline
Mason Plumlee, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets
After seeing minutes in the 20s or 30s in every game since January 23rd, Mason Plumlee has failed to reach 20 minutes in three of his last four games, as he continues to be outplayed by Montrezl Harrell. And for someone whose value was so limited to begin with, the lack of minutes certainly does not help the veteran’s case for fantasy relevance. The 31-year-old reached double figures just once in the entire month of February, and after pulling down double-digit rebounds in seven of his first eight games this month, he’s done it just once in his last four since his minutes plummeted. And with just 5 combined threes, steals, and blocks in his last seven games, all of his value has all but vanished. Plumlee is a lower-end value player when he is seeing enough minutes, but now that he isn’t, his stock has taken a major hit over the past week of action.
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