Just six games to quench your NBA thirst on a day dominated by a monster trade coming out of New York. Kristaps Porzingis was sent to Dallas with a number of players involved in the transaction. DeAndre Jordan was moved out of Dallas which appears to have opened up playing time for a number of players, none more so than Dwight Powell. I will look at Powell as well as a number of other fringe players in action.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Dwight Powell
- Maxi Kleber
- Shabazz Napier
Players to stream
- Bryn Forbes
- Patty Mills
- Marco Belinelli
- Davis Bertans
- DeMarre Carroll
- Ed Davis
- T.J. McConnell
- Landry Shamet
- Kevon Looney
- Avery Bradley
Detroit Pistons def. Dallas Mavericks 93-89
Pistons
- Reggie Bullock (38%) – Drop: Bullock has struggled over the past week and with a lot of other three-point streamers available, can be dropped in most competitive leagues.
- Luke Kennard (24%) – Watch: Kennard was very disappointing Thursday, finishing with just two points in 20 minutes. He has flashed upside over the past few weeks but the inconsistency prevents him from being a realistic target in standard formats.
- Stanley Johnson (22%) – Drop
- Bruce Brown (11%) – Drop
- Langston Galloway (10%) – Drop
- Zaza Pachulia (8%) – Drop
Mavericks
- Dirk Nowitzki (30%) – Drop
- Dwight Powell (23%) – Add: The Mavericks traded away DeAndre Jordan in part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, leaving the center position up for grabs. Salah Mejri started this game but that may have been as a result of the matchup with Andre Drummond. Powell played 24 minutes off the bench, ending with 10 points, five rebounds, two blocks, one assist, and one steal. Powell has always had upside but never the playing time to realize that potential. Owners in standard formats should consider picking him up given the opportunity.
- Maxi Kleber (18%) – Add: Much like Dwight Powell, Kleber is going to benefit from the trade earlier in the day and could be locked in as the starting power forward. His production was certainly nothing to write home about Thursday, but the playing time was there and his ability to both block shots and hit three-pointers gives him appeal in most competitive leagues.
- Dorian Finney-Smith (18%) – Drop
- Jalen Brunson (14%) – Watch: With Dennis Smith on his way to New York and Luka Doncic sidelined due to injury, Brunson moved into the starting lineup Thursday. He finished with nine points and six assists but did see 33 minutes of court time. It remains to be seen how the Mavericks move forward from here with Trey Burke joining the roster. Burke could either move straight into the rotation or could be bought out. Luka Doncic could also move over to the starting point-guard spot allowing Tim Hardaway to start at shooting guard. There is no reason to run and grab Brunson just yet but the situation warrants a close eye to see how things play out.
- Devin Harris (6%) – Drop
Orlando Magic def. Indiana Pacers 107-100
Magic
- Jonathon Simmons (19%) – Drop
- Jerian Grant (18%) – Drop
Pacers
- Cory Joseph (29%) – Watch: Joseph moved into the starting lineup Thursday, amassing four steals in 37 minutes. It sounds as though Tyreke Evans could be back soon which is going to limit Joseph’s appeal, however, he is worth monitoring as a potential steal and assists streamer.
- Aaron Holiday (19%) – Watch
- Kyle O’Quinn (11%) – Drop
- Doug McDermott (10%) – Drop
- TJ Leaf (6%) – Drop
Milwaukee Bucks def. Toronto Raptors 105-92
Bucks
- George Hill (30%) – Drop
- Ersan Ilyasova (19%) – Drop
- Sterling Brown (11%) – Drop
- D.J. Wilson (10%) – Drop: Wilson compiled 16 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one assist in just 22 minutes Thursday. Giannis Antetokounmpo was in foul trouble which allowed extra run for Wilson, however, he remains a non-factor in 12-teams leagues.
- Pat Connaughton (7%) – Drop
Raptors
- OG Anunoby (30%) – Drop
- Delon Wright (17%) – Drop
- Greg Monroe (13%) – Drop
- Norman Powell (11%) – Watch: Outside of Fred VanVleet, Powell is the only player on the Raptors bench who could have any sort of 12-team value moving forward. He has scored in double-digits in five of his past six games but is really only a backend points streamer on low-volume days.
