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Alright folks, nap time is over! You've stuffed your face full of turkey, now it's time to get serious as we begin the final stretch of the year. It's not time to be reflective, or to be thankful, it's time to get your game face on and embrace one of the busiest times of the year. Don't get left behind in the hoopla between Thanksgiving and Christmas, buckle up, and embrace the wild ride.
Fantasy Studs
Five guys who stood out this week from the rest.
Erik Williams-USA Today
James Harden. Harden scored a casual 60 points in a blowout with over the Atlanta Hawks, and many agree that he could have done much, much more. He did that in just 30 minutes of playing time. He also added eight assists to that performance too. Right now, offensively, everything seems too easy for Harden.
Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak dropped a 50-point game and barely anyone even talked about. He's that good. He's a walking highlight reel every time he steps onto the court. He keeps finding ways to improve upon his game each season, which is already one of the best in the league.
Trae Young. Young rained in eight three's and scored 49 points against the Pacers. Over his last four games, he is averaging 38 points, and over seven assists, and five made three's a game. In real life the Hawks aren't winning much, but that matters little for your fantasy team.
Luka Doncic. Doncic has two 40-point games in his last three efforts. The other game in that stretch was a rough game by his standard, and he still put up 22 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
Spencer Dinwiddie. Not only did he win a Player-of-the-Week award, he also makes our Fantasy Studs list for Week 6, which is just as prestigious of an award. In Kyrie Irving's absence, Dinwiddie is leading the charge for the Nets. Over his last four games he is averaging 25 points, three rebounds, eight assists, and four made three's a night, while shooting high percentages.
Fantasy Duds.
Five guys who are probably looking forward to putting this week behind them.
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Mike Conley. At this point, you might be getting nervous if you drafted Conley. Although he kicked off December by scoring 20 points, the three previous games we all pretty bad. He essentially averaged six points, five rebounds, and six assists, while shooting under 25%.
Mitchell Robinson. I'm not sure what the Knicks are doing here. He's clearly one of their better players and he needs time to develop, but he's not getting the minutes to be a major fantasy contributor right now. He hasn't scored or rebounded in double-digits in six games. He's still a good source of blocks, but not much else.
Robert Covington. Two of his last three games need to be forgotten completely. Even the third "better" game was nothing to write home about. Lately he has just not been producing at a high level.
Dejounte Murray. Murray looks to be falling out of favor in the Spurs rotation pretty quickly. His play is inconsistent and this week wasn't too friendly to him. In his three games this week, he's averaged under six points, six rebounds, and three assists per game. If this trend continues, he's doing to be an easy drop candidate.
OG Anunoby. Anunoby is starting a trend of having one good game, one ok game, and one bad game each week. This week he had 12 point, 13 rebound game, followed by a game where he only scored two points with seven rebounds on 20% shooting. This is not a fun trend if you are rostering him.
Week 5 Overview.
For some of you, you are probably lamenting that the Thanksgiving holiday is over. For others, you've probably already had your Christmas decorations up for the month now and the real celebrating can begin. For fantasy basketball, maybe you have fallen into one of these camps. The one who wishes things were as good as they were at the start of the year, and the ones who are looking forward to finishing this year strong.
I'd recommend looking for deals now before the season gets too much further along, and you get taken advantage of while trying to make a change. Look for guys on your team who you can sell high right now to acquire more depth. Go to the teams in the bottom half of your standings and see who is desperate for a change. A few more weeks of bad play may be all it takes for some of these teams to already be on the verge of missing the playoffs. Strike while there are deals to be had!
Waiver Wire Potential
Here are 10 guys who are owned in 50%or less in standard Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues could possibly help your team this week.
Jason Vinlove-USA Today
Alec Burks, PG/SG 50%). I imagine this will be Burks last week on this list, because he'll be owned in more than 50% of fantasy leagues. Burks has been a bright spot on the dim season for the Warriors. He's putting up a stat line close to 15/4/3 most nights and should be rostered if you need guard help.
Josh Hart SG/SF (44%). Hart is back and he's healthy. His past two games haven't been anything to write home about, however with news breaking that Kenrich Williams is going to miss time, it opens the door for Hart to play significant minutes. He's be a decent source of points, three's, and rebounds.
Derrick White, PG/SG (43%). As we mentioned with Murray above, White seems poised to take over the starting point guard spot for the Spurs. While none of his numbers are going to wow you right now, I always like to encourage taking a flyer on a starting point guard.
Kelly Olynyk PF/C (43%). While you typically want your power forwards and centers to rebound well and block shots, that's not necessarily Olynyk's speciality. He'll be a good source of points and three's, whiling shooting a nice field goal percentage. He did have a 16 rebound game a few days ago, so there is always a chance he could help you there too.
Markelle Fultz, PG/SG (42%). I know. I know! He's on here again, but he's put together eight straight games scoring in double-digits. It looks like he is finally finding his place in the NBA.
Tim Hardaway Jr. SG/SF (40%). Since Hardaway Jr. has been inserted into the starting lineup, he looks like a new player. In his last six games starting, he is averaging slightly over 18 points each night. He's also made three three's a game during that stretch with some steals, assists, and rebounds sprinkled in.
Mo Bamba PF/C (26%). While Nikola Vucevic is out, Bamba has been the next man up. He's had 13 blocks in his last six games, which is what we assumed he could do. What surprised everyone was when he went 5-5 from three. He's worth a flier if you have room to spare. He was a lottery pick for a reason and may be finally ready to show what he is able to do.
Norman Powell, SG/SF (22%). When Kawhi Leonard left the Toronto Raptors, a few guys would need to step up to replace his production. It's taken Powell a little bit, but he seems to be hitting his stride. He scored a career-high 33 points against the Orlando Magic, he also added in five made three's. He's worth a deep look if you want to strike while he's hot.
Bismack Biyombo PF/C (13%). Beyond having a fun name to say, Biyombo is seeing an increase in minutes and opportunity over his last four games. He had a dude on Sunday against Giannis and the Bucks, but previously was averaging double-digit point totals and nearly double-digit rebounds in the past four games.
Jarret Culver SG/SF (15%). Culver is getting a look with the starting rotation after being selected sixth overall in last years draft. It's going to be rough some nights, but he has been given the green light to go out and play basketball. He might be worth the add if you think he can grow into his draft position and you want to get a jump on everyone else in your league.