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Donald Trump is our president. Wow? Good thing is that doesn’t stop us from any NBA action as week 3 of the fantasy season is coming to a close. We welcomed back Jonas Valanciunas and Ricky Rubio. We are also hearing Jrue Holiday is close to a return. Those who stashed on draft day are about to be rewarded big time, as Jrue is capable of top 25 numbers in standard leagues.
Let’s take a look at some of the breakout performers of this week:
Steph Curry PG GSW – I warned you to be patient. And I also told you to buy low. It might be too late now. Chef Curry has been cookin’ it up averaging 34.3 PPG 4.3 RPG 6 APG on EIGHT!!!! 3ptm, all while 62% FG and 91% FT. Yes, save to say that slow start is in the rear-view mirror.
Kemba Walker PG CHA – The UConn Husky product is always overlooked on draft day, sometimes falling to the 3rd round when he has 1stround upside. He’s been the #2 overall player behind Steph Curry this week putting up a scorching 28.3 PPG 5.7 RPG 7.3 APG with 2 steals and 4.3 3ptm. I wouldn’t sell high at all. He’s fully capable as he’s entering his prime at age of 28.
Lucas Nogueira C TOR – Nogueira is a wild card waiver-wire pick up that awarded owners who picked him up this week with a couple of stellar performances. Throughout the 3 games, Nogueira averaged 8.7 PPG 8.0 RPG on 85% FG. He provided the stocks as well with 2 steals and 3 blocks per game. He’s worth riding until he cools off. He’s a must-own in all leagues right now in my opinion.
Otto Porter SF WAS – Porter absolutely crushed it this week as he put filled the void and benefited from the absence of both Beal and Wall. He was a sneaky, under-the-radar pick on draft day and was a bargain because of how low he fell. He’s making the owners who passed on him pay big time as he put up 1st round-value over the last week with averages of 18.3 PPG 8.5 RPG 3 APG on 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks. Otto is currently ranked #25 overall on the season. Killin’ it this season.
Nick Young SG/SF LAL – I really thought Nick Young’s career was going to be over. I thought he was never going to recover from that playboy image. Give Luke Walton credit as he is absolutely surprising the league as the new and young exciting Lakers are making it known to the NBA they are not a team you can roll over anymore. They play hard, they play loose, and they play as a team to win. “Uncle P” has been phenomenal for his play averaging 17 PPG with 4 triples per game. He’s not going to provide much more than scoring, 3-pointers with a trickle of steals. But he’s consistent and doesn’t hurt you anywhere, including turnovers. That means value. Uncle P is currently ranked #48 on the season. Yes, you need to pick him up if he’s available in your league.
Pickups:
Lucas Nogueira C TOR – Pick him up immediately.
Larry Nance Jr PF LAL – He was already a pickup in standard leagues before he was injured. He’s back from his concussion injury and he’s going to provide good FG%, boards, with some steals and block upside. He’s not going to have eye-popping box scores, but that shouldn’t stop you from picking him up.
Trey Lyles PF UTA – Derrick Favors went down with a knee injury again on Saturday and there’s no word on if he’s going to miss time. Lyles is worth a speculative add in 14 + teams right now because of his upside. He would likely start in the absence of Favors.
Josh Richardson SG MIA – Richardson is going to be the starting shooting guard for the Heat for the future. He’s a must own pickup in all leagues as he continues to return to form post-injury.
Moe Harkless SF/PF POR – Al-Farouq Aminu is out a couple of weeks with a calf injury and that means more time in the wings for the likes of Harkless, Evan Turner, and Allen Crabbe. Harkless has the most upside because of his ability to hit 3-pointers while also giving the TrailBlazers a defensive presence on the wings. He’s also a starter which means more minutes.
JJ Barea & Seth Curry PG DAL – Barea’s been a must-own player for a couple of weeks now, but considering how Deron Williams is out indefinitely, there’s absolutely no reason for Barea to be on any waiver wires right now. Curry has finally broken loose after a slow start. There’s not much competition at the guards position so look for Curry to be provide you with some scoring, treys and steals.
