The Minnesota Timberwolves held on to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, buoyed by the strong play of Josh Okogie. He played over 40 minutes in the victory and with Robert Covington still sidelined, seems a logical pickup in some 12-team leagues. I will look over all eight games from Saturday, highlighting a few players hoping to gain your attention.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Josh Okogie
- Richaun Holmes
- De’Anthony Melton
Players to stream
- Reggie Bullock
- JaMychal Green
- Patty Mills
- Marco Belinelli
- Malik Beasley
- Kyle Korver
Detroit Pistons def. Los Angeles Clippers 109-104
Pistons
- Reggie Bullock (42%) – Stream: Another five triples for Bullock in Saturday’s victory, meaning he has hit at least two three-pointers in nine straight games. Pick him up if you need points and threes.
- Luke Kennard (25%) – Drop
- Stanley Johnson (24%) – Drop
- Langston Galloway (11%) – Drop
- Bruce Brown (11%) – Drop
- Jon Leuer (3%) – Drop
Clippers
- Patrick Beverley (43%) – Drop
- Avery Bradley (34%) – Drop
- Marcin Gortat (34%) – Drop
- Boban Marjanovic (16%) – Drop
Miami Heat def. Memphis Grizzlies 112-108
Heat
- James Johnson (45%) – Drop
- Rodney McGruder (39%) – Drop
- Tyler Johnson (37%) – Drop
- Dion Waiters (26%) – Drop
- Derrick Jones Jr. (23%) – Watch: If Jones can find a way to consistently play at least 24 minutes, he would have to be considered a standard league asset. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block in 18 minutes Saturday. Stream him in at your discretion but just be aware that his role is still up in the air.
Grizzlies
- JaMychal Green (42%) – Stream: Green matched his season-high numbers of 24 points and 11 rebounds Saturday, delivering his second straight double-double. Green does very little else and this performance came on unsustainable shooting.
- Garrett Temple (30%) – Drop
- Shelvin Mack (14%) – Drop
- Jevon Carter (9%) – Drop
Orlando Magic def. Boston Celtics 105-103
Magic
- Jonathon Simmons (20%) – Drop
- Wes Iwundu (5%) – Drop
- Isaiah Briscoe (5%) – Drop
- Khem Birch (3%) – Drop: Birch finished with 10 rebounds and four blocks in Saturday’s victory, filling in admirably for the injured Mo Bamba. As soon as Bamba returns to the lineup, Birch will likely move back to a very limited role.
Celtics
- Robert Williams (17%) – Drop
- Daniel Theis (14%) – Drop
Minnesota Timberwolves def. New Orleans Pelicans 110-106
Timberwolves
- Tyus Jones (26%) – Watch: Jones played 28 minutes Saturday, six more than Jeff Teague who finished with 22 minutes played. Teague only played seven minutes in the second half and it is unclear whether he was hampered by an injury or simply outplayed. Head coach Ryan Saunders appears comfortable with the ball in Jones’ hands making him a player to watch moving forward.
- Josh Okogie (19%) – Add: Okogie matched his season-high with 17 points Saturday, playing a whopping 42 minutes in the victory. He certainly appears more comfortable on the floor and his new-found confidence could be attributed to a change in the coaching staff. As long as Robert Covington is out, Okogie should be viewed as a potential pickup but does come with an element of risk.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Drop
Pelicans
- Frank Jackson (11%) – Watch: Jackson cooled off Saturday but remains high on the priority list for the Pelicans in terms of development. His value will likely come, although it may not be any time soon.
- Tim Frazier (11%) – Drop
- Darius Miller (11%) – Drop
- Jahlil Okafor (9%) – Drop
Oklahoma City Thunder def. San Antonio Spurs 122-112
Thunder
- Hamidou Diallo (12%) – Drop
- Patrick Patterson (9%) – Drop
- Terrance Ferguson (9%) – Drop
- Abdel Nader (5%) – Drop: Nader dropped 15 points Saturday, his highest points total of 2019. Along with a number of other players, Nader is simply the next man up and could very well have a dud in the next game.
