A seven-game card for Sunday in the NBA, headlined by the Minnesota Timberwolves firing head coach Tom Thibodeau. Ryan Saunders will be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season meaning the fantasy value of a number of players could shift. There is no guarantee, however, players such as Tyus Jones, Josh Okogie, and Gorgui Dieng could find themselves in slightly larger roles. This could mean standard league value is just over the horizon but at this stage, it remains a wait-and-see situation. I will look at the Timberwolves players as well as the other fringe players in action on Sunday.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Kevin Huerter
- DeAndre Bembry
- Willy Hernangomez
Players to stream
- Ed Davis
- Shabazz Napier
- Jeremy Lin
- Derrick Jones Jr.
- Bismack Biyombo
Brooklyn Nets def. Chicago Bulls 117-100
Nets
- Rodions Kurucs (29%) – Drop
- Ed Davis (25%) – Stream: Davis grabbed another 13 rebounds Sunday, the fourth time he has pulled down double-digit boards in his last four games. If you need rebounds and a high field-goal percentage, Davis is a perfect solution.
- Shabazz Napier (13%) – Stream: Napier has quietly been putting up nice numbers and has now scored in double-digits in five straight games. The production is likely to regress in the future but he is worth a look if you need points and assists.
Bulls
- Ryan Arcidiacono (17%) – Drop
- Chandler Hutchison (15%) – Drop
- Shaquille Harrison (14%) – Drop
- Robin Lopez (13%) – Drop
- Antonio Blakeney (10%) – Drop
Minnesota Timberwolves def. Los Angeles Lakers 108-86
Timberwolves
- Tyus Jones (35%) – Watch: Jones has seen his role reduce over the past two games with Jeff Teague back in the lineup, basically eroding his value. However, the Timberwolves fired head coach Tom Thibodeau on Sunday and interim coach Ryan Saunders could have a more favorable view of Jones’s role moving forward. Just keep on eye on the rotations for the next few games to see if Jones can work his way back into the standard league discussion.
- Josh Okogie (20%) – Watch: Much like Tyus Jones, Okogie is a player to watch to see if interim head coach Ryan Saunders takes a liking to his style of play.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Watch: Finally, Dieng is another player to keep an eye on in case his playing time increases under a new interim head coach.
Lakers
- Ivica Zubac (25%) – Drop: Zubac received the start Sunday and managed to come up with nine points and eight rebounds. He has been contributing in limited playing time but is not really a standard league asset at this stage.
- Lance Stephenson (20%) – Drop: Stephenson is one of the most inconsistent players in the league, reflected by his playing time and subsequent unpredictable production. As soon as LeBron James returns, Stephenson will likely go back to being in and out of the rotation.
- Tyson Chandler (15%) – Drop
- Michael Beasley (10%) – Drop: Beasley scored 11 points in 21 minutes Sunday, however, much like Lance Stephenson, his role is far too inconsistent to have any real value.
Los Angeles Clippers def. Orlando Magic 106-96
Clippers
- Patrick Beverley (44%) – Drop
- Avery Bradley (35%) – Drop
- Marcin Gortat (30%) – Drop: Gortat had another solid game Sunday making it two games in a row with at least 25 minutes. Prior to this stretch, he had not even been putting up deeper league value and so we will need to see much more of this to consider him in standard formats.
- Boban Marjanovic (18%) – Drop
Magic
- Jonathon Simmons (21%) – Drop
- Wes Iwundu (5%) – Drop
Atlanta Hawks def. Miami Heat 106-82
Hawks
- Jeremy Lin (47%) – Stream: Lin finished with 15 points in 17 minutes Sunday, a line which could have been much better had the game been remotely close. He continues to flirt with standard league value on the back of decent scoring, assist, and steals.
- Kevin Huerter (37%) – Add: Huerter is still only rostered in 37 percent of leagues which is far too low for a player seeing this amount of court time on a team that is clearly building for the future. He has scored in double-digits in five of his past six games, adding in an assortment of rebounds, assists, steals, and threes.
