Friday brought with it nine games in the NBA, led off by the Atlanta Hawks upsetting the Philadelphia 76ers, led by Kevin Huerter. The rookie went off for a career-high 29 points and it is a travesty he isn’t rostered in more leagues. Let’s break down all nine games, picking out the fringe players that came to play on a busy Friday.
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Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Kevin Huerter
- DeAndre Bembry
Players to stream
- T.J. McConnell
- Mario Hezonja
- Ed Davis
- Shabazz Napier
- Austin Rivers
- Alec Burks
- Maxi Kleber
- Michael Beasley
- Seth Curry
Atlanta Hawks def. Philadelphia 76ers 123-121
Hawks
- Kevin Huerter (39%) – Add: The fact Huerter is not rostered in more leagues is baffling. He dropped a career-high 29 points including five triples Friday, leading the Hawks to victory over the 76ers. He has scored in double-digits in six consecutive games while playing at least at least 34 minutes in all six. If he is available in your league and you need some guard stats, don’t hesitate to grab him.
- DeAndre Bembry (38%) – Add: After going scoreless in his previous game, Bembry bounced back with 14 points in Friday’s win. Outside of the last performance, Bembry has been playing well as a member of the starting unit, contributing in multiple categories.
76ers
- T.J. McConnell (22%) – Stream: McConnell kept things going Friday, finishing with 16 points and six assists in the loss to Atlanta. He also racked up another two steals and has now put up multiple assists and steals in five of his past seven games.
- Wilson Chandler (18%) – Drop
- Landry Shamet (16%) – Drop
- Mike Muscala (15%) – Drop: Muscala tied his season-high with four triples Friday, taking advantage of a spot start. Joel Embiid was a late scratching which meant Muscala was able to see his highest minutes total in over a month. Embbid’s injury doesn’t sound too serious meaning Muscala will likely shift back to a bench role very shortly.
- Furkan Korkmaz (12%) – Drop
- Jonah Bolden (10%) – Drop
Washington Wizards def. Milwaukee Bucks 113-106
Wizards
- Troy Brown (16%) – Drop
- Sam Dekker (10%) – Drop
- Ian Mahinmi (7%) – Watch
- Chasson Randle (6%) – Drop
Bucks
- George Hill (32%) – Drop
- Ersan Ilyasova (21%) – Drop: Ilyasova moved into the starting lineup Friday, taking the place of Giannis Antetokounmpo who was nursing a leg injury. He was solid in his 26 minutes but as soon as Antetokounmpo returns, Ilyasova will shift back to a 15-minute role.
- Thon Maker (14%) – Drop
- Sterling Brown (9%) – Drop: Brown scored 10 points Friday and has now scored at least 10 points in three of his past four games. He is not there yet in standard formats but his minutes have been trending up over the past three games.
Indiana Pacers def. New York Knicks 121-106
Pacers
- Cory Joseph (20%) – Drop
- Kyle O’Quinn (12%) – Drop
- Doug McDermott (11%) – Drop
- TJ Leaf (6%) – Drop
Knicks
- Mario Hezonja (46%) – Stream: Hezonja racked up a season-high five steals Friday, bringing his total across the last three games to 11. The minutes are back for Hezonja and the production has predictably followed. His playing time moving forward is anyone’s guess but as long as he is out there for significant stretches, he is worth throwing on the end of your bench.
- Trey Burke (36%) – Drop: Burke scored in double-digits for the fourth straight game but it came on low efficiency and he added very little else.
- Luke Kornet (35%) – Drop
- Allonzo Trier (26%) – Drop
- Damyean Dotson (20%) – Watch: Dotson produced 15 points including three triples Friday, his best offensive game in quite some time. Tim Hardaway suffered a hamstring injury and while it doesn’t sound too serious, the Knicks are going to be cautious here. If Hardaway is forced to miss time, Dotson will certainly look to continue this kind of form moving forward.
Toronto Raptors def. Brooklyn Nets 122-105
Raptors
- OG Anunoby (31%) – Drop: Anunoby finished with 13 points in 22 minutes Friday but garbage time was a factor and so owners shouldn’t concern themselves just yet.
- Delon Wright (16%) – Watch: Wright had a solid all-around game Friday, ending with 12 points and three steals. He has now recorded a combined 10 steals over his past six games while scoring in double-digits in three of those. His playing time has fluctuated between 14 and 25 minutes, making him tough to roster at the moment.
- Greg Monroe (14%) – Drop: Monroe took advantage of garbage time Friday, falling two rebounds short of a double-double. He has had ok numbers across the last week but is more of a deep league asset only.
- Norman Powell (12%) – Drop
Nets
- Ed Davis (26%) – Stream: Davis was quit on the boards Friday but remains an elite source of rebounds and is still available in almost 75 percent of leagues.
- Rodions Kurucs (25%) – Watch
- Shabazz Napier (17%) – Stream: Napier put up another 15 points Friday and is on quite a roll at the moment. Across his last nine games, he is averaging 13.2 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.9 triples, solid production in basically any format.
Houston Rockets def. Cleveland Cavaliers 141-113
Rockets
- Austin Rivers (29%) – Stream: Rivers had another 12 points Friday but as per normal, did basically nothing else. The playing time was down from previous games, however, that was simply due to the game being well in hand.
