It was a busy Tuesday in the NBA with eight games across the league, a number of which came down to the final few minutes. The Atlanta Hawks pushed the Toronto Raptors all the way, eventually going down by three points. DeAndre Bembry continues to thrive in his starting role and looks as though he is going to have value until both Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince return. I will look over all eight games, extracting what value I can from those players owned in less than 50 percent of leagues.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Kevin Huerter
- DeAndre Bembry
- De’Anthony Melton
- Luke Kornet
Players to stream
- Alec Burks
- T.J. McConnell
- Jeremy Lin
- Anthony Tolliver
- Richaun Holmes
- Malik Monk
- Willy Hernangomez
- Bismack Biyombo
Indiana Pacers def. Cleveland Cavaliers 123-115
Pacers
- Cory Joseph (19%) – Drop: Joseph provided solid numbers off the bench for the Pacers but is still a long way from the standard league conversation.
- Kyle O’Quinn (12%) – Drop
- Doug McDermott (11%) – Drop
- TJ Leaf (6%) – Drop
Cavaliers
- Alec Burks (28%) – Stream: Burks value is tied directly to his ability to score the ball on any given night making him a streamer at best.
- Cameron Payne (12%) – Drop: In his first game for the Cavaliers, Payne finished with 10 points and three assists in 22 minutes. The Cavaliers may want to see what they have in Payne, although based on his career numbers thus far, he won’t sniff standard league value.
- Ante Zizic (12%) – Drop
- Matthew Dellavedova (7%) – Drop
Philadelphia 76ers def. Washington Wizards 132-115
76ers
- T.J. McConnell (22%) – Stream: McConnell saw a slight dip in playing time with the game well in control. He still managed to produce five assists and two steals, maintaining his streaming value once again.
- Wilson Chandler (18%) – Drop
- Landry Shamet (15%) – Drop: Shamet came out of nowhere to record a career-high 29 points including a career-high eight triples. J.J. Redick was resting and the game went into garbage time, both of which worked in Shamet’s favor. As tasty as this line was, Shamet had not scored more than seven points in his last seven games prior to this.
- Mike Muscala (15%) – Drop
- Furkan Korkmaz (11%) – Drop: Korkmaz started in place of J.J. Redick and ended the game with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Korkmaz has flashed the ability to score the basketball but struggles for consistency in both minutes and production.
- Jonah Bolden (10%) – Drop: Bolden shifted back to the bench with Wilson Chandler back in the lineup and can be left on the waivers in most formats.
Wizards
- Troy Brown (16%) – Drop
- Sam Dekker (10%) – Drop: Dekker had a nice performance Tuesday but garbage time was a factor and owners should not get too excited about this line.
- Chasson Randle (6%) – Drop
- Ian Mahinmi (5%) – Watch: Mahinmi continues to put up solid numbers as the primary backup behind Thomas Bryant. Bryant is still very young and is going to struggle at times, allowing Mahinmi to see some extra run. He has blocked two shots in each of his past four games while chipping in with rebounds and steals. He is not a player to roster just yet but is worth watching in case you need some defensive numbers.
Denver Nuggets def. Miami Heat 103-99
Nuggets
- Mason Plumlee (43%) – Drop
- Juancho Hernangomez (35%) – Drop
- Malik Beasley (30%) – Drop
- Trey Lyles (28%) – Drop: Lyles scored 15 points Tuesday, his highest points total in three weeks. His playing time is sitting around 15 minutes per game which is simply not enough for him to have any real value.
- Torrey Craig (10%) – Drop: Craig pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds Tuesday, finishing with a double-double in 39 minutes. Gary Harris was out with a hamstring injury but it doesn’t sound too serious. Harris’ return would likely send Craig back to the fantasy wilderness.
Heat
- James Johnson (45%) – Drop
- Rodney McGruder (39%) – Drop
- Tyler Johnson (37%) – Drop: Johnson has played under 19 minutes in three of his past four games, reflected by his minimal production. The rotations in Miami are almost impossible to predict making any fringe players basically impossible to roster.
- Dion Waiters (23%) – Drop: Waiters popped off for a season-high 15 points in 25 minutes Tuesday. We have seen this before and Waiters really only offers value in scoring, typically on low efficiency.
- Derrick Jones Jr (22%) – Watch: Jones received a DNP-CD Tuesday in what was another source of frustration for his owners. The playing time of almost every single player on the roster is unpredictable making rostering fraught with danger.
Toronto Raptors def. Atlanta Hawks 104-101
Raptors
- OG Anunoby (31%) – Drop: Anunoby had his most productive game since prior to Christmas, finishing with 14 points and two steals. He hadn’t scored more than eight points in his previous eight games and can be safely left on the waivers.
- Delon Wright (16%) – Drop
- Greg Monroe (14%) – Drop
- Norman Powell (12%) – Watch: Powell scored just two points for the second time in his last three games, going 1-of-7 from the field. Sandwiched between those two games was a 23 points explosion, thus highlighting his recent inconsistencies. With the Raptors almost back to full health, Powell is going to find it hard to have any regular value.