- DeAndre Bembry (35%) – Add: Bembry moved into the starting lineup Sunday and it appears the change is going to stick, at least for the coming week. His ceiling is not the highest but he can contribute in points, rebounds, and steals and is worth a look given his current opportunity.
- Daniel Hamilton (6%) – Drop
Heat
- James Johnson (46%) – Watch: This game was a blowout which meant many of the starters saw reduced playing time. Getting a read on the production is difficult and so Johnson is still a player to watch as he had been playing well prior to Sunday.
- Tyler Johnson (43%) – Watch: Johnson struggled for the second straight game Sunday after putting together a nice stretch of fantasy value. Potential owners should not read too much into this performance and should wait and see how he goes against the Nuggets on Wednesday.
- Rodney McGruder (42%) – Drop
- Derrick Jones Jr. (21%) – Stream: Jones was one of the Heats better players Sunday, continuing his solid recent form. The only thing holding him back appears to be the inconsistent playing time, which is the reason he is simply a streaming option as opposed to an add in standard formats.
Washington Wizards def. Oklahoma City Thunder 116-98
Wizards
- Sam Dekker (10%) – Drop
- Ian Mahinmi (4%) – Drop: Mahinmi is in line to see additional playing time with both Dwight Howard and Markieff Morris on the sidelines. His ceiling is low but Thomas Bryant is still very raw and there could be instances where Mahinmi’s veteran presence is called for.
Thunder
- Nerlens Noel (36%) – Stream
- Hamidou Diallo (12%) – Drop
- Terrance Ferguson (8%) – Drop
- Abdel Nader (4%) – Drop
Toronto Raptors def. Indiana Pacers 121-105
Raptors
- OG Anunoby (32%) – Drop
- Delon Wright (17%) – Drop
- Greg Monroe (15%) – Drop: Monroe came within one rebound of a double-double Sunday, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes. He has shown glimpses of what he can do in limited playing time but had scored in double-figures in just one of his last eight games prior to this one.
- Norman Powell (10%) – Watch: Powell dropped a season-high 23 points Sunday, the third time he has reached double-figures in his last four games. He is certainly moving up the pecking order and has been playing himself in deep league discussions of late. Kawhi Leonard was out for this one and Kyle Lowry had been out prior to that making his production somewhat skewed.
Pacers
- Cory Joseph (22%) – Drop
- Kyle O’Quinn (12%) – Drop: O’Quinn stepped up in the absence of Myles Turner, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. O’Quinn has the ability to put up standard league numbers in limited playing time and if Turner is forced to miss additional time, could be someone worth keeping an eye on.
Charlotte Hornets def. Phoenix Suns 119-113
Hornets
- Willy Hernangomez (49%) – Add: Hernangomez came off the bench again Sunday but was able to put up one of his better performances of the season. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in 24 minutes, a far better effort than the night prior. It appears as though the center position is going to be covered by committee rather than one single player which does hurt his upside. That being said, he has the ability to put up solid numbers in just 24 minutes per game and so could be considered for standard formats.
- Miles Bridges (35%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (23%) – Drop
- Tony Parker (16%) – Drop: Parker went off for 20 points Sunday, taking advantage of Kemba Walker’s poor shooting across the first three quarters. Parker has the ability to turn back the clock from time to time but prior to this had scored just five points in his last three games.
- Bismack Biyombo (14%) – Stream: Much like Willy Hernangomez, Biyombo appears as though he is going to be sharing the center minutes which limits his overall value. He can provide defense but typically offers very little on the offensive end, meaning Hernangomez has slightly more appeal at this stage.
Suns
- Richaun Holmes (28%) – Watch
- De’Anthony Melton (26%) – Watch: Melton continues to have some issues on the offensive end of the floor having scored in double-figures just once from his past eight games. He has been racking up the steals and the tools are certainly there for Melton to have some value as the season progresses. At this stage, he is more of an elite stash for those owners who are comfortably positioned in their respective leagues.
- Jamal Crawford (8%) – Drop: Much like Tony Parker did Sunday, Crawford was able to turn in a vintage performance, ending with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Owners need not get excited over this effort and can almost certainly find a better option on the waivers.
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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