Seven more games on Sunday, headlined by the matchup between the top two teams in the NBA in Denver and Toronto. Both teams were vastly under-strength which allowed some fringe players to step up. Monte Morris has been a top 25 player over the past week and came through again as the Nuggets pulled out the victory. Let’s look at the players who could have a fantasy impact moving forward.
Fantasy Basketball Fringe Report
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Brooklyn Nets def. Atlanta Hawks 144-127
Nets
DeMarre Carroll (40%) – Watch: Carroll scored in double-digits for the second straight game, finishing with 15 points and a pair of steals. It has to put into context, however, as it was against the Hawks. He is worth watching to see if he can keep things going.
Ed Davis (25%) – Stream: Davis saw some additional playing time Sunday with Jarrett Allen in early foul trouble. The game was also a blowout so the numbers are somewhat inflated. He remains a solid rebounding streaming option.
Rodions Kurucs (12%) – Stream: Kurucs has now scored in double-digits in three straight games as he fills in for the injured Allen Crabbe. As long as Crabbe is on the sidelines, Kurucs appears likely to soak up the playing time and has been putting up solid production.
Shabazz Napier (11%) – Drop
Kenneth Faried (5%) – Drop
Jared Dudley (5%) – Drop: Dudley finished with 16 points Sunday but that was largely due to garbage time. He is typically a regular part of the rotation but offers very little from a fantasy perspective.
Hawks
DeAndre Bembry 38%) – Watch: Bembry continues to struggle despite the increase in playing time. He has shown flashes of some fantasy upside but on the whole has been disappointing. If he can string together a couple of decent performances, he might be worth a look.
Alex Len (38%) – Drop: Dewayne Dedmon has solidified himself as the starting center which basically negates all of Len’s value.
Kevin Huerter (38%) – Add: Huerter scored just four points Sunday but should be given a leave pass for this one. The playing time appears locked in and he should still be on a roster in most formats.
Vince Carter (8%) – Drop
Justin Anderson (7%) – Drop
Tyler Dorsey (6%) – Drop
Jaylen Adams (4%) – Drop
Daniel Hamilton (1%) – Drop
Philadelphia 76ers def. Cleveland Cavaliers 128-105
76ers
Mike Muscala (19%) – Drop: Even in a blowout victory, Muscala only managed eight points and six rebounds. His playing time comes down to what Joel Embiid is doing, therefore making him difficult to roster.
Wilson Chandler (19%) – Drop: Despite starting for the 76ers, there simply isn’t enough usage to go around for Chandler to put up any consistent value.
T.J. McConnell (17%) – Stream: McConnell has all the backup point-guard minutes to himself since Fultz was taken out of the rotation. His ceiling is limited but he could be streamed in if you need assists and steals.
Landry Shamet (16%) – Drop: Shamet had 16 points, however, that was due in part to garbage time. He could be streamed in for three-point shooting but even that can be inconsistent.
Furkan Korkmaz (14%) – Drop: Jimmy Butler is back which basically takes away any upside Korkmaz had.
Jonah Bolden (8%) – Drop
Amir Johnson (7%) – Drop
Shake Milton (5%) – Drop
Cavaliers
Alec Burks (37%) – Drop: After a nice run of games, Burks has now scored in double-figures in just one of his past four games. The minutes are still there and perhaps he can turn things around.
Ante Zizic (13%) – Drop: Zizic got the start against the 76ers but finished with just seven points in 17 minutes. He hadn’t even been in the rotation prior to Sunday so there is nothing to see here.
David Nwaba (12%) – Drop: Nwaba is playing minutes in the low teen’s which is not going to afford him the opportunities he needs to put up value.
Jaron Blossomgame (9%) – Drop
Matthew Dellavedova (7%) – Add: Dellavedova has now scored in double-digits in all four games since being traded. Over that time, he has also recorded 19 assists and nine three-pointers. He is worth a look if you need some guard stats while he is playing well.
