Couldn’t bring myself to start with the usual fantasy stuff until I mention and make sure that you saw Ja Morant’s dunk against the Pacers this week. Behold, with all the available camera angles for your viewing pleasure.
Just unreal athleticism from Morant and another blow to Jalen Smith’s uninspiring season. Just watch how the crowd reacts and how half of the players even can’t believe what they had just watched.
Another thing that caught my eye this week were how Donovan Mitchell reportedly interacted with Jazz rookie Walker Kessler after their last game.
Kudos to Mitchell for trying to help the rookie and it seems like the Jazz will always have a place in his heart. Now the next step for Kessler would be to either stop calling his defensive plays in general or my personal suggestion is to start calling half of them falsely. And then let the mind games with the offensive players begin…Sure, he would screw his teammates as well in the defensive schemes, but come on, try to live a little…
Regarding last week’s suggestions, I hope you followed the Desmond Bane one, as he shot the ball incredibly this week so the buy low window is shut. Meanwhile, Royce O’Neale had two good and one awful game but he remains an add until Kevin Durant returns, while Patrick Williams unfortunately couldn’t capitalize on DeMar DeRozan’s absence properly. Finally, on the “Sell” front, Jordan Clarkson continues to take advantage of absences in Utah and thus continues to be a good sell high target.
No Sell portion this week as it is a week with a tight schedule and lots of good streaming candidates to add.
Buy
Terance Mann: With John Wall getting injured, Ty Lue took a different approach than most expected with his starting lineup and opted for Terence Mann at the point guard position. Although actual results have been mixed so far, in terms of fantasy this has reinvigorated Mann’s value as he is averaging 33 minutes since the move and is a top 100 player in that span. The fact that both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are susceptible to missing back to backs and frankly games in general, further enhances his appeal as a streamer and a back end guy until Wall returns (44% owned).
Naz Reid: Rudy Gobert has started the last two games and subsequently left both of them with right groin soreness so Naz Reid has major streaming value with three games this week. He can be a weapon if Gobert indeed sits most of them and I think there is a high possibility the Timberwolves will not further push him to play so go get Reid. On a side note, he had some amazing dunks in the game against the Cavaliers, so you can get a taste of what might come (31% owned).
Kyle Anderson: Don’t look now, but Kyle Anderson has been a top 100 player since Karl Anthony Towns got sidelined and has shown no signs of slowing down, at least figuratively. Because you don’t earn the nickname “Slow Mo” if there is no reason for it. But in terms of fantasy, Anderson provides everything except for points and triples, averaging 4.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks since his insertion in the starting lineup, yet he is only rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues. Make sure to rectify this mistake if he is available in yours.
Wenyen Gabriel: If you need blocks to win this week’s matchup, look no further than Wenyen Gabriel. The undrafted forward out of Kentucky has steadily increased his playing time and with Anthony Davis still sidelined, has provided specialist value with 1.3 blocks and 67.4% shooting form the field during the last 2 weeks. His contributions in the other statistical categories are lacking, except for rebounds, but it is very hard to find a specialist from the wire that can influence a category so much, so take a look at the projections for your matchup and act accordingly, especially in deeper leagues (12% owned).
