I have mentioned many times how sad I get when major injuries happen in the NBA. As a person that used to play competitive basketball, I know how heart-breaking they can be and how tough the physical and mental recovery can get. Unfortunately, Jusuf Nurkic suffered a brutal one yesterday, fracturing his left tibia and fibula (these are essentially the two long bones in the leg). It’s a huge blow to Portland’s playoff aspirations, but the most important thing is for Nurkic to return healthy next season. Get well soon big man!!
Danuel House was the most consistent contributor from last week’s suggestions with 3 triples per game, while Jakob Poeltl and Fred VanVleet were both steady, if unspectacular. Dorian Finney-Smith’s 4-game week is over and so is his streamer appeal. Finally, Hassan Whiteside was the main Sell candidate and with 19, 24, 5, and 14 minutes played last week, you can guess that nothing has changed dramatically.
Buy
Seth Curry: C.J.McCollum is hurt and will miss Portland’s upcoming 4-game roadtrip. Coupled with Nurkic’s vacant usage can increase Curry’s minutes and offensive touches. In the four games since McCollum went down, the “other Curry” is averaging 16.8/2.8/3.3/1/1.3/0.3/0.5, good for top 50 value. He is a must own in my book until C.J. returns and should be owned in more than 26% of Yahoo leagues.
Zach Collins: He started the year strong with very good per-36 stats, but the arrival of Enes Kanter limited his opportunities. Kanter is the main beneficiary of Nurkic’s injury, but since he is probably unavailable in your league, it might be worth rolling the dice on Collins to see if he can get around 25 minutes and make good use of them. (15% owned).
Shaq Harrison: Chicago is playing for the lottery and thus have zero incentive to rush back either Zach LaVine or Otto Porter from their respective injuries. In their absence, Shaq Harrison is playing 30.5 minutes and averaging 10/0.2/4.5/2.8/2.5/0.3/2. That’s good for 66th during that span and, despite the lack of triples for a guard, his contribution in steals and rebounds is enough to warrant a look in deeper leagues (7% owned).
Pat Connaughton: Another deep-league suggestion, Pat Connaughton has taken advantage of the myriad injuries the Bucks have at the moment. He is the 51st ranked player in the last two weeks thanks to averages of 10.3/2.1/6.3/2.9/1/0.6/0.7. The stat that immediately jumps out is the rebounds, which are great for a guard and he can maintain this kind of production as long as the Bucks are not at full strength (7% owned).
Christian Wood: The sample size is as small as it gets, but with 3 steals and 6 blocks against Atlanta, his performance was so awesome that he requires mention. Wood was part of the Bucks and had a great summer league, but was waived and eventually claimed by the Pelicans. He had monster lines with the Bucks G-League affiliate, so if you have a roster spot to spare, you could take a flier on him, as Anthony Davis is sitting out with a “sore back”.
Just don’t drop someone with steady production, as this could very well be an one-game thing (3% owned).
So there you have it folks. There are only Buy suggestions this week, as you should be streaming and mining the wire to win that elusive Championship. As always, I am eager to read your thoughts about other players you think are Buy/Sell worthy in the comments below, as well as all your fantasy related questions! See you next week with new suggestions and a recap of the performances for this week’s showcased players.