Hawks
- Jeremy Lin (47%) – Stream: Lin moved into the starting lineup Tuesday, replacing Kevin Huerter who was out with a sore back. Lin dropped 20 points to go with nine assists in what was a vintage performance for the well-traveled point guard. There is no indication Huerter will be forced to miss additional time and Lin will shift back to the bench upon his return. That being said, Lin has been solid enough over the past three weeks to be considered for standard formats, more likely in a streaming role.
- Kevin Huerter (38%) – Add
- DeAndre Bembry (37%) – Add: Bembry compiled a season-high five steals Tuesday, continuing to relish his starting role. As long as both Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince are out, Bembry is worth a look in standard formats.
Minnesota Timberwolves def. Oklahoma City Thunder 119-117
Timberwolves
- Tyus Jones (26%) – Watch: Jones played 24 minutes Tuesday, however, Jeff Teague was ejected which left Jones as the next man up. The situation is still worth monitoring in Minnesota under new interim head coach Ryan Saunders. Jones would need at least 20 minutes per night to even be considered for streaming purposes and that still seems unlikely.
- Josh Okogie (20%) – Drop: Okogie struggled Tuesday but did see 37 minutes of playing time in the two-point victory. He has now played at least 33 minutes in three straight games but at this stage, he is better in reality as opposed to fantasy.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Drop
- Anthony Tolliver (8%) – Stream: Tolliver hit another two triples Tuesday, bringing his total across the last four games to nine. If his minutes stick in the mid-twenties, he could be streamed in for short periods if you need some cheap threes.
Thunder
- Nerlens Noel (35%) – Watch: Noel suffered a head injury Tuesday which caused him to leave the game on a stretcher. His head hit the floor hard after attempting to block an Andrew Wiggins dunk attempt and this one did not look good. He could miss time here and is going to be tough to hold onto in any format.
- Hamidou Diallo (12%) – Drop
- Terrance Ferguson (8%) – Drop: Ferguson matched his season-high with 14 points, only the third time he has scored in double-digits all season. Owners can safely move along.
- Patrick Patterson (8%) – Drop
- Abdel Nader (5%) – Drop
Phoenix Suns def. Sacramento Kings 115-111
Suns
- De’Anthony Melton (26%) – Add: Melton took advantage of Devin Booker’s absence, producing arguably his best all-around game a member of the Suns. He matched his season-high totals in assists, steals, and blocks while adding 10 points. He is a borderline add in standard formats but is only going to suit certain team builds. Over his past six games he is averaging 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks.
- Richaun Holmes (25%) – Stream: Holmes has brought the defense over the past four games, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks. He has also scored in double-figures in three of those four games and is worth a look if you need defensive numbers along with high-efficiency, albeit on low volume.
- Jamal Crawford (7%) – Drop
- Troy Daniels (4%) – Drop
Kings
- Harry Giles (29%) – Drop
- Justin Jackson (17%) – Watch: Jackson notched double-figures for the third straight game but failed to add a defensive stat. He is a very one-dimensional player and despite decent playing time, is more of a deep league player.
- Yogi Ferrell (11%) – Drop
- Ben McLemore (3%) – Drop: McLemore finished with 20 points in 18 minutes Tuesday, hitting 7 of his 10 field-goal attempts. Prior to this, he had scored more than seven points just once and had hit multiple three-pointers twice.
Golden State Warriors def. New York Knicks 122-95
Warriors
- Jordan Bell (40%) – Drop
- Kevon Looney (28%) – Drop
- Andre Iguodala (17%) – Drop
- Jonas Jerebko (15%) – Drop
- Quinn Cook (13%) – Drop
Knicks
- Mario Hezonja (44%) – Watch: Hezonja finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and three steals in 25 minutes Tuesday, his second consecutive game with at least 25 minutes playing time. It is still unclear whether this is something that is going to stick moving forward making him hard to roster just yet. Owners should monitor his next game to see if the playing time sticks.
- Luke Kornet (38%) – Add: Kornet struggled for the third straight game, finishing with six points in 19 minutes. The Warriors are never a good matchup for opposing centers and Tuesday was no different. Owners holding Kornet could give him one more game to turn things around but we wouldn’t blame you if you decided to move on.
- Trey Burke (36%) – Drop
- Allonzo Trier (26%) – Drop
- Damyean Dotson (2-%) – Drop
Los Angeles Clippers def. Charlotte Hornets 128-109
Clippers
- Patrick Beverley (43%) – Drop
- Avery Bradley (34%) – Drop
- Marcin Gortat (31%) – Drop: After three decent performances, Gortat was back to just 13 minutes Tuesday and owners can safely look elsewhere.
- Boban Marjanovic (16%) – Drop
Hornets
- Malik Monk (48%) – Stream: Monk scored 24 points Tuesday, going 7-of-14 from the field in a strong offensive performance. He added just one rebound and nothing else, highlighting his fantasy shortcomings. If you need some points, he could be worth a look but keep in mind he did score just five points in his previous game.
- Willy Hernangomez (48%) – Stream: Hernangomez finished with just five points and six rebounds Tuesday in what was an unfavorable matchup. Both he and Bismack Biyombo are going to be very difficult to roster moving forward given the current timeshare. He could be streamed in if you need points and rebounds but certainly comes with a huge question mark from game to game.
- Miles Bridges (34%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (22%) – Drop
- Bismack Biyombo (17%) – Stream
- Tony Parker (15%) – 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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