R. J. Barrett is the 361st player on a per-game basis for the 2019 fantasy basketball season. There are 13 active players on each of the 30 NBA teams. That means that there are 390 active players. Thanks to my handy dandy abacus, that means that Barrett is better than 29 players. Yippee……That’s kind of not good for the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. But he’s put together three straight decent games in a row. Are things turning around and is there merit to Barrett being fantasy relevant?
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3/8 | 10/18 | 4/7 |
The 27 points tied a career-high, which Barrett has accomplished three times this season. Barrett can score, even though he shoots with the wrong hand. Beep. Boop. Bop. You know what performs regardless of the circumstances? The Stocktonator. He can also grab boards and dish out dimes. There is a reason why he was selected number three overall. With that said, there is a cavernous hole in his game: the shooting efficiency. On the season, he’s shooting 39% from the field and 59% from the line. There are stretches when he shoots sub-40% from the line. I will never understand how a professional ball player can’t shoot free throws at a high clip. It’s like literally their job. Anyways, he’s only 19 years old, so from a dynasty perspective, there is hope. For this season, he’s too inconsistent and doesn’t excel enough in the other categories to make the destruction of percentages worth it. So, the only merit to Barrett is in fading him.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
Julius Randle
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 | 5/14 | 6/8 |
Sweet 16! Over the past four games, Randle has been a top 60 player. He’s still not contributing the D, which makes the ladies frown, but 21.5 points, 11.3 boards, and 3.8 dimes turns some of those frowns upside down. The shooting efficiency has been excellent, as he’s converted 49% from the field and 82% from the line. On the season, those numbers are at 45% and 72% respectively. Expect regression in those departments and Randle should end the season a top 100-ish player.
Taj Gibson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3/7 | 2/2 |
Continues to start and played 24 minutes. Incredible.
Just pay your respects and move on.
Mitchell Robinson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00 | 0 | 5/8 | 2/4 |
In 24 minutes off the bench. Incredibly stupid. What makes it worse is that the Knicks defeated the Rockets 125-123, so Mike Miller probably attributes the win to the Taj MaGibson being open.
Robert Covington
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6/11 | 7/14 | 0 |
The Lord continues to giveth fantasy goodies to his believers. Top 10 players since being acquired by Houston. Over the past six games, he’s averaged 3.5 tres, 9.8 boards, and 3 blocks!!! Incredibly awesome!
James Harden
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 35 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3/13 | 8/22 | 16/16 |
He hasn’t been blowing up lately and all the hype has been on Westbrook, so Harden has been disappointing for fantasy, right? Negative. Over the past 12 games, he’s been the #2 player for fantasy!!! I am so Harden excited right now. I don’t think my mind, body, and soul can handle him actually balling the F out.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0/4 | 6/18 | 1/2 |
Giannis, meet Bam. Bam, meet Giannis. Bam replied, “I’ve already met him. This was the second time I shut his ass down!” Uh, Bam. G scored 29 points, grabbed 17 boards, dished out 9 dimes, stole 3, and blocked 2 in the other meeting. “Listen here, young buck,” Bam calmly responded. “We are now 2-0 against Milwaukee this season, so you can take your stats and regurgitate them to someone who cares.”
The Heat neutered the Bucks, 105-89, so no more blurbs for them!!!
Bam Adebayo
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 5/16 | 4/6 |
Doing everything well except for the free throw shooting and lack of tres. He could end the season as a top 25 player and could be joining the elite sooner than later. BAM!!!
Jae Crowder
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5/9 | 6/10 | 1/3 |
The shooting efficiency is always an issue, but over the past four games, he’s averaging 30 minutes, 11.3 points, 2.8 tres, 5 boards, and 1.5 steals. It’s too bad that the J for Jae is inconsistent.
The Bulls lassoed the Mavericks, 109-107. ‘Twas a night for the home dogs! Bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Maxi Kleber
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3/7 | 4/8 | 2/2 |
Received the start and played 34 minutes because Kristaps Porzingis did not play. On the regular, Kleber averages around 24 minutes and provides tres, boards, and blocks. This Kleber is a tasty cookie, but not one to die for.
Boban Marjanovic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 7/11 | 0 |
In 22 minutes off the bench. You don’t mess with the Boban. Obviously, got some run because Porzingis was out. Will go back to contemplating how to get revenge on John Wick from the bench when Porzingis returns.
Denzel Valentine
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3/10 | 7/15 | 0 |
Got the start and played 21 minutes because Zach LaVine did not play due to a quad injury. Valentine’s Day in March is weird, but here we are.
Otto Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3/5 | 7/11 | 1/2 |
In 17 minutes off the bench. He’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaacccck! The Bulls will likely be careful with Otto, so the minutes won’t get ramped up for a while, if at all. With that said, he’s always been an efficient fantasy contributor.
Coby White
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3/9 | 8/20 | 0 |
In 32 minutes off the bench. He’s the microwave off the bench and led the Bulls in shot attempts. Top 30 player over the past six games. The usage rate has been over 30 and the efficiency has been an unsustainable 48% from the field and 92% from the line. On the season, those numbers are 38% and 78% respectively. He’s developed, so improvement on the season-long numbers should be expected, but not to the degree of this current heater.
Domantas Sabonis
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4/10 | 6/8 |
All he does is dub-dub. From this day forward, he shall be called……drum roll……..DoDomantas. Hmmm, that didn’t have quite the effect I was looking for. Does it remind you of Preying Mantis? Anyways, we know he can score, board, and dish out dimes. It comes down to whether or not he can contribute in the defensive cats. If so, then he can level up and enter the next tier. Currently, he’s a top 50 player.
T. J. Warren
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3/6 | 8/14 | 4/5 |
Warren mounted up and regulated. Like he always does when he’s healthy.
