It must be hard to be the second fiddle night in and night out. Constantly being ignored and written off while your teammate garners all the praise. I think the most obvious dynamic duo of this kind in the NBA is Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. A slightly less obvious one is the front court duo of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Gobert almost always has a better fantasy line and puts up the gaudier defensive numbers and Favors’ stats would easily benefit if Rudy were to go down with an injury or if he was on another team. Well, for one glorious night, Robin saved Batman and got the villain. Favors went off for the line of 23-18-0-1-3-2 on 10-of-12 shooting and 3-of-4 from the line and led the Jazz to a victory over the Bucks. Derrick Favors is a man who has enjoyed a solid, if unspectacular NBA career. He’s one of the few remaining players who have played for the New Jersey Nets, a team I remember fondly. He’s actually been with Utah for nine years and has been a staple in the starting lineup for pretty much all of that time. He’s shooting a career best 57.8% FGs and is having his best blocks season since 2016. So today, take a second to think about the sous-chef, the vice president, the Derrick Favors’ of the world and how important they really are.
Rudy Gobert– 5-9-1-0-1-1 on 2-of-9 shooting and 1-of-8 FTs. This was definitely a night to forget from Gobert, and I thought he must have gotten hurt or ejected with a line like this. He only played 20 minutes in what will probably go down as one of his worst games of the season. I’d just take it as a throw-away game for him and I’d fully expect a bounce back performance on Monday.
Joe Ingles– 2-14-3-8-2-0-3 on 6-of-12 shooting. You wanna be the cool guy who thinks he knows fantasy basketball better than everyone in your league? Then draft Ingles. He’s actually been a minor disappointment for where he got drafted in most leagues, but he’s still providing worthwhile lines on most nights.
Donovan Mitchell– 5-46-3-6-2-1-3 on 15-of-32 shooting and 11-of-14 from the line. He easily could have been the lede, but I wanted to shine the spotlight on the unsung hero of the Jazz. Mitchell is sung enough.
Reggie Jackson– 4-24-2-2-0-0-1 on 9-of-11 shooting and 2-for-2 from the line. Have yourself a Reggie Bar! He must be sniffing baseball season, (I know I am) or it could have been the fact that the Pistons were playing the Cavs who couldn’t stop a nosebleed.
Wayne Ellington– 5-15-1-2-2-1-1 on 5-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes. Cavs took the Ell-ington last night. I’m perfectly fine with Wayne Ellington as a 3-point specialist for the stretch-run. You could do worse.
Cedi Osman– 2-10-1-2-1-0-0 on 3-of-8 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs. He has been playing really well since returning from injury in mid-February, so he’s obviously a hold.
Aaron Gordon– 1-11-8-6-0-1-2 on 5-of-15 shooting. Speaking of disappointments, this guy seemed to be brimming with potential not so long ago, but has never really put the shooting ability together with his athleticism. You’d think he would at least be a monster on defense, but he’s only averaging 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks per game on the season. He’ll most likely always be remembered for making one of the sickest dunks of all time in the dunk contest, which isn’t so bad if you think about it. That being said, I’m probably not drafting him next year personally.
Nikola Vucevic– 27-8-3-2-1-0 on 11-of-19 shooting and 5-of-7 FTs. Holding steady in the top-12. I doubt he’ll garner a first round pick next year, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. He’s actually has the Magic sitting in the 8th seed in the East as of now.
Evan Fournier– 3-19-5-8-0-0-3 on 7-of-12 shooting and 3-of-4 FTs. Fournier, who almost didn’t play due to illness, put up a sick stat line! Okay, it wasn’t that good, but pretty good for him.
Terrence Ross– 3-23-3-1-1-0-0 on 8-of-17 shooting and 4-for-4 FTs. He will never not put up a clunker once every five games, but his averages make him worth owning.
Thaddeus Young– 1-13-6-5-2-1-0 on 6-of-8 FTs. Speaking of unsung heroes, if there were an unsung hero All-Star team, Thaddeus would be the starting power forward. He’s always useful, but rarely spectacular, and oftentimes very good.
Bojan Bogdanovic– 2-25-3-3-1-0-1 on 8-of-17 shooting and 7-of-8 FTs. He’s really flourishing in the absence of Victor Oladipo and is in the midst of the best year of his career.