Alex Len & Marquese Chriss PF/C PHX – The Suns are “speeding up” the development process as they moved Chriss into the starting lineup this week. Chriss is still a teenager but he has great upside given his ability to shoot from deep while also rebound and block shots. Chriss struggled in his 3 starts but finally broke loose with Saturday with 16 points 5 rebounds 1 steal with 2 3-pointers. The upside is there. He just has to stay out of foul trouble to get more minutes. Len is currently starting for the Suns because Tyson Chandler is out due to personal reasons. He might keep the starting gig even when Chandler comes back so he’s worth a pickup in all leagues until further notice.
Jon Leuer PF/C DET – He’s the first big off the bench for the Pistons and coach Stan Van Gundy loves him as a stretch-four. He’s not going to have flashy lines but he can give you 12/7 with a trickle of blocks and 3 pointers without hurting you in percentages and turnovers. Give him a look if you need a big man.
Sell Highs:
I feel like I’m beating a dead horse but these 3 are the perfect definition of a sell-high;
Dwyane Wade SG CHI, Rudy Gay SF/PF SAC, Pau Gasol PF/C SAS
DeMar DeRozan SG/SF TOR – He’s still killin’ it averaging 34 points on the season on 52% FG. That’s not sustainable as he’s not doing much else besides scoring. He’s currently averaging only 0.3 3-pointers so that really limits his upside. If you can get him for a stud like Damian Lillard or say, a Kristaps Porzingis, I say that’s a win. Target anyone in the top 30 range.
Buy Lows:
Jae Crowder SF/PF BOS – He’s nearing a comeback from his injury and this is the perfect time to send an offer to an owner who might’ve forgot how valuable Crowder is in fantasy. He was ranked #18 overall before his injury. I’m sending out offers everywhere.
Gorgui Dieng PF/C MIN – Hehehe, I myself bought low when I sent out an offer early last week of my Aaron Gordon for his Gorgui Dieng. Dieng was struggled a bit for a few games so that owner probably was a bit fed up. Aaron Gordon is a nice player to have, but he doesn’t offer the same upside Dieng can give me. I’m very happy to have him over Gordon as now Gordon is rotting on the bench in Orlando. Coach Vogel is crazy to bench his young stud. Give him a look in your leagues if you want to trade for a big man.
Paul Millsap PF/C ATL – The presence of Howard really might hurt Millsap over the course of the season. However, I’m banking on the fact that he’s going to get better as the Hawks need Millsap more than ever as he is arguably their second-best scoring option. He’s still currently sitting at 8th round-value. Buy low while you still can. The monster games are coming.
Drops:
Kris Dunn & Tyus Jones PG MIN – Ricky Rubio is back, look elsewhere.
Jaylen Brown SF BOS – Just not enough minutes to solidify his fantasy deficiencies.
Bismack Biyombo PF/C ORL – If you were holding him this long, use this spot to stream. He’s just not the same player he was in Toronto. He might be worth picking up later on the season though.
Jamal Crawford SG/SF LAC – No longer getting enough minutes to make a difference in standard leagues.
Joe Johnson SG/SF UTA – The injury of Favors might make him relevant again, but we’ll see.
JaMychal Green PF MEM – The minutes are there, but his usage on the starting unit is just way too low.
Ty Lawson PG SAC – Darren Collison is back, but this messing timeshare at the PG position is not great for fantasy.
Week 4 Schedule:
4 Games - ATL, BKN, BOS, CHI, DAL, DET, HOU, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, NOR, NYK, OKC, PHI, POR, TOR, UTA
3 Games - CHA, CLE, DEN, GSW, LAL, MIL, MIN, ORL, PHO, SAC, SAS, WAS
Tweet me @fungo24 for anything basketball or fantasy-related! I’m always available for suggestions or questions on Twitter. Let’s be friends ☺