Channing Frye (3%) – Drop
Indiana Pacers def. New York Knicks 110-99
Pacers
Cory Joseph (26%) – Stream: Joseph has by all accounts, had a nice season. However, as the Pacers start to get all their players back his value is likely to start trending down. Right now, though he could provide useful steals and assists.
Aaron Holiday (18%) – Drop: Even with Tyreke Evans sitting out, Holiday only played 14 minutes and offered little production.
Doug McDermott (13%) – Drop: McDermott literally does nothing outside of shooting three-pointers. Don’t even bother streaming him in as his role offers no consistency.
Knicks
Mario Hezonja (47%) – Drop: Hezonja has scored a total of just nine points in his last four games and has not played in excess of 13 minutes in any of those.
Trey Burke (44%) – Watch: Burke returned after missing six games with a knee injury. He played just 13 minutes but his production is worth monitoring given the instability surrounding the Knicks right now.
Frank Ntilikina (39%) – Watch: Much like Burke, Ntilikina is worth keeping an eye on until the point-guard rotation finds some traction. Emmanuel Mudiay has the starting spot locked up for now but that could change at any moment based on coach David Fizdale’s history.
Courtney Lee (15%) – Drop
Luke Kornet (5%) – Drop
Washington Wizards def. Los Angeles Lakers 128-110
Wizards
Jeff Green (28%) – Stream: Green has been hot over the past three games, averaging 18.0 points including 3.0 triples. He has seen an increase in playing time but will likely shift back to the bench once Trevor Ariza joins the team. He is worth streaming in if you need points and threes, at least until the rotations settle down.
Tomas Satoransky (20%) – Add: Satoransky has shown he has the ability to facilitate the Wizards offense and with Austin Rivers gone, he is going to get all the backup minutes he can handle. Despite mediocre production of late, he is still worth a speculative add in many formats.
Troy Brown (16%) – Drop
Thomas Bryant (13%) – Drop: Bryant had his best game in quite some time Sunday but that was likely due to the blowout nature of the scoreline.
Sam Dekker (10%) – Watch: Dekker exploded for a season-high 20 points Sunday, also chipping in with three steals. There is no need to go rushing to the waivers after this one but he is worth keeping an eye on moving forward. The Wizards lost both Kelly Oubre and Austin Rivers in the trade, receiving Trevor Ariza in return. That likely means there are going to be some extra minutes floating around and perhaps an opportunity for Dekker to take on a bigger role.
Jordan McRae (1%) – Drop
Okaro White (0%) – Drop
Lakers
Lance Stephenson (21%) – Stream: Stephenson scored in double-figures for the third straight game Sunday. His recent production looks sexy but it has come on unsustainable efficiency. You could stream him in if you need some cheap points but be prepared for the regression which could come at any moment.
Tyson Chandler (16%) – Stream: Despite the game being over early, Chandler still managed to haul down seven rebounds. Stream him in if you need some boards.
Moritz Wagner (14%) – Drop: Wager had his best game of the season Sunday but keep in mind he hadn’t played more than 10 minutes prior to this. If he ever finds a regular spot in the rotation, he could be worth a look but that seems unlikely at this stage.
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (12%) – Drop
Ivica Zubac (9%) – Drop
Isaac Bonga (7%) – Drop
Sacramento Kings def. Dallas Mavericks 120-113
Kings
Justin Jackson (15%) – Drop: Jackson typically sees playing time in the mid-twenties but rarely produces anything close to resembling standard league value.
Yogi Ferrell (11%) – Drop: Ferrell is playing backup to one of the hottest point guards in the league right now and so the projection is far from positive.
Kosta Koufos (8%) – Drop: Koufos can help on the boards from time to time but even those numbers are inconsistent when compared to other streaming options.
Troy Williams (6%) – Drop
Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki (39%) – Drop: Nowitzki is simply too late in his career to warrant a roster spot in anything but the deepest of formats. His playing time will likely increase and his production could be revisited at a later stage but standard league value seems very unlikely.
Dorian Finney-Smith (24%) – Drop: Finney-Smith is likely to continue trending down as the Mavericks get healthy bodies back. He has some upside in steals and rebounds but not enough to even be considered for streaming at this stage.