- Danuel House Jr. (19%) – Watch: House had his best game in over a week, buoyed by the lack of skill on the Cleveland end of the floor. He filled the boxscore but the numbers do need to be put into context given the opposition.
- Gerald Green (16%) – Stream
- James Ennis (15%) – Drop
- Brandon Knight (14%) – Drop: Knight scored a season-high 12 points in Friday’s blowout victory but this was merely a garbage-time special.
Cavaliers
- Alec Burks (28%) – Stream: Burks ended with double-digits for the fourth time in his last five games, chipping in with production in all categories. Rodney Hood returned for this game and as he works up to his full allotment of minutes, Burks could take a hit.
- Cameron Payne (12%) – Watch: Payne had another productive evening Friday, despite scoring just nine points. He has played at least 20 minutes in all three of his games as a Cavalier and given their lack of stars, is worth keeping an eye on.
- Ante Zizic (12%) – Watch: Zizic had his best game of the season Friday, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. The 24 minutes were also a season-high with a large portion coming in garbage time. He has been playing better lately but until the Cavaliers are actually competitive, it is going to be hard to get a read on his potential moving forward.
- Matthew Dellavedova (7%) – Drop
Dallas Mavericks def. Minnesota Timberwolves 119-115
Mavericks
- J.J. Barea (44%) – Watch: Barea left Friday’s game early after suffering what appeared to be either a calf or an Achilles injury. He did not roll his ankle but was unable to leave the floor under his own power. Prior to this, he was having an excellent game, and so owners should just hold tight to see what happens.
- Dwight Powell (21%) – Drop
- Dorian Finney-Smith (16%) – Drop
- Maxi Kleber (13%) – Stream: Kleber started again for the Mavericks on Friday, finishing with 13 points and three rebounds. He has put together solid back-to-back games and should be viewed as a potential streaming candidate as long as Dennis Smith remains sidelined.
Timberwolves
- Tyus Jones (26%) – Drop
- Josh Okogie (19%) – Drop: Okogie tallied 15 points Friday, his highest total since December 18. He has been playing decent minutes with Robert Covington on the sidelines but we would need to see a lot more before considering him for standard formats.
- Gorgui Dieng (15%) – Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns tweaked his ankle during Friday’s loss and could potentially miss the first game of his career. If that is the case, Dieng would likely step into the starting role which would make him a sneaky pickup given his upside.
Utah Jazz def. Los Angeles Lakers 113-95
Jazz
- Kyle Korver (16%) – Drop
- Royce O’Neale (8%) – Drop: O’Neale played 40 minutes Friday, scoring a season-high 17 points including five triples. The Jazz are down on troops at the moment and basically ran an eight-man rotation. O’Neale had scored a total of 15 points in his last five games and so there is no real value here.
Lakers
- Lance Stephenson (19%) – Drop
- Ivica Zubac (19%) – Drop: Zubac scored 10 points in Friday’s blowout loss, however, remains a non-factor in 12-team leagues as long as JaVale McGee is healthy.
- Tyson Chandler (14%) – Drop
- Michael Beasley (10%) – Stream: Beasley dropped a team-high 17 points in Friday’s big loss to the Jazz, the fourth straight time he has reached double-digits. As long as LeBron James is sidelined, Beasley could be worth a look as a points streamer given the Lakers lack of scoring options.
Portland Trail Blazers def. Charlotte Hornets 127-96
Trail Blazers
- Zach Collins (30%) – Watch
- Evan Turner (28%) – Watch: Turner finished with 15 points in 21 minutes Friday, leading all bench scorers. Moe Harkless is likely going to miss some time with his troublesome knee which could afford Turner some additional playing time.
- Seth Curry (14%) – Stream: Curry was ineffective Friday but the game was a blowout which could have impacted his playing time. He has been shooting the ball well, having now hit 14 three-pointers across his last six games.
- Meyers Leonard (8%) – Drop
- Jake Layman (8%) – Drop
Hornets
- Willy Hernangomez (47%) – Drop
- Miles Bridges (34%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (22%) – Drop
- Bismack Biyombo (16%) – Drop
- Tony Parker (15%) – Drop
Golden State Warriors def. Chicago Bulls 146-109
Warriors
- Jordan Bell (40%) – Drop: Bell had a season-high 13 points Friday but still only managed to see 15 minutes of court time despite the blowout. Unfortunately, the playing time just isn’t there and he needs to be left on the waivers.
- Kevon Looney (28%) – Drop: Looney contributed across the board Friday but with DeMarcus Cousins just a week away, he can be left for deeper formats only.
- Andre Iguodala (18%) – Drop
- Jonas Jerebko (15%) – Drop
- Quinn Cook (13%) – Drop: Cook had 15 points in a garbage time special, therefore making this an outlier as opposed to a standard effort.
Bulls
- Chandler Hutchison (15%) – Drop
- Ryan Arcidiacono (15%) – Drop
- Shaquille Harrison (13%) – Watch: The Bulls are terrible and Harrison has perhaps the most upside of any of the backup guards. Keep an eye on things in case he manages to work his way into a 22-minutes role, given his ability to steal the ball.
- Robin Lopez (12%) – Drop
- Wayne Selden Jr. (10%) – Drop
- Antonio Blakeney (10%) – Drop: Blakeney finished with 12 points for the second straight game but is about as one-dimensional as players come and can be ignored in most formats.
Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax
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