Darren Collison– 2-23-3-10-0-0-3 on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-6 from the line. The same can be said for Collison, but it hasn’t been the best year of his career. He always slithers his way into fantasy relevancy despite how bad his situation is. I would say looking at his numbers, he’s got some of the best percentages in the league for point guards: 46.8 FG% and 84.8 FT% with a 6.0:1.6 assist to turnover ratio.
Jarrett Allen– 6-3-0-0-0-0 on 3-of-6 shooting and 0-of-2 FTs. The Nets have been brutal in their last three games and they had a home/road back-to-back with the latter game in Miami last night, where they got absolutely bitch-slapped by the Heat. That is your weekly Nets report. As for Allen, he’s been kind of mediocre over his last four, but I’d expect him to pick it up on Monday in what should be a pretty good matchup with Dallas.
Kelly Olynyk– 3-25-6-4-1-2-2 on 9-of-13 shooting and 4-for-4 FTs. The Missing ‘Lynyk is probably on his fourth or fifth fantasy team of the year, but he’s definitely worth an add right now with the way he’s been playing.
Rodney McGruder– 4-17-6-2-2-12-1 on 6-of-9 shooting and 1-of-2 from the line. He got off to a fantastic start to the season, but had been pretty quiet until last night. The Heat are just too crowded at SG/SF for him to retain any consistent value.
DeMarcus Cousins– 1-25-8-0-2-1-1 on 9-of-15 shooting and 6-of-10 from the stripe. He’ll get his rest days so don’t get too hyped for the 5-game week in round 2 of the fantasy playoffs. Still, if you held on to him the whole year, you’re probably in good position to win your league.
Ben Simmons– 25-15-11-3-0-9 on 10-of-15 shooting and 5-of-6 FTs. Almost got the quad-dub with the turnovers, but still earned that Vegemite sandwich.
Jimmy Butler– 2-21-9-2-1-1-2 on 5-of-16 shooting and 9-of-11 FTs. Is he an overrated real life player? I’m not sure, but his scoring upside is seriously capped on the Sixers.
Mike Scott– 6-22-4-0-1-0-1 on 7-of-15 shooting and 2-for-2 from the line. Great Scott! He’s a 3-point specialist, but you could probably do better.
Bruno Caboclo– 2-9-11-6-0-1-1 on 3-of-8 shooting and 1-for-2 from the line. He’s probably just someone to keep an eye on for next season, but he’s definitely shown flashes.
Avery Bradley– 3-15-5-5-0-0-0 on 5-of-12 shooing and 2-for-2 from the line. Here’s a guy who resurrected himself on the Grizzles, which reminds me of The Revenant. Great film. As for Bradley, I’d definitely add if you can stomach the low FG%.
Joakim Noah– 12-8-5-0-2-2 on 4-of-7 shooting and 4-for-5 from the line. Another Revenant, and another add, at least until Jaren Jackson Jr. returns, which sounds like it won’t be for a few weeks at least.
Dwight Powell– 1-13-8-4-2-0-2 on 4-of-7 shooting and 4-for-6 FTs. Another guy I’d look to add. He’s starting to carve out some value on the Mavs and has gotten over 30 minutes in four straight. Nice FG%, decent boards, and steals with a touch of 3’s are what Powell brings to the table.
Luka Doncic– 1-22-4-2-2-2-2 on 7-of-14 shooting and 7-of-12 FTs. Nearly got the rainbow line, but the Mavs still got smoked by the Grizz. All I can say about that is don’t bet on basketball.
Tim Hardaway Jr.- 2-10-1-1-0-0-1 on 3-of-10 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs. If you somehow construct a punt-FG% team, Hardaway can be very valuable. He’s been a disappointment for fantasy this year.
LaMarcus Aldridge– 27-10-1-1-1-0 on 10-of-18 shooting and 7-of-7 from the line. I’ve never been a huge Aldridge guy, mostly because he rarely puts up D stats and doesn’t shoot 3’s. That’s just going to limit his upside if he’s not scoring like this every night.
Derrick White– 1-14-8-2-3-1-2 on 6-of-10 shooting and 1-for-1 from the line. As long as he’s healthy, he should be owned in fantasy leagues. Mr. White has rare rebounding skills for a PG and puts up nice D stats on most nights.
Rudy Gay– 2-22-8-1-1-0-1 on 9-of-16 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs in 26 minutes off the bench. He could definitely be rested down the stretch, but he’s been a really nice value on the year.