Dwight Powell (23%) – Drop: Powell certainly has the ability to put up numbers in limited time, albeit with some inconsistency. As Dirk Nowitzki begins to get his legs under him, Powell’s playing time is likely to start trending down.
Jalen Brunson (16%) – Stream: Brunson received his fourth start of the season Sunday, with both J.J. Barea and Dennis Smith on the sidelines. He finished with 12 points and three assists and is worth a stream if either player is forced to miss additional time.
Maxi Kleber (15%) – Drop: Much like Dwight Powell, Kleber is likely to see his playing time decrease as Dirk Nowitzki gets more games under his belt.
Devin Harris (7%) – Drop
Ryan Broekhoff (3%) – Drop
Miami Heat def. New Orleans Pelicans 102-96
Heat
James Johnson (48%) – Drop: Johnson started Sunday but played just 16 minutes in the victory. Kelly Olynyk played 32 minutes and seems to be the power forward to own in Miami right now.
Tyler Johnson (31%) – Add: Despite some inefficient shooting, Johnson still scored 15 points in 26 minutes Sunday. Goran Dragic is still struggling with a knee injury and Wayne Ellington is basically out of the rotation. Johnson look set to pick up the bulk of the backup minutes and is worth adding to see how things play out.
Derrick Jones Jr. (18%) – Add: Jones is the 37th ranked player over the past week and while it is a short sample size, he does have the ability to contribute across the board. This kind of production might not be sustainable but he is worth adding right now as the Heat seems committed to playing him.
Pelicans
Tim Frazier (36%) – Add: Frazier was terrible in Sunday’s loss to Miami, failing to score in just 12 minutes. Prior to this game he had been rolling along as a fringe standard league player and is still worth putting on the end of your bench if you need assists, steals, and high efficiency from a guard.
Frank Jackson (11%) – Drop
Cheick Diallo (10%) – Stream: Julius Randle suffered a sprained ankle Sunday and looks set to miss Wednesday’s game. With Nikola Mirotic already sidelined, the backup minutes are likely to fall to Diallo. He is worth streaming if indeed Randle is forced out.
Darius Miller (10%) – Drop
Andrew Harrison (5%) – Drop
Denver Nuggets def. Toronto Raptors 95-86
Nuggets
Monte Morris (45%) – Add: Morris continued his stellar play Sunday, scoring 12 points with four assists and two steals. Morris is the 22nd ranked player over the past week and basically has to be rostered everywhere. If he is available, make the move.
Trey Lyles (45%) – Add: Lyles is right on the cusp of being dropped right now thanks to his terrible shooting. Over his past five games, he has shot a combined 13-of-52 from the field. If he can turn it around, he will certainly have to be considered in standard leagues again.
Mason Plumlee (41%) – Add: Plumlee continues to start for the injury-ravaged Nuggets and has looked good alongside Nikola Jokic. Plumlee rarely puts up big numbers but can fill the stat sheet on a nightly basis and is worth adding, at least until Will Barton returns.
Malik Beasley (15%) – Drop
Torrey Craig (7%) – Watch: Craig started and played a whopping 39 minutes Sunday, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds. Word is that Will Barton is nearing a return which would basically eliminate the bulk of Craig’s value.
Nick Young (4%) – Drop
Raptors
OG Anunoby (33%) – Drop: Despite the defensive upside, Anunoby is yet to find any rhythm and can be ignored in most formats.
Delon Wright (17%) – Drop: Wright got the start Sunday with both Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet out with injuries. Wright scored a season-high 15 points in 38 minutes, adding eight rebounds and four assists. Lowry and VanVleet are simply day-to-day at this stage which makes Wright a tough add.
Greg Monroe (15%) – Drop: Monroe played just 13 minutes once again even with Jonas Valanciunas and Pascal Siakam on the sidelines. Don’t get caught up in what he has done in previous seasons, at least until we see some evidence of him being able to do it again.
C.J. Miles (8%) – Drop
Chris Boucher (7%) – Drop
Malachi Richardson (3%) – Drop
Lorenzo Brown (2%) – Drop
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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