You are all pretty familiar with the reliable rookies this year and are playing them every night – Luka, Trae, JJJ, and crew. This week I’d like to showcase some of the other rookies who have considerably less hype and perhaps not any useful results yet either. Even mining the forgotten talents of the draft turns up some good players, which again speaks to the strength of this year’s class.
Scary Upside
Mitchell Robinson – MitchRob had a lot of preseason sleeper hype and it was easy to see why with his ability to protect the rim and the opportunity for extended minutes in New York. Well, the minutes haven’t been plentiful, but last week in 20 MPG, he had averages of 5 PTS, 5 REB, 1.7 BLK, and 1 STL on 73% shooting. Fantasy owners and Knicks fans should be very excited about the possibilities.
Kevin Knox – The other Knicks rookie, Knox is all over the place. One night he’ll show you why he was a lottery pick, the next you will forget he even played in the game. His up and down minutes contribute to this, but he needs to show more consistency before those are handed to him. That said, when he shows up HE SHOWS UP. 26 PTS, 15 REB, and 5 3PM against Charlotte the other night is the evidence.
Useful Spot Starts
Allonzo Trier – Another Knick? The other-other rookie on the Knicks has gotten some solid run and has done a pretty good job of it. Far from even remotely reliable, you can do worse than plugging Trier into your lineup in a good matchup to get some extra points – there won’t be a whole lot else though.
Jalen Brunson – It’s all about the minutes here. DSJ went down and Brunson stepped right up into the role like he’d been doing it for years. Good PPG, decent AST, and lots of STL so far. Keep an eye on the Dallas rotation. If there continues to be an opening, then expect Brunson to get the look.
Mikal Bridges – He doesn’t appear to be relinquishing the starting spot anytime soon, and with as bad as the guys behind him have been and the already beginning Ariza trade rumors, you can expect him to get plenty of minutes. The production is the question, but if Bridges continues to shoot 7+ 3’s per game and makes them at the rate that most expect from him, he will be a valuable part of your team and add some STL on top of it. The Other Bridges doesn’t have a ton of upside but should definitely be owned.
De’Anthony Melton – Another Sun to keep an eye on depending on how the rotation is set up from week to week. Melton got a lot of minutes last week and produced, showing why a lot of fantasy folks had him highly rated coming into the season with 13.3 PTS, 5.3 AST, 3.5 REB, 1.5 STL, and 1.5 3PM. Melton is definitely worth adding and keeping an eye on.
Kevin Huerter – Do you need 3’s? Add this man! He also has 5 straight games of 4 AST going too so it is not just about the 3PM. I expect the minutes to remain and the production to be solid.
Wait Till Next Year
Grayson Allen – Everyone’s favorite senior draftee, Allen landed in what was thought to be the perfect spot for him in Utah. The only problem is that Utah is good and has no time for a limited rookie in their rotation. Allen has talent, though, and despite all of his flaws, he could be a decent contributor across the board if he can earn the trust of the coaching staff.
Mohamed Bamba – Part lack of production from him, part super production from the guy starting over him, Bamba just hasn’t gotten anything going or earned a bigger spot in the rotation yet. A Vucevic trade solves all that, but it’s not looking likely at the moment. Get him on the cheap with an eye on next year or some late season garbage time.
Troy Brown Jr. – I really liked Brown Jr. coming into this draft. I still like his talent, but his fit on the Wizards always seemed poor to me. He isn’t getting a ton of minutes but he has flashed a bit when he’s been out there. Washington is a mess and, if they ever figure out which direction they want to go, keep an eye on Brown to be a beneficiary, whether it’s filling a role there or as part of trade elsewhere.
Robert Williams – He finally got some minutes the other night and put up 7 PTS, 11 REB, and 3 BLK. I don’t expect the minutes to be there much at all for him, but that’s the kind of line you stash a guy on your team all season for in Dynasty.
Soon to Ascend
Collin Sexton – I am only including him here because I’ve been a critic in past weeks. Sexton has taken over as the lead guard on a bad Cleveland team and is finally getting his time to shine. Averaging 22 PPG with 2 3PM and some modest other contributions have him looking to join the crew in the top paragraph soon.
Not counting the top guys who I didn’t write up this week, that is 12 more rookies that are fantasy relevant in Dynasty leagues. This class just keeps on giving.
