10 games across the NBA for your Friday, headlined by a chaotic finish in Houston as the Rockets edged out the Toronto Raptors. Kenneth Faried has immediately endeared himself to the fans and finished with his best performance of the season. I will cover Faried’s efforts as well as a number of other players vying for the affections of many fantasy owners.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Jeff Green
- Shabazz Napier
- Tyler Johnson
- Ante Zizic
- Kenneth Faried
- Jerryd Bayless
Players to stream
- Ed Davis
- Allonzo Trier
- Avery Bradley
- Gerald Green
- Norman Powell
- Reggie Bullock
- Elie Okobo
- Dragan Bender
- Kyle Korver
Washington Wizards def. Orlando Magic 95-91
Wizards
- Jeff Green (46%) – Add: Green dropped 24 points Friday, his highest points total of the season. He also connected on a season-high six triples in the victory and should really be considered in most formats despite his recent playing time taking a hit. The Wizards went with Green at the center position for lengthy periods in this one and this could be a path to extra minutes moving forward.
- Sam Dekker (11%) – Drop
- Ian Mahinmi (6%) – Drop
Magic
- Jonathon Simmons (19%) – Drop
- Jerian Grant (17%) – Drop
Brooklyn Nets def. New York Knicks 109-99
Nets
- Ed Davis (24%) – Stream: Davis erupted for 17 points and 16 rebounds Friday, helping the Nets to their sixth straight victory. Scoring nights like this are not to be expected but the boards are real and he remains arguably the best rebounding streamer out there.
- Rodions Kurucs (23%) – Watch: Kurucs played just 18 minutes in Friday’s win, with limited production. The Nets typically garner their numbers from a range of players which makes Kurucs more of a deep league player at this stage.
- Shabazz Napier (16%) – Add: Spencer Dinwiddie could miss extended time with a finger injury, leaving Napier as the primary beneficiary. He scored 18 points in 28 minutes Friday and is worth a look if indeed Dinwiddie opts to undergo surgery.
- Treveon Graham (5%) – Drop
- Theo Pinson (3%) – Drop: Pinson broke out for 19 points and eight rebounds Friday, a career-night in many ways. The 19 points were more than he had scored in his entire career and the injuries appear to be helping him in working his way into the rotation.
Knicks
- Mario Hezonja (48%) – Drop
- Allonzo Trier (39%) – Stream: Trier finished with 13 points Friday, well short of his career-high 31 points set just 48 hours earlier. Emmanuel Mudiay is going to miss at least two weeks which opens up playing time for Trier, amongst others.
- Frank Ntilikina (36%) – Watch
- Trey Burke (33%) – Watch: Both Burke and Frank Ntilikina are going to battle for the point guard minutes left vacant by the injury to Emmanuel Mudiay. Burke scored 25 points Friday but Ntilikina was the starter. Both are players to watch to see if either one can take full advantage of the situation.
- Damyean Dotson (19%) – Watch
Miami Heat def. Cleveland Cavaliers
Heat
- James Johnson (42%) – Drop
- Tyler Johnson (31%) – Add: Johnson remained in the starting lineup for Friday’s game, coming away with nine points and six assists in 31 minutes. It appears as though this move is going to stick, at least for the time being, making Johnson worthy of a roster spot in most standard leagues.
- Dion Waiters (22%) – Drop
- Derrick Jones Jr. (20%) – Watch: Jones provides one of the more frustrating situations across fantasy with his playing time varying wildly from game to game. He finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes on Friday but played just 10 minutes Wednesday. If you can get him on a night he plays more than 20 minutes, he is worth streaming in. Keep an eye on the situation to see if he can somehow carve out a regular spot in the rotation.
Cavaliers
- Ante Zizic (39%) – Add: Larry Nance returned for Friday’s game but Zizic still managed to produce in 27 minutes. Tristan Thompson is going to miss at least the next two weeks and Nance is going to be brought along slowly. Theref0re, Zizic should be able to maintain standard league value and is a player to consider if you need big man numbers.
- Alec Burks (38%) – Drop: Burks had another solid game Friday but will need to produce like this on a more regular basis to move into standard league consideration.
- Cameron Payne (13%) – Watch
- Matthew Dellavedova (6%) – Drop
Los Angeles Clippers def. Chicago Bulls 106-101
Clippers
- Avery Bradley (35%) – Stream: Bradley scored in double-digits again Friday, but has struggled to contribute across the board. He is a low-end streaming option if you need points and threes but he doesn’t offer a lot of upside.
- Marcin Gortat (30%) – Drop
- Boban Marjanovic (15%) – Drop
Bulls
- Chandler Hutchison (17%) – Watch: Hutchison pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds Friday, also matching his career-best of 12 points. His ceiling is quite low at this stage but the playing time is there and he has been showing signs of improvement over the past two weeks. He is not quite there as a standard league player just yet but owners should just monitor him moving forward.
- Ryan Arcidiacono (14%) – Drop
- Shaquille Harrison (13%) – Watch
- Robin Lopez (13%) – Drop
- Wayne Selden Jr. (9%) – Drop
- Antonio Blakeney (9%) – Drop
Houston Rockets def. Toronto Raptors 121-119
Rockets
- Kenneth Faried (46%) – Add: Faried went full ‘Manimal’ against the Raptors on Friday, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes. The starting center spot is his for at least the next month and given his playing time in this one, he should be rostered in all standard leagues.
- Austin Rivers (34%) – Drop: Rivers had a good game Friday but had been struggling prior to this one. Chris Paul is also slated to return very shortly leaving Rivers as more of a deep league option moving forward.
