Three and a half weeks. For most fantasy basketball leagues, that is the amount of time remaining before the fantasy playoffs, which means you have this much time left to make up some ground, fight for seeding, or maybe even secure a first-round bye. We can no longer wait for guys who might be useful later. The time is now, and we must look at current trends to find the right players who can help us win these next few weeks. So let’s jump right into this week’s fantasy basketball stock report, so we can identify a handful of players who, for better or worse, could have a significant impact on your upcoming fantasy basketball matchups.
Fantasy Basketball Stock Report
Stock on the Rise
Josh Green, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks
With Luka Doncic out of the lineup and Kyrie Irving not yet available to play for his new team, Josh Green stepped up in a big way last game with a career-high 29 points. The third-year man out of Arizona has been playing much better basketball of late, reaching double figures in three straight and six times since January 20th. Green has also knocked down at least one triple in nine of his last 10 while adding 7 steals in his previous seven games. Obviously, the offensive output will take somewhat of a hit when Doncic and Irving are commanding most of the offensive responsibility. Still, there is very clearly an opportunity for significant minutes on the wing in Dallas. With Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith gone, the team’s need for strong defense has only increased, making him an even more valuable asset to the team. He should make for a nice option down the stretch of this fantasy basketball season.
Cam Thomas, SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets
After Kyrie Irving was traded to the Mavericks, Cam Thomas has stepped into a lead role for the Brooklyn Nets, and to see he has played well would be the understatement of the year. The sophomore out of LSU has gone off for 44, 47, and 43 points in each of his last three games, breaking a number of league records in the process. Still just 21 years old, this guy can flat-out score the basketball, and he is going to maintain a prominent role for this team, especially with Kevin Durant not expected to return until some time after the all-star break. Yes, the presence of Spencer Dinwiddie will take away some of the insane usage that Thomas has seen over the past few games, but he has played far too well to not continue seeing a major workload. Thomas’ stock is skyrocketing, and he needs to be rostered everywhere.
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG, Brooklyn Nets
We talked about the prolific play of Cam Thomas for the Nets, but Spencer Dinwiddie figures to benefit greatly from being traded to Brooklyn as well. Coming from Dallas, Dinwiddie is about to go from being the Robin to Luka Doncic’s Batman, to likely being the number-one option on offense for as long as Kevin Durant remains out of the lineup. His usage will be through the roof, and he should have no trouble producing top-50 numbers as a floor, with the potential for much more in the immediate future. This trade was great news for Dinwiddie’s fantasy basketball stock, as he reunites with his old team.
Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
After being a fantasy basketball preseason favorite to have a breakout season, Ayo Dosunmu has largely been a disappointment for the bulk of the season. He is starting to turn things around however, quietly scoring in double figures in five straight, also adding 5 assists per game over his last three. Also important is that after failing to reach 30 minutes in six straight, he has now topped that mark in each of his last four games, which resulted in a 3-1 record for Chicago. As long as the sophomore guard is playing well and the Bulls are winning, his minutes and production figure to stay high, as his stock continues to rise as we work our way toward the end of the season.
Stock on the Decline
Zach Collins, PF/C, San Antonio Spurs
After a strong stretch that made it seem like Zach Collins was going to take off with a large share of the big man minutes in San Antonio, both the minutes and production have cooled off significantly of late. Collins has failed to see the court for 20 minutes in each of his past three games, watching his minutes decline from 22 on January 30th to 19, then 17, and most recently 13. In that three-game span, the big man hit double-digits just once in the scoring department, grabbing just 10 combined rebounds, and failing to record a single steal or block. With very little time left in the fantasy basketball season to stash him and hope for better days, Collins has seen his stock drop enough that he likely is not worth the wait at this point.