There were four games on the slate for Thursday with a couple of blowouts to open the night. Dirk Nowitzki made his season debut for the Mavericks while Brandon Knight played his first game in almost two years. Let’s take a look at those players owned in less than 50 percent of leagues and their value in relation to standard 12 category leagues.
Fantasy Basketball Fringe Report
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Houston Rockets def. Los Angeles Lakers 126-111
Rockets
P.J. Tucker (47%) – Drop: Tucker continues to start and play big minutes, however, it is not translating into consistent production. His value is typically tied to his defensive numbers but across his last six games, he has produced only three steals and one block.
Brandon Knight (18%) – Drop: Knight played just four minutes in his season debut. He does have limited fantasy upside but will likely remain buried in the rotation resulting in minimal fantasy value.
Gerald Green (11%) – Stream: Green scored just six points but hit another two triples in 17 minutes. He has now hit 14 three-pointers in his last seven games and could be used as a streaming option.
Danuel House (6%) – Drop: House has carved out a decent spot in the rotation and seems to have the trust of coach Mike D’Antoni. He doesn’t offer a lot of upside and can be left alone basically everywhere.
Nene Hilario (4%) – Drop: Nene was ejected in the third quarter which limited his playing time. He has provided nice energy off the bench over the past week but that does not translate into value anywhere.
Lakers
Lance Stephenson (20%) – Drop: Stephenson was good off the bench but this type of production only comes every so often. Prior to this game he had averaged just 3.25 points per game.
Tyson Chandler (15%) – Stream: Chandler is a perfect example of a streaming option. Over his past eight games, he is averaging 7.9 rebounds and basically nothing else. Stream him in if you need boards.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (12%) – Drop: Mykhailiuk certainly has the tools to produce value but at this stage is basically on the outside looking in when it comes to the Lakers rotation.
San Antonio Spurs def. Los Angeles Clippers 125-87
Spurs
Jakob Poeltl (41%) – Add: Poeltl scored just three points but added six rebounds and four blocks. He has increased his production of late and with no timetable for Pau Gasol’s return, Poeltl is worth holding for his boards, blocks and field-goal percentage.
Bryn Forbes (33%) – Add: Forbes scored in double-digits for the fourth straight game, finishing with 10 points including two triples. The game was a blowout resulting in reduced playing time for the starters. He is worth holding given the Spurs lack of scoring options.
Derrick White (28%) – Add: White has returned limited value over the past week and seems to be getting his confidence back. He has recorded seven steals in his last three games while averaging 4.3 assists.
Patty Mills (28%) – Add: Mills played just 19 minutes in the blowout, scoring 11 points with four assists. His production is typically inconsistent but the playing time in generally there. He also provides excellent free-throw percentages and perimeter scoring.
Marco Belinelli (20%) – Stream: Belinelli hit double-figures for the fourth straight game, dropping 14 points in 22 minutes. He offers little outside of scoring and is more of a streaming option.
Davis Bertans (13%) – Stream: Much like Belinelli, Bertans is a nice three-point streaming option having now hit 14 triples in his last six games.
Dante Cunningham (10%) – Drop: After seeing time in the starting lineup, Cunningham played just 14 minutes Thursday, putting up six points and six rebounds. Despite the playing time, Cunningham just doesn’t do enough to be considered valuable.
Chimezie Metu (8%) – Drop: Metu rarely sees enough court time to put up any value and can be left alone everywhere.
Clippers
Patrick Beverley (45%) – Drop: Beverley can certainly put up value on occasions but has fallen behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the rotation, leaving him with very little value moving forward.
Avery Bradley (37%) – Drop: After working his way back into standard league discussion, Bradley had fallen away over the past week. This was an encouraging performance but we would need to see it a few more times before making the add.
Marcin Gortat (32%) – Drop: Gortat has been in and out of the rotation which results in his fantasy value basically disappearing. There is no reason to keep him around.
Boban Marjanovic (22%) – Stream: Boban is a per-minute beast but his role, much like Gortat, remains inconsistent. On nights he is given the starting nod, he is certainly worth streaming in.
Milos Teodosic (8%) – Drop: Teodosic is not a big part of the rotation and can be left on all waivers.
