Welcome Razzball Nation to another installment of our search for underperforming players in our beloved fantasy basketball landscape.
We have officially arrived at the halfway mark of the season when teams are what they are unless they make changes via a trade or injury. As we move on into the second half of the season, it will become more challenging to unearth gems and execute trades as managers may be more willing to ride out a slump, or they may be looking for too much in return as they attempt to stay competitive heading towards fantasy playoffs. Fear not, though, my avid readers for I continue to rummage through rosters in an effort to deliver to you the best possible players to target in a trade that I believe will provide you with value moving forward.
This week we are in the six with my hometown team where all the 6’9″ players and Fred take home court.
God’s plan, God’s plan.
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OG Anunoby
There were not too many other players with as much pre-season hype coming into this season as our feature player had in September 2021. The expectations were lofty and rightfully so as the trajectory suggested there was another gear for the 24-year-old forward to hit as a feature player on a young Raptors squad.
The stage was set. Pascal Siakam was recovering from shoulder surgery and would not be returning until late November. Kyle Lowry, the cornerstone of the franchise the past nine seasons was traded to Miami in the off-season. In addition, there was a video of OG handling the rock and shooting step-back threes that suggested there was greatness on the horizon.
Yet here we are, and while there have been stretches with OG living up to the hype, a nagging hip injury and Covid protocols have derailed what was thought to be his best season of his career.
Take Two. We are midway through the season. OG is healthy and now is the time for the Raptors to make a run towards the playoffs. In order for that to happen, I am expecting to see an improvement from OG, who has been the 124th ranked player over the past two weeks and the 181st player over the last seven days.
The reason for the dip in production can be attributed to the dismal field goal and free throw production (37.3%, 58.3% over the last week respectively). Another area of concern is the steep drop off in steals, which at 0.3 over the last week is a far off the 1.5 on the season. I fully expect an increase in those numbers from OG, which in turn will result in him being closer to a top 50 player moving forward.
The points, rebounds, assists, and threes are in line with his averages from last season that saw him finish as the 44th ranked player on Yahoo. I am optimistic that he can duplicate or improve that rank with improved efficiency and higher steal rate, which is within his skill set.
Float out some offers in which you send out a top 75-85 ranked player and, while you may take a hit in the front end, your rest of season outlook is brilliant.
As always, hit me up in the comments section and good luck out there.
Peace.