Spurs
- Pau Gasol (40%) – Drop
- Jakob Poeltl (36%) – Drop
- Patty Mills (27%) – Stream: Mills had his worst game in almost two weeks, finishing with just four points in 16 minutes. Prior to this, he had been playing well and owners could give him one more shot before moving on.
- Marco Belinelli (20%) – Stream: Belinelli led the Spurs with 24 points Saturday, his highest points total of the season. He has now scored 14, 19, and 24 points in his last three games and should be streamed in while he is hot.
- Davis Bertans (16%) – Watch
Phoenix Suns def. Denver Nuggets 102-93
Suns
- Richaun Holmes (40%) – Add: Holmes continued his strong play Saturday, although he did fail to record a steal or a block for the first time since late December. He has scored in double-digits in five of his past six games, all coming on at least 60 percent shooting. As long as he is receiving close to 20 minutes per night, he is worth adding for his ability to contribute across the board.
- De’Anthony Melton (36%) – Add: Melton matched his career-high with four steals, while also handing out a career-high 10 assists. If you are able to overlook his scoring inefficiencies, Melton is a player that should be rostered in most formats.
- Jamal Crawford (7%) – Drop
- Troy Daniels (4%) – Drop
Nuggets
- Mason Plumlee (42%) – Drop: Plumlee had three blocks Saturday but his minutes are certainly on the decline and owners can move on.
- Monte Morris (38%) – Watch: Morris scored in double-figures for the third time in his last four games, continuing to take advantage of Gary Harris being on the sidelines. He is fine to consider as long as Harris is out but is far from a long-term solution.
- Juancho Hernengomez (33%) – Drop
- Malik Beasley (28%) – Stream: Beasley played 40 minutes Saturday, ending with 21 points including five triples. Gary Harris continues to sit with a hamstring concern but it sounds as though he could be back very soon. Until then, Beasley is fine to stream in as a source of points and threes.
- Trey Lyles (28%) – Drop
- Torrey Craig (13%) – Drop: Will Barton returned Saturday which limited Craig to just 24 minutes. As Barton works his way back to full health, Craig will likely start to trend down and can be left on the waivers at this stage.
Sacramento Kings def. Charlotte Hornets 104-97
Kings
- Harry Giles (31%) – Watch: Giles was less impactful Saturday but the positive news to come out of the game was that he played 17 minutes compared to Kosta Koufos’ zero minutes. Giles is not worth picking up just yet but savvy owners should just keep one eye on him.
- Justin Jackson (21%) – Drop
- Iman Shumpert (18%) – Drop
- Yogi Ferrell (12%) – Drop
Hornets
- Malik Monk (48%) – Drop
- Willy Hernangomez (47%) – Drop
- Miles Bridges (34%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (22%) – Drop
- Bismack Biyombo (16%) – Drop: Biyombo had 10 boards and three blocks Saturday, solid enough numbers if you happened to stream him in. He continues to split minutes with Will Hernangomez and there is no real upside for either of them at this stage.
- Tony Parker (15%) – Drop
- DeVonte Graham (14%) – Drop
Utah Jazz def. Chicago Bulls 110-102
Jazz
- Kyle Korver (16%) – Stream: Korver hit four triples in Saturday’s victory, finishing with 16 points in 26 minutes. The Jazz are very thin at the moment and Korver is locked into a decent enough role.
- Royce O’Neale (8%) – Watch: O’Neale started again Saturday and put up solid numbers in 37 minutes. That makes two strong games for O’Neale who has a nice little opportunity here. The upside is limited but keep an eye on things to see if he can continue to make it work in the starting lineup.
Bulls
- Chandler Hutchison (15%) – Drop: Hutchison had his most productive game in over two months which says a lot about his lack of upside. Despite the starting role, Hutchison is a non-factor in standard formats.
- Ryan Arcidiacono (15%) – Drop
- Shaquille Harrison (13%) – Watch
- Robin Lopez (12%) – Drop
- Wayne Selden Jr. (10%) – Drop
- Antonio Blakeney (10%) – Drop
Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax
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