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Russell Westbrook is officially averaging a triple-double for the season. Are we surprised? Not really. This just goes to show what a beast RWB is. I have never seen a player so fast with the ball, and I witnessed it Monday at the Garden when the Knicks hosted the Thunder. His relentless attacks and rebounding for a guard his size was amazing to see. To be clear, I was standing next to him in the visiting locker room, and he’s maybe just 5 inches taller than me. Special special player. Week 6 is officially over, as we look at some of the breakout performers of the week.
Breakout Performers of Week 6:
Kyle Lowry PG TOR – Lowry has put behind his slow start to the season as he has really picked it up over the past few games. In four games this week, Lowry averaged 23.5 PPG 4.8 RPG 7.8 APG with 4.8 triples and 1.3 SPG. Oh and he shot 67% FG as well. The FG% obviously isn’t going to be this good going forward. However, he has shown in the past he has 1st round upside as he’s been the 4th best player overall in 9-cat leagues this week.
Gordon Hayward SG/SF UTA – The Jazz are a bit banged up right now and Utah has turned to their captain to shoulder the heavy lifting. He hasn’t disappointed putting up averages of 29.8 PPG 4.3 RPG 4 APG with 1.5 steals and 2.3 3PTm. He won’t sustain this type of production, but he can definitely flirt with top-25 value all year. Captain America is fantasy-friendly as he does a bit of everything.
Serge Ibaka PF/C ORL – The Ibaka experiment in Orlando has exactly translated into wins, but he’s still putting up numbers. Ibaka averaged 16.5 PPG 6.5 RPG with 2.5 blocks and 1.3 3PTm on 59% FG. I recommend selling high, but I also recommend getting someone with top 20 upside in return.
Marc Gasol C MEM – Baby brother Gasol has been phenomenal lately. He hasn’t rebounded the ball well this season but he’s been money in other categories. He’s shooting the 3 ball much more than he has in his career thanks to this new offense from Coach David Fizdale. This does hurt his FG% but in the long run this might be a good thing to stretch Gasol out more on the perimeter to avoid the wear and tear from banging around with other bigs. I highlighted Marc Gasol as a huge risk in my draft guide, but he has been great so far this season. He’s currently #32 overall on the season and should flirt with top 40 all season. It helps that Mike Conley Jr is out for six weeks, so he should be VERY busy. I recently just traded for Marc Gasol in a cheap $20 league so I’m also on board with Team Gasol. Health is key here.
Karl Anthony-Towns C MIN – This young wolf put on a show this week when he scorched the Knicks defense for a career-high 47 points to go along with 18 rebounds on Wednesday. Even though it wasn’t enough to get a win, it sure got the leagues attention. The league is in great hands with the likes of Anthony Davis, Kristaps Porzingis, and Karl Anthony-Towns on the rise. Kat is starting to heat up for owners who drafted him as high as #5 in standard drafts. He averaged 28.3 PPG 13 RPG with 2.3 blocks this week.
John Henson PF/C MIL – John Henson has always flashed his fantasy potential before completely disappearing after owners pick him up, but he has played well enough to be considered a spot in standard leagues with his recent play. Henson averaged 13 PPG 8 RPG with 3 blocks on 51% FG. He can disappear any time, especially with Jason Kidd’s unpredictable coaching rotations, but he’s a must-own right now in all leagues until he cools off.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope SG DET – His name has as much swag as his game. KCP has been really good through four games this week, averaging 18.8 PPG 7.3 RPG 3.8 APG with 3 triples and a steal. He has been a top 50 player the past 2 weeks now and we have to show KCP some love.
JaMychal Green PF MEM – I dropped Green a couple weeks back and I don’t completely regret it. But with his recent play, it’s not helping me sleep any better. Zach Randolph was out, but that change the fact that he’s been a top 40 player in the past week. I don’t think he will be this good when Conley and Parsons comes back, but who knows? He might have carved out a bigger role going forward. Yes, he’s a must-own in 12+ team leagues.
Buy Lows:
Paul Millsap PF/C ATL – Millsap has been dealing with a hip injury that has sidelined him for the past three games. He’s listed day-to-day but he also hasn’t been exactly a great pairing next to Dwight Howard. He’s simply too good, and too fantasy-friendly not to get better. Now would be a great time to send an offer out as he can come back as early as Monday and put up a huge line.
Brandon Ingram SF LAL – The #2 overall pick has been brought along slowly by the Lakers, but this doesn’t hide the fact he has the upside to join the 1-1-1 club as he can average 1 three-pointer, 1 steal and a block per game. He has enough upside to be picked up in all 12+ team leagues. He has the potential to be a difference maker come fantasy playoffs.
Jonas Valanciunas C TOR – Valanciunas has really struggled lately and while there are some injury concerns, it shouldn’t stop you from gauging his value from his owner. JV has top 40 upside. Try to get him especially if you need a big man.
Jrue Holiday PG NOR – Much like JV, Holiday hasn’t been amazing since he’s been back from his wife’s brain surgery. Holiday has enough upside and has proven in the past he can flirt with top 25 numbers. Don’t sleep on Holiday.
Sell Highs:
Dwyane Wade, Brook Lopez, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari will continue to be my Sell High recommendations every week. They are a huge risk to either; random DNP Rest days, Injury history, or a key candidate to be traded to a team that might kill their current value.