Malcolm Brogdon
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 26 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2/5 | 8/15 | 8/8 |
Top 60 player over the past four games. Brogdon looks healthy again and is returning to the early-season form. The only thing lacking from Brogdon’s game is the D, but everything else is magnifique.
Myles Turner
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1/3 | 6/10 | 4/4 |
Top 20 player over the past four games! 8.8 boards and 4.5 blocks!!!! Holy moly! He’s going to be among the league leaders in blocks, but 4.5 per game is unsustainable. The 8.8 boards are what really get me excited. He’s been in the 6 range all season. If he can up the boards, then walking all those thousands of Myles would have been worth it.
Trey Lyles
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4/7 | 8/17 | 0 |
Got the start and played 37 minutes because LaMarcus Aldridge and Jakob Poeltl were both out with injuries. Of course Trey drained tres, but the 17 shot attempts were a season-high. It was only the fourth time all season that he had attempted more than 10 shots in a game.
Patty Mills
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6/11 | 7/13 | 4/4 |
The Aussie Steph Curry blessed us with his presence once again. He makes an appearance every once in a while, but he will likely go back to sticking his head in the ground with the ostriches. Wake me up when he pops his head out again.
The Grizzlies plucked the Hawks, 127-88. As a result, no MEM starter played more than 25 minutes.
Jonas Valanciunas
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/1 | 6/7 | 2/2 |
Top 30 player over the past four games. JV performs at a varsity level, but rarely plays more than 28 minutes per game. That makes me sad. Regardless, he’s a dub-dub machine who will get his Mutombo on and provide excellent percentages.
De’Anthony Melton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1/2 | 3/8 | 4/5 |
He’s starting, but he minutes haven’t increased. The usage also isn’t great. Melton provides steals with a side of boards and dimes.
Gorgui Dieng
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 | 6/8 | 5/7 |
In 26 minutes off the bench. With Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke out of action, Dieng will get playing time at both the 4 and 5. Boards, steals, blocks, and tres are what he provide. Dieng, that’s pretty juicy.
Josh Jackson
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4/7 | 4/11 | 4/5 |
In 24 minutes off the bench. Got a few extra minutes due to the blowout, but over the past seven games, Jackson had been receiving around 22 minutes of run per game. He’s been providing a little something something in every cat. The only bugaboos have been the percentages.
It was fugly for the Hawks. Trae Young led the team with 19 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Only three other players scored in double figures: John Collins (12), Kevin Huerter (13), and Jeff Teague (12). No blurbs for them!!!
C. J. McCollum
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 41 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6/12 | 14/24 | 7/7 |
Yes, Urkel….I mean CJ. With no Damian Lillard on the court, McCollum garners a 34 usage rate, an increase of 7.2%.
Gary Trent Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4/6 | 9/16 | 2/2 |
Trent is a 3-and-D player who is filling in admirably with Lillard on the shelf. When he returns, the playing time will plummet from 34 minutes down to 24 minutes per game.
Mario Hezonja
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 4/6 | 2/2 |
In 28 minutes off the bench. REVENGE!!! Mario has been anything but super, so don’t put too much stock into last night’s game. Only roster him when you see him glowing or eating a mushroom.
Nikola Vucevic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/7 | 12/24 | 3/4 |
Vucevic is really good, but the Battle of the Nikolas has been won by Jokic. Still, Vucevic being a prideful man, he has continued to ball out to represent the name. Maybe the Nikola Pantheon can build a new wing. On the season, he’s a top 20 player and will likely finish there at season’s end.
Terrence Ross
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/11 | 7/15 | 5/5 |
Top 30 player over the past six games, as he’s been averaging 21.8 points, 4.3 tres, and 5.5 boards. Ross provides points, tres, boards, and steals. The usage rate is in the mid-20s and he’s the microwave off the bench. He’s inconsistent, though, as the shooting efficiency vacillates between the 38% to 45% range.
Bojan Bogdanovic
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 28 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5/10 | 10/19 | 3/4 |
Bojan has had some explosive games this season, like last night. Unfortunately, the shooting efficiency has been all over the map. On the season, he’s shooting 44% from the field, but there have been stretches of 36% shooting. He’s a points, tres, and boards player. He doesn’t dish out many dimes or contribute the D.
Rudy Gobert
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8/9 | 4/4 |
A magnifique performance from Le Steiffel Tower. It wasn’t Louvre worthy, but excellent nonetheless. Boards, blocks, and excellent field goal percentage are what he normally excels in, but the free throw shooting. Oh, that free throw shooting. *french kiss* or is it *chef kiss*? How about both?
Larry Nance Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/6 | 7/17 | 0 |
Got the start and played 39 minutes because both Tristan Thompson and Andre Drummond did not play. Just play your best players, Cavs. It’s not a complicated thing. I’m always disappointed in the block numbers for Nance, especially since he’s so athletic. With that said, who am I to question it? I’m just some dude writing stuff from his mom’s basement.
Collins Sexton
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 32 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4/6 | 11/17 | 6/8 |
I’ve been really impressed with Sexton’s development this season. I thought he’d be a one-dimensional, inefficient hucker and chucker, but he’s been dishing some dimes, getting his 211 on, and shooting very well from the field. Over the past four games, he’s averaged a whopping 37.3 minutes and shot 55% from the field. Regression is coming but he’s still shooting 46% from the field on the season.
Kevin Porter Jr.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2/9 | 5/14 | 4/5 |
Got the start and played a team-high 41 minutes because Darius Garland was out due to a groin injury. KPJ is the real deal and will continue getting plenty of run down the stretch. He will provide points, tres, boards, dimes, and steals. The efficiency will be a problem at times, though.
