After a jam-packed MLK day, the NBA returned with just four games Tuesday headlined by the Toronto Raptors winning their 10th straight home game. Fred VanVleet continues to fill multiple roles dependant on the injuries around him and is worth grabbing while he is playing well. I’ll cover all four games, squeezing what value I can from the limited fringe players in action.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Fred VanVleet
- Josh Okogie
Players to stream
- Delon Wright
- Norman Powell
- Patrick Beverley
- Avery Bradley
Toronto Raptors def. Sacramento Kings 120-105
Raptors
- Fred VanVleet (49%) – Add: VanVleet continues to take advantage of those around him missing games, putting up another strong performance Tuesday. Despite inconsistencies over the past two weeks, he is still a top-100 player in standard formats and should be viewed as a player worth rostering in most leagues.
- Delon Wright (18%) – Stream: Wright has found consistency across the last two weeks with contributions coming in a number of categories. As long as he is receiving minutes in the low twenties, he is worth streaming in, especially for his upside in steals.
- Greg Monroe (14%) – Drop
- Norman Powell (12%) – Stream: Much like Delon Wright, Powell has worked his way back into the standard league discussion of late. He offers a little more upside in terms of scoring and is another player to consider if you need a short-term boost in steals and points.
- C.J. Miles (8%) – Stream: Miles offers upside in three-pointers and the recent uptick in production has come with Kawhi Leonard on the sidelines. Leonard is slated to miss Wednesday’s game against the Pacers which should mean Miles has one more chance to deliver perimeter scoring.
Kings
- Harry Giles (31%) – Watch: Giles continues to slowly trend in the right direction, playing 23 minutes in Tuesday’s loss/ He is not yet a standard league option but depending on the Kings trajectory, he could find himself on the floor more as the season progresses.
- Justin Jackson (17%) – Drop
- Yogi Ferrell (12%) – Drop: Ferrell had himself a nice game Tuesday but the production was largely due to D’Aaron Fox sitting this on out with a toe injury. If Fox misses more time Ferrell could be worth a look but there is no word on the severity of the injury at this stage.
Oklahoma City Thunder def. Portland Trail Blazers 123-114
Thunder
- Nerlens Noel (33%) – Watch: Noel continues to work his way back from a concussion and has blocked just one shot in his last four games. He has, however, recorded seven steals in that time and owners should view him as a potential defensive streamer in most cases.
- Terrance Ferguson (13%) – Watch: Ferguson scored in double-digits for the third time in his last four games, also recording a career-high four steals. He continues to see decent playing time as a member of the starting lineup but his limited ceiling prevents him from being a must-roster player.
- Patrick Patterson (8%) – Drop
- Abdel Nader (5%) – Stream
Trail Blazers
- Evan Turner (34%) – Drop: Turner was disappointing Tuesday but had been playing well prior to this one. He offers very little in terms of defensive numbers but can contribute in scoring, rebounding, and assists which gives him limited streaming value.
- Zach Collins (30%) – Drop
- Moe Harkless (26%) – Watch: Harkless provided very little Tuesday but the fact he was able to play 18 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back set is encouraging. He is not worth picking up just yet but if his playing time continues to climb, he is worth taking a flier on at some point.
- Seth Curry (14%) – Drop
- Jake Layman (13%) – Drop: Layman had scored in double-figures in five straight games prior to Tuesday, however, they had come on unsustainable shooting. When he isn’t scoring, he provides next to no value and can be left for deeper formats at this stage.
- Meyers Leonard (9%) – Drop
Dallas Mavericks def. Los Angeles Clippers 106-95
Mavericks
- Dirk Nowitzki (31%) – Drop
- Maxi Kleber (23%) – Drop
- Dwight Powell (21%) – Drop
- Dorian Finney-Smith (16%) – Drop: After a solid outing in his last game, Finney-Smith was back to just 21 minutes in Tuesday’s win. As long as the Mavericks are relatively healthy, Finney-Smith can be left on the waivers in most formats.
- Jalen Brunson (15%) – Drop: Dennis Smith was back for Tuesday’s game which meant Brunson played just four minutes and he can be ignored for the time being.
- Devin Harris (6%) – Drop
Clippers
- Patrick Beverley (48%) – Stream: Beverley has played at least 35 minutes in two straight games, putting up arguably his two best games of the season. As long as he is starting and playing like this, he is a player to consider streaming in if you need steals, assists and out of position rebounds.
- Avery Bradley (34%) – Stream: Bradley is a streaming option that comes with a level of risk given his inconsistent production over the course of the season. As long as Danilo Gallinari is out, the Clippers need scoring from wherever they can find it. Bradley could be placed on the end of your bench but be prepared for him to fall off just as quickly as he has reemerged.
- Marcin Gortat (30%) – Drop
- Boban Marjanovic (15%) – Drop
Minnesota Timberwolves def. Phoenix Suns 118-91
Timberwolves
- Josh Okogie (21%) – Add: Okogie scored a career-high 21 points Tuesday, helping the Timberwolves to a comfortable victory. As long as Robert Covington is out, Okogie is going to remain in the starting lineup and despite a few inconsistencies, has been putting up handy numbers. Over the past two weeks, he is the 110th ranked player making him worthy of a backend roster spot.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Drop
- Jerryd Bayless (2%) – Drop: Bayless had his best game of the season Tuesday, taking advantage of extra playing time. Jeff Teague was out with a sore foot and it appears as though h could miss further time. Tyus Jones is also out with an ankle injury meaning Bayless should pick up the bulk of the backup minutes behind Derrick Rose.
Suns
- Mikal Bridges (47%) – Drop: Bridges continues to get plenty of opportunities but is yet to take advantage of the situation. Aside from his steal numbers he is basically a negative across the board and is a tough player to roster unless you are sitting at the top of your standings.
- De’Anthony Melton (36%) – Drop
- Dragan Bender (10%) – Watch: Bender has back-to-back double-doubles but is still going to be a risky pickup moving forward. He needs at least 30 minutes to come close to standard league value and as soon as DeAndre Ayton and Richaun Holmes return, he is likely going to fall out of the rotation.
- Jamal Crawford (7%) – Drop
- Troy Daniels (4%) – 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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