Rajon Rondo PG CHI – Rondo has been really good the past two weeks, not counting the dud he put against his former team Dallas Mavericks. (He killed me in DFS btw, ugh) It’s a possibility he maintains this type of production the whole season, but it’s also not a bad idea to trade him to someone who might need help with assists. I would trade him for another top 50 player with little to no hesitation.
Andrew Wiggins SG/SF MIN – Maybe we need to pump the brakes a bit for the former #1 pick. There was always talks about the holes in his fantasy game (all scoring, not much of anything else). While he hasn’t been terrible, I would trade him once he strings along a few high scoring games since a lot of fantasy owners will view points as a misconception to the fantasy value. Just so you know, Wiggins is still only ranked only #86 on the season in 9-cat leagues despite averaging 24.4 PPG on a whopping 37 minutes per game. He’s only 21 years old so there’s no need to panic on his long career ahead.
Pickups:
Brandon Ingram SF LAL – BI will be a very good fantasy player going forward, pick him up now and ride him through the struggles. I’m banking on him finishing top 100 after the New Year.
Andrew Harrison PG MEM – The news of Conley missing six weeks with a back injury propelled Harrison into the starting lineup. He has really filled the void and is doing enough to warrant standard league consideration. He is a rental, but he’s worth adding if you have dead weight.
Will Barton SG/SF DEN – Barton recently came back from an ankle injury and has averaged over 18 points with other goodies over the last 2 games. Pick him up if he’s still sitting on your waiver wire.
Troy Daniels PG MEM – He’s red hot right now, averaging 4.3 three-pointers over the past week. Anyone this hot is worth adding, just don’t expect to last as he may disappear the next game.
Wayne Ellington SG/SF MIA – Much like Troy Daniels, Ellington averaged 17 points with 3 three-pointers over the past week and is worth a spot if you have dead weight.
Sam Dekker SF HOU – Dekker has really played well over the last 3 games, putting up 12.7 PPG 6 RPG with 1.3 steals and 1.3 3PTm. Trevor Ariza is currently questionable Monday, making Dekker a great streaming option at least. He’s probably a must-own in 14+ teams leagues.
John Henson PF/C MIL – I highlighted I don’t trust him fully, but anyone who can give you 3+ blocks a game warrants a spot on your team. Just hope Jason Kidd doesn’t try anything funny and give Henson a random DNP-CD.
JaMychal Green PF MEM – Zbo might take his time to recuperate the loss of his mother. Green is a must-start until further notice because he’s getting 32+minutes per game.
Sean Kilpatrick SG BKN – The return of Jeremy Lin might ruin the party for Kilpatrick, but he’s chucking it away for the Nets until then. Ride him until the wheels fall off.
Sergio Rodriguez PG PHI – Jerryd Bayless has yet to be 100% healthy, making Sergio Rodriguez the only viable NBA-ready point guard on the team. He’s not going to shoot the ball well, but is useful if you need the dimes.
Injury Report:
Gary Harris is a couple weeks away, making him a stash in your league if you have a IR-spot. Nikola Jokic is out for the next three games and is obviously a hold in all leagues. Shame, because Jokic was finally showing some life before this injury.
CJ Miles just returned on Sunday against the Clippers. He was a top 50 player before he went down, meaning you should add him if you have some deadweight.
Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow continues to be out for the Miami Heat. Both are still holds because they are a huge part to Miami’s rebuilding season. They could be back as soon as this week.
Reggie Jackson came back and started on Sunday against Orlando, which can probably send Ish Smith to waiver wires in standard leagues.
Dirk Nowitzki is out “indefinitely” with his nagging achilles injury. He will take his time as there’s basically no reason for the Mavericks to rush him back. I don’t care what Mark Cuban saids, the Mavericks are going to tank this season for the lottery. Perhaps this is the season Dirk finally shows his age. He’s 38 years-old and we shouldn’t continue to expect him to put up another top 50 season. Dwight Powell is on the radar for deep leagues.
D’Angelo Russell will see a doctor today and re-evaluate his return. Lakers won’t rush him but I expect him back within a week. Nick Young is targeting the end of December for his return.
Steven Adams went down with an ankle injury Sunday night against the Pelicans. It’ll be interesting to see what the Thunder are going to do with the starting center spot. Either way, Enes Kanter will probably see a huge increase in minutes if Adams misses time.
TJ Warren – It’s really strange the Suns are being tight-lipped about Warren. Word is he was hospitalized due to an illness, but yet the Suns ruled him out “indefinitely” He’s not a must-hold, but I advise holding until there’s a clear word on his status.
Al-Farouq Aminu is getting really close. He struggled before his calf injury, but he can heat up and be on the radar for standard leagues because he’s the starting power-forward for the Trailblazers. Keep an eye on him.
Robert Covington is day-to-day, keep holding him.
Derrick Favors – Favors and his tricky knees. You can’t trade him because his value is low. You can only hope he returns sooner rather than later. George Hill is also out probably for a few more games due to a toe. Yes, a toe. I have to give Hill a pass because he’s been so good this season though.
Week 7 Schedule:
5 Games – GSW
4 Games – BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAS, UTA, WAS
3 Games – ATL, BKN, OKC, SAC, TOR,
2 Games – LAC
This was a lengthy post, I hope you guys found this useful. It is currently 3:40AM and I’m trying my best to post this by Monday morning. As usual, if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, feel free to tweet me @fungo24! Don’t forget to follow me & @otgbasketball for everything basketball! Good luck this week!