A very quiet Saturday in the NBA with only 10 teams in action. The Denver Nuggets romped home over the Houston Rockets despite missing both Gary Harris and Jamal Murray. Malik Beasley exploded for a career-high 35 points and needs to be picked up in most competitive leagues while he is hot. I will break down all five games, looking at Beasley as well as just a few fringe players who were able to make strides towards standard league relevance.
Not using Fantrax to host your fantasy basketball league? Check out our fantasy basketball commissioner and see why you should be!
Fantasy Basketball Fringe
Players to add
- Tyler Johnson
- Monte Morris
- Malik Beasley
Players to stream
- Malik Monk
- Nerlens Noel
- Terrance Ferguson
- Kyle Korver
- Jeremy Lin
Charlotte Hornets def. Memphis Grizzlies 100-92
Hornets
- Malik Monk (46%) – Stream: Monk scored in double-figures for the third straight game, ending with 20 points including four triples. He offers nothing when it comes to peripheral stats but given his current playing time, he is worth streaming in if you need points and threes.
- Miles Bridges (33%) – Drop
- Willy Hernangomez (31%) – Drop
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (21%) – Drop
- Bismack Biyombo (17%) – Drop
- Tony Parker (15%) – Drop: Parker had 15 points and seven assists during his 22 minutes in Friday’s victory. He is still capable of having 12-team value but his role is too inconsistent to be considered a must-roster player.
Grizzlies
- Garrett Temple (23%) – Drop
- Shelvin Mack (17%) – Watch: Mack had a productive game Friday with Mike Conley on the sidelines. The immediate future of a number of Grizzlies players is questionable at best and so grabbing anyone here is risky.
- Bruno Caboclo (10%) – Watch: Basically every player on the Grizzlies is a wait-and-see at the moment given the uncertainty around the roster moving forward. Caboclo has been contributing over the past few games but should not be picked up just yet.
- Jevon Carter (9%) – Watch
- Joakim Noah (8%) – Watch: Noah recorded a double-double in Friday’s loss and certainly outplayed Marc Gasol. Gasol’s poor production could be because of a number of reasons and until his future is sorted, Noah is simply a player to monitor.
- Ivan Rabb (8%) – Watch: Rabb finished Friday’s loss with 15 points and five rebounds and much like Joakim Noah, he outplayed Marc Gasol. Owners should keep a close eye on things in Memphis for the next week until the trade deadline has come and gone.
Boston Celtics def. New York Knicks 113-99
Celtics
- Aron Baynes (13%) – Drop
- Daniel Theis (10%) – Drop
Knicks
- Mario Hezonja (47%) – Watch: Much like the Grizzlies, the Knicks fringe players are all going to see a change in their roles moving forward. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, those changes are almost impossible to predict at this time. If Hezonja can find his way to at least 30 minutes on a nightly basis, he becomes a must-roster player.
- Allonzo Trier (42%) – Watch: Trier is certainly a candidate to move into a more prominent role for the Knicks but at this stage, owners need to sit tight and see how the rotations develop moving forward.
- Frank Ntilikina (35%) – Drop
- Luke Kornet (22%) – Watch: Kornet was back in the starting lineup but finished with just nine points in 17 minutes. DeAndre Jordan is now a member of the Knicks squad but it remains to be seen whether he actually hangs around.
- Damyean Dotson (19%) – Watch: Dotson finished with 22 points in 37 minutes, adding just another question to the already growing list of uncertainties regarding the Knicks rotations. Owners should not run and grab him yet as there is a decent chance he goes back to 20 minutes for the next game.
Oklahoma City Thunder def. Miami Heat 118-102
Thunder
- Nerlens Noel (34%) – Stream: Noel moved back to the bench Friday, playing just 21 minutes despite the blowout. He put up three blocks and remains a worthwhile defensive streamer in many competitive leagues.
- Terrance Ferguson (18%) – Stream: Ferguson was back in the starting lineup Friday but was terrible for those who had held on to him, ending with zero points in 23 minutes. He had been playing well prior to this game and if you are in a position to wait, he is worth holding to see if he can get things going again in the next game.
- Patrick Patterson (8%) – Drop
Heat
- James Johnson (41%) – Watch
- Tyler Johnson (31%) – Add: Johnson finished with just six points in 22 minutes Friday, however, the game was over early and many of the starters saw reduced playing time. It appears as though he is going to stick in the starting lineup for the time being and is worth picking up if you need cheap guard stats.
- Dion Waiters (21%) – Drop
- Wayne Ellington (20%) – Watch: After a couple of nice performances, Ellington played just four minutes in Friday’s loss. Keep an eye on him in case the minutes increase again but at this stage, the Heat rotations are far too inconsistent for him to be trusted.
Utah Jazz def. Atlanta Hawks 128-112
Jazz
- Kyle Korver (18%) – Stream: Korver played 25 minutes in Friday’s win, hitting a pair of three-pointers on his way to 14 points.
- Royce O’Neale (12%) – Watch
Hawks
- Jeremy Lin (45%) – Stream: Lin played just 10 minutes Friday in one of his poorer performances in recent memory. This was out of the blue as he had been playing well and owners should still consider him as a possible streamer, providing points and assists.
- DeAndre Bembry (40%) – Drop: has been trending down over the past week or so, and owners can probably move on at this stage. There is a chance the Hawks move a couple of players at the trade deadline and so he could begin to trend back up after the all-star break.
- Omari Spellman (18%) – Drop
Denver Nuggets def. Houston Rockets 136-122
Nuggets
- Mason Plumlee (39%) – Drop: Plumlee was solid enough Friday but typically sees too little playing time to have value outside of deeper formats.
- Monte Morris (34%) – Add: With the Nuggets backcourt banged up, Morris continues to take full advantage, putting in another solid performance Friday. He finished with 18 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Jamal Murray is nearing a return and Gary Harris continues to have issues with his various leg injuries. Even when both are healthy, Morris has shown enough to remain an integral part of the rotation. He is worth picking up until both Murray and Harris are able to return to the lineup.
- Malik Beasley (30%) – Add: Beasley had the game of his life Friday, finishing with a career-high 35 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He has shot at least 50 percent in 11 straight games, hitting multiple three-pointers in all 11 games. The time has come to pick Beasley up in most formats if you need points and threes.
- Trey Lyles (26%) – Drop
- Juancho Hernengomez (20%) – Drop
- Torrey Craig (13%) – Watch: Craig went-off for a career-high 22 points Friday, taking advantage of Gary Harris being on the sidelines. Harris just can’t seem to stay healthy and the Nuggets could be well-advised to give him an extended break leading up to the all-star break. If Harris does miss additional time, Craig is someone to keep an eye on in case he can continue trending back up. Of course, Harris could return for tomorrow’s game in which case Craig would lose a lot of his appeal.
Rockets
- Austin Rivers (24%) – Drop
- Gerald Green (16%) – Drop
- James Ennis (15%) – Drop
Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax
Ready to take your team to the next level? Check out all of our Fantasy Basketball content.
Fantrax is one of the fastest growing fantasy sites of 2018. With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.