- Gerald Green (19%) – Stream: Green struggled again Friday and with Chris Paul about to return, could find it hard to have any real value outside of three-pointers. He could still be streamed in as a last resort but I would rather use someone like Marco Belinelli or Bryn Forbes.
- James Ennis (14%) – Drop
Raptors
- Delon Wright (19%) – Watch: Wright failed to leave the bench Friday, an interesting decision given his recent form. The Raptors had Kawhi Leonard back so maybe that had something to do with it. Whatever the case, Wright should still be monitored in case this was simply a matchup-based move.
- Greg Monroe (14%) – Drop
- Norman Powell (12%) – Stream: Powell played 20 minutes despite the return of Kawhi Leonard, forcing Delon Wright out of the rotation completely. Powell doesn’t have the highest ceiling but could provide serviceable production in certain situations.
- C.J. Miles (9%) – Drop
Sacramento Kings def. Memphis Grizzlies 99-96
Kings
- Harry Giles (31%) – Watch
- Justin Jackson (18%) – Drop
- Iman Shumpert (16%) – Drop
- Yogi Ferrell (12%) – Drop
Grizzlies
- Garrett Temple (26%) – Drop
- Shelvin Mack (18%) – Drop
- Jevon Carter (9%) – Drop
Dallas Mavericks def. Detroit Pistons 106-101
Mavericks
- Dirk Nowitzki (31%) – Drop
- Maxi Kleber (22%) – Drop: Kleber had four blocks in Friday’s victory, adding 12 points including four triples. He certainly has an intriguing skill set but doesn’t receive enough playing time on a regular basis to have any value outside of being a potential streamer.
- Dwight Powell (21%) – Drop
- Dorian Finney-Smith (17%) – Drop
- Devin Harris (6%) – Drop
Pistons
- Reggie Bullock (44%) – Stream: Bullock hit three triples in 33 minutes Friday, but failed to contribute much outside of his perimeter numbers.
- Luke Kennard (26%) – Watch
- Stanley Johnson (22%) – Drop
- Bruce Brown (11%) – Drop
- Langston Galloway (10%) – Drop
- Zaza Pachulia (8%) – Drop
- Jon Leuer (4%) – Drop
Milwaukee Bucks def. Charlotte Hornets 108-99
Bucks
- George Hill (31%) – Drop
- Ersan Ilyasova (21%) – Drop
- Thon Maker (14%) – Drop
- Sterling Brown (10%) – Drop: Brown has solidified himself as the primary backup guard but typically sees too little playing time to have any real value.
Hornets
- Malik Monk (47%) – Drop
- Willy Hernangomez (34%) – Watch: Hernangomez was basically invisible Friday which would have hurt anyone who took a flier on him. His minutes are going to bounce around over the next couple of weeks leaving him as a borderline streaming option, dependant on his playing time.
- Miles Bridges (33%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (21%) – Drop: Kidd-Gilchrist had one of his better games Friday but is still a long way from being in the standard league discussion.
- Bismack Biyombo (20%) – Watch: Much like Willy Hernangomez, Biyombo struggled to have an impact Friday, likely due to the matchup. The starting spot appears to be his for the time being, however, he remains a spot streamer at best.
- Tony Parker (15%) – Watch
Denver Nuggets def. Phoenix Suns
Nuggets
- Mason Plumlee (37%) – Drop: Plumlee had himself a nice outing Friday, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 25 minutes. Nikola Jokic was suspended which allowed Plumlee to move into the starting lineup. Jokic will return for the next game which will likely result in Plumlee shifting back to a 15 minutes role off the bench.
- Monte Morris (30%) – Drop: Morris finished strongly Friday, taking over the game as the second units took the floor. He has shown the ability to produce at a standard league level but with the Nuggets fully healthy, the playing time is going to be hard to come by.
- Malik Beasley (29%) – Drop: Beasley took advantage of garbage time Friday, finishing with 17 points in 18 minutes. Both Gary Harris and Will Barton are back in the starting lineup which virtually takes away the bulk of Beasley’s value.
- Trey Lyles (27%) – Watch
- Juancho Hernengomez (22%) – Drop
- Torrey Craig (11%) – Drop
Suns
- Mikal Bridges (48%) – Watch
- De’Anthony Melton (34%) – Drop
- Elie Okobo (23%) – Stream: Okobo started and played 28 minutes Friday but unfortunately was not able to take full advantage of the promotion. De’Anthony Melton is going to miss time and Okobo should remain as the starter. That gives him streaming value as long as you don’t set your expectations too high.
- Dragan Bender (15%) – Stream: Bender had 14 points in another start, continuing to have backend value across 12-team leagues. There is no word on when DeAndre Ayton and Richaun Holmes will return but until then, Bender could help you if you need points and rebounds.
- Jamal Crawford (7%) – Drop
- Troy Daniels (4%) – Drop
Utah Jazz def. Minnesota Timberwolves 106-102
Jazz
- Kyle Korver (18%) – Stream: Korver finished with 16 points including four triples during Friday’s win over the Timberwolves. Korver continues to do what he has done his entire career and that is hit three-pointers with regularity.
- Royce O’Neale (17%) – Watch
Timberwolves
- Josh Okogie (23%) – Watch: Okogie had only seven points with very little else Friday, continuing to struggle to find consistency in his production. He is going to remain the starter as long as Robert Covington is out but is more of a player to keep an eye on unless he can put up regular numbers.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Drop
- Jerryd Bayless (7%) – Add: Bayless played 40 minutes in Friday’s loss, ending with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block. Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones, and Derrick Rose are all out and with no specific word on their return dates, Bayless should get all the run he can handle.
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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