Julius Randle– 3-28-10-4-1-1-2 on 10-of-20 shooting and 5-of-10 from the line. Randle goes off the handle when AD doesn’t play. What a dumpster fire in New Orleans by the way.
Jrue Holiday– 4-29-3-5-3-1-6 on 10-of-23 shooting and 5-for-5 from the line. Jrue Grit! Fourth in the league in total steals.
Kenrich Williams– 1-7-5-0-2-0-1 on 3-of-7 shooting. Started and got 29 minutes. I think it’s time to let him go. The Kenrich Maneuver is just not working anymore.
Nikola Jokic– 1-20-9-7-2-2-2 on 7-of-11 shooting and 5-of-6 FTs. This is what Jokic calls light work.
Paul Millsap– 2-16-7-2-5-2-2 on 4-of-8 shooting and 6-of-9 from the line. I feel like I was saying this same thing last year, but he’s really coming on for the stretch run.
Gary Harris– 1-8-0-2-1-1-3 on 3-of-9 shooting and made his lone FT. I’m holding on to Gary Harris like Rose held onto Jack in Titanic. I’ll never let you go Gary, but there’s just no more room on this floating door. My fantasy team is the door.
Mason Plumlee– 14-9-3-0-1-1 on 6-of-6 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs. For all the talk of how crowded the Nuggets are, Plumlee has his niche carved out, and he is in a great spot for himself in Denver. He’s a decent fantasy asset for his out-of-position assists and defensive stats.
Isaiah Thomas– 12-1-0-1-0-1 on 5-of-14 shooting and 2-for-2 FTs in 16 minutes off the bench. I just keep thinking, why Denver? It’s just a weird fit…
LeBron James– 4-27-9-16-0-0-3 on 10-of-21 shooting and 3-for-7 from the line. The best thing coming from the Lakers this year are the memes. Nice game from LeBum, but you lost to the Suns…
Brandon Ingram– 2-25-7-1-0-0-3 on 10-of-19 shooting and 3-of-4 from the line. His combined 3’s, steals, and blocks per game is 1.7. Combine that with 2.5 turnovers and 67.5 FT% and that’s a hard pass from me.
JaVale McGee– 21-7-0-0-1-0 on 10-of-10 shooting and 1-of-2 FTs. I’d be having a hard time holding onto him if I owned him, but he earned himself at least one more game with this line.
Reggie Bullock 1-5-2-2-0-0-1 on 2-of-7 shooting. I feel like he knew he was kind of a hot add with the Friday/Saturday back-to-back and he just flopped.
DeAndre Ayton– 26-10-3-2-1-1 on 8-of-11 shooting and 10-of-14 FTs. He’s like LaMarcus Aldridge Lite, but he may actually be better from a fantasy standpoint, and he has more upside.
Mikal Bridges– 1-12-5-2-1-1-0 on 4-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 FTs. I think next year, if he works on his shot, we could be looking at the next Gary Harris.
De’Anthony Melton– 6-6-4-1-1-0 on 3-of-5 shooting in 16 bench minutes. My favorite Sun! I actually didn’t realize he was back from his injury. He was on my squad when my fantasy team was in a dark place this year. He probably won’t get enough minutes to be worth adding, though. I could see him going to Germany and winning MVP there.
Giannis Antetokounmpo– 2-43-14-8-2-1-4 on 15-of-26 shooting and 11-of-19 FTs. If G goes 16-of-19 Bucks win this game and you win your fantasy league. Do more Giannis. Unbelievable…
Khris Middleton– 4-29-9-6-1-0-5 on 8-of-24 shooting and 9-for-9 from the line. No Malcolm Brogdon in the Middle opened up the court for Middleton to score more. He’s been kind of a middling fantasy asset on the year. I’d expect Middleton to go in the early-middle rounds in a ton of drafts next year.
Nikola Mirotic– 1-3-6-1-1-0-1 on 1-of-7 shooting. Maybe the biggest loser of the trade deadline. Sorry for your loss if you had him on your teams.
Brook Lopez– 4-16-8-0-1-7-1 on 6-of-8 shooting. Bro-Lo says, “You only YOLO once, then you RIP in peace.” I love him for fantasy as probably the best 3’s and Blocks guys in the league. Hell, I’ll say it: He is the best 3’s and blocks guy in the league dammit! And he’s also one of the last NJ Nets. See? I brought it full circle!