- C.J. Miles (8%) – Drop
San Antonio Spurs def. Brooklyn Nets 117-114
Spurs
- Bryn Forbes (40%) – Stream: Forbes scored just 12 points but did have another two triples, keeping him in the picture as a three-point streamer.
- Pau Gasol (36%) – Drop
- Jakob Poeltl (35%) – Drop
- Marco Belinelli (31%) – Stream: Belinelli scored just eight points in an off-game for the veteran, although he did still manage to connect on two triples.
- Patty Mills (28%) – Stream: Mills played 30 minutes Thursday and was on the floor to close the game. He finished with 17 points and has been trending up over the past couple of games.
- Davis Bertans (27%) – Stream: Bertans moved back to the bench Thursday with DeMar DeRozan back in the starting lineup. Bertans was a let down for those that may have streamed him in on a low-volume day but he should be given another chance given his recent play.
Nets
- DeMarre Carroll (48%) – Stream: Carroll ended Thursday’s loss with 18 points including three triples. He has been scoring the ball well of late, putting up double-digits in seven of his last nine games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been providing a lot in the other categories leaving him as more of a points streamer.
- Shabazz Napier (40%) – Add: Napier struggled from the field Thursday but still managed to score 15 points to go with seven assists. If you can deal with inefficient shooting, Napier is a must-roster player in competitive leagues, at least until Spencer Dinwiddie returns after the all-star break.
- Ed Davis (31%) – Stream: Davis had another double-digit rebounding night Thursday and remains arguably the best streamer available in that category.
- Rodions Kurucs (22%) – Watch: Kurucs fell just one-point shy of a double-double Thursday, producing nine points and 10 rebounds in his 27 minutes. He continues to start for the Nets but is not there yet as a regular producer and is better left for deeper formats.
- Theo Pinson (9%) – Drop
- Treveon Graham (6%) – Drop
Philadelphia 76ers def. Golden State Warriors 113-104
76ers
- T.J. McConnell (22%) – Stream: McConnell has played under 20 minutes in two straight games, hurting any owners who may have rostered him. Prior to this game he had been producing assists and steals with regularity and he could be given a pass on this one unless there is a more attractive option available.
- Wilson Chandler (19%) – Drop
- Landry Shamet (16%) – Stream: Shamet hit another three triples in Thursday’s victory and should still be viewed as a strong option if you need quick perimeter scoring.
- Mike Muscala (14%) – Drop
- Corey Brewer (13%) – Drop
- Jonah Bolden (11%) – Drop
Warriors
- Jordan Bell (38%) – Drop
- Kevon Looney (32%) – Stream: Looney has been a steady source of defensive numbers over the past few games despite the return of DeMarcus Cousins. He has also scored in double-figures in each of his last two games and while his upside is not the highest, he is worth considering if you need boards, steals, and blocks.
- Andre Iguodala (20%) – Drop
- Shaun Livingston (6%) – Drop
Los Angeles Lakers def. Los Angeles Clippers 123-120 (OT)
Lakers
- Lance Stephenson (19%) – Drop: Stephenson had one of his random solid performances Thursday, finishing the game with 20 points including five triples. Owners are well aware of his ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat with production such as this but we would need to see it a few more times before considering him for competitive leagues.
- Michael Beasley (13%) – Drop
Clippers
- Avery Bradley (38%) – Stream: Bradley left Thursday’s game with an apparent leg injury but was able to return and closed out the game. He ended with 13 points and eight rebounds and continues to provide enough value to be considered as a viable streaming option.
- Marcin Gortat (30%) – Drop
- Boban Marjanovic (14%) – Drop: Marjanovic was active Thursday, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes. Montrezl Harrell was in foul trouble and head coach Doc Rivers went with Marjanovic down the stretch. Prior to Thursday, he hadn’t even been in the rotation so there is no need to get excited about this performance.
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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