Player durability has been again a hot topic this year, especially with the game limits imposed to qualify a player for individual awards. Some players are trying to play enough games, like Tyrese Haliburton who is clearly not even close to 100% but is playing limited minutes for what seems to be 2 months now, while others have or will be shut down in the near future, like LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams. I came across a very interesting graph by statmuse that contains the number of regular season games for each player and as you can see there are some very interesting names at the top.
Obviously the one that pops out immediately is Nikola Jokic, who has been often criticized for a lack of athleticism, but has apparently elite durability, which is of utmost importance for your star player. He is tied in first place with 655 game with Tobias Harris, another underrated guy. In terms of superstars, Giannis is also up there with just 35 less games and I was also surprised to see Jordan Clarkson so high, with just 2 less games than Jokic.
Julius Randle is also in this list with 640 games and it makes total sense that he has missed a large chunk of this fantasy season, as he was in a lot of my drafted teams….
Regarding last week’s suggestions, I obviously jinxed Marvin Bagley and he is out with back spasms, which is a shame since he was productive before that. However it is playoffs time so we can not afford to drag along players who are not immediately contributing. Also this is the reason that all articles moving forward will focus on “Buy’ suggestions, as most players on your roster should be expandable, if your fantasy season is on the line. On the other hand De’Andre Hunter indeed benefited from Trae Young’s absence and elevated his scoring, while Gradey Dick was unimpressive but I still really like him with the Raptors getting thinner and thinner due to their injuries.
Buy
Kelly Olynyk: Jakob Poeltl is most probably out for the remainder of the season and that makes Kelly Olynyk a must roster player as we move forward. I would go as far as to say that he can be a league winner, as he is an excellent fantasy player, when given playing time and with Toronto extending him for 2 extra years it is clear that he is a part of their future plans. He played 28 minutes yesterday in a blowout against the Pelicans and still provided 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Those are elite numbers and I advise you to go ahead and check your wire, as he is still available in half of Yahoo leagues and that will not be the case in a couple of days (54% owned).
Andre Drummond: It is all about getting as many games from your roster as we move towards the fantasy playoffs and with Chicago having 3 more games this week Drummond becomes an intriguing streamer. He had some monster games last month in matchups where he played alongside Nikola Vucevic and despite the fact that the 3 remaining games this week against Utah, Golden State and the Clippers are not projected to need the 2 big man lineup he can still be counted upon for approximately 30 rebounds, 3 blocks and some steals. His ft% can be an issue but those big man stats can win some matchups so give him a long look (52% owned).
Dorian Finney-Smith: Another suggestion that benefits from the schedule, Dorian Finney-Smith and the Nets have 3 more games this week and also have suffered a lot of injuries, with the latest being Cameron Johnson. DFS was already playing huge minutes and was very productive yesterday with 20 points and 8 rebounds in 32 minutes. His playing time will only increase in the upcoming games and the schedule dictates he is an excellent streamer for this week (21% owned).
Vasilije Micic: Despite having only 2 more games this week, Micic is also a must roster in my book, as he is the only remaining true point guard in Charlotte and he has the experience to run this team. His minutes are in a steady climb and you can do worse that finding a steady source of assists, steals and points from the wire. LaMelo Ball is not returning this year in my opinion so Micic’ playing time seems safe as we move closer to the end of the season (9% owned). Tre Mann is in a similar position, but I like his fantasy game a little less than Micic. Still he is also an option and I have been impressed with his steals numbers since starting for the Hornets (33% owned).