Mike Scott (7%) – Drop: Scott tends to see minutes in the mid-teens and while he can put up the occasional strong performance, he has little to no fantasy value.
Tyrone Wallace (7%) – Drop: Wallace has played decent minutes across the last two games, however, they have both been blowouts. He has no value moving forward.
Sindarius Thornwell (4%) – Drop: Much like Wallace, Thornwell only sees minutes during garbage time and can also be left well alone.
Orlando Magic def. Chicago Bulls 97-91
Magic
Jonathon Simmons (21%) – Drop: Simmons is a borderline streaming option given he doesn’t score from the perimeter. His value comes from points alone meaning he is only going to have value on limited occasions.
Jerian Grant (20%) – Drop: Grant is the backup to D.J. Augustin and while he can see up to 25 minutes on certain nights, his only real production comes in assists and even that is sporadic.
Bulls
Ryan Arcidiacono (20%) – Drop: Kris Dunn is now back in the lineup and Arcidiacono’s minutes are likely to trend down over the coming games. After scoring 22 points in back to back games, Arcidiacono has followed up by scoring a total of 22 points in his next seven games.
Shaquille Harrison (13%) – Drop: Much like Arcidiacono, Harrison is going to see his role reduce as Kriss Dunn works his way back to full health.
Robin Lopez (12%) – Drop: Lopez’ playing time varies from game to game based on the matchup as well as Wendell Carter’s ability to stay out of foul trouble. His role is far too inconsistent to warrant a roster spot.
Phoenix Suns def Dallas Mavericks 99-89
Suns
De’Anthony Melton (48%) – Add: Melton failed to score against the Mavericks but salvaged his line with three steals and two blocks. Over his past six games, Melton is averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals. The efficiency is an issue but he is locked in as the starting point guard, at least until Devin Booker returns, and is flourishing in his new role.
Mikal Bridges (43%) – Add: Bridges is a borderline drop only and could be held in certain situations. He is playing regular minutes and the Suns have every reason to develop their younger players. Trevor Ariza could be traded in the coming days which may open up more opportunities for Bridges.
Richaun Holmes (35%) – Add: Holmes is one of the more intriguing players available at the moment. He has scored in double-digits in five of his past seven games while also delivering a combined 35 rebounds and 13 blocks. He is seeing at least 20 minutes on most nights and shoots the ball with high efficiency.
Troy Daniels (10%) – Stream: Daniels failed to score Thursday but had been connecting from the perimeter prior to that outing. Over the previous seven games, he was averaging 2.9 triples. Therein lies his streaming value, although once Devin Booker returns, Daniels will likely take a hit.
Jamal Crawford (10%) – Stream: Crawford has had a couple of vintage performances over the past two weeks and went off for 17 points with five assists against the Mavericks. He certainly has the ability to score the ball but selecting the right time to stream him could prove difficult.
Jawun Evans (4%) – Drop: Evans played just three minutes Thursday after 26 minutes in his previous game. There is nothing to see with Evans and he can be left alone.
Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki (38%) – Drop: Nowitzki made his season debut Thursday, playing just six minutes. He will be brought along slowly and even at full health, will struggle to put up any real value.
Dwight Powell (23%) – Drop: Powell has shown before he can put up standard league value when given sufficient playing time, however, that simply isn’t occurring. He could be streamed at a pinch but there are likely better options out there.
Dorian Finney-Smith (21%) – Drop: Finney-Smith has had a nice run of games but could see his playing time trend down as the Mavericks start to get players back. He could be held onto in certain situations but there are likely more appealing players available.
Jalen Brunson (15%) – Drop: Brunson, much like Finney-Smith, has had a nice stretch of games. He has scored in double-digits in four of his past five games while also collecting handy assists and steals. Dennis Smith returned Thursday and once J.J. Barea is back, Brunson will likely lose the bulk of his value.
Maxi Kleber (14%) – Drop: Kleber possesses an interesting skillset which in the right circumstances, could yield limited fantasy value. This, unfortunately, is not the right situation and he can be left alone.
Davin Harris (7%) – Drop: Harris provides a veteran presence for the Mavericks and ultimately, that doesn’t translate into fantasy value.
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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