Some early-round fantasy basketball draft picks who got off to slow starts are rounding into shape, while injuries continue to devastate the NBA.
Unlike in fantasy football, where non-injury-related busts litter the early-round landscape — here’s looking at you, Jay Ajayi, DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant — fantasy basketball owners often have no such concerns. Sure, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Paul Millsap and D’Angelo Russell fantasy owners aren’t thrilled that their respective picks are out for a substantial amount of time with injuries, but every non-injured top-30 pick is returning no worse than top-60 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues.
For slow-starting early-round picks, patience is often the best policy in fantasy basketball. Just ask those who drafted Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler this year, both of whom have turned it on as of late after mediocre production at first.
Which other players are rising up or falling down fantasy leaderboards? Here’s a look at a fresh batch of rest-of-season rankings, with expanded thoughts below on some notable recent movers.
2017 Fantasy Basketball Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings
Kyle Lowry, PG, Toronto Raptors: Lowry got off to a miserable start to the 2017-18 season, averaging only 12.4 points on 39.5 percent shooting, 6.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 triples over his first 10 games. While those who spent a second- or third-round pick on him likely panicked those first few weeks, his production over Toronto’s last nine games — 19.3 points on 48.6 percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 3.7 treys — should quell most of those concerns. The 31-year-old still isn’t playing anywhere close to the whopping 37.4 minutes per game he averaged last year, but with Delon Wright out for the next month due to a dislocated shoulder, per ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Lowry’s short- and long-term outlook are both on the rise.
John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards: On Saturday, the Wizards announced Wall would miss roughly two weeks after receiving platelet-rich plasma and viscosupplementation injections to reduce inflammation in his left knee. Considering Wall came off draft boards toward the end of the first round on average this season, that’s the last thing fantasy owners wanted to hear. Through his first 16 games, Wall has barely returned top-50 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues, and he’s now dealing with knee discomfort. Not great, Bob! With that said, now may be the perfect time to float a buy-low offer to a skittish Wall owner.
Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves: It took Butler some time to settle into his new digs in Minnesota, but the three-time All-Star has turned in gem after gem as of late. In his last six games heading into Tuesday, Butler had averaged 21.7 points on 50.0 percent shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.7 triples in 36.6 minutes, good for top-35 value on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues over that span. On the year, he’s now up to 41st overall after barely cracking the top 75 through his first few weeks. The buy-low window has already slammed shut on Butler, but he remains a worthwhile trade target even at full price considering his stat-stuffing top-25 rest-of-season upside.
Blake Griffin, PF, Los Angeles Clippers: Because the Clippers apparently can’t have nice things this year, yet another critical rotation member went down with a long-term injury Monday night. In the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers, Austin Rivers rolled up on Griffin’s left knee, which caused him to suffer an MCL sprain. The team announced Tuesday he could be sidelined for up to eight weeks while he recovers from the injury, which means he might miss upward of the next 30 games. If you have an IR spot, he’s an easy stash, but even if not, his upside is too high for owners to cut him outright. Regardless, his extended time on the sideline causes his rest-of-season value to plunge down to around a fringe top-100 option moving forward.
Rodney Hood, SG, Utah Jazz: Perhaps a trip to the bench was what the doctor ordered to get Rodney Hood going? Since head coach Donovan Mitchell shifted Hood into a reserve role, the fourth-year swingman has gone off for 20.6 points on 44.0 percent shooting, 3.4 triples, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals over his past nine games, only one of which he started. Whether he can sustain this type of offensive production once Rudy Gobert returns remains to be seen, but fantasy owners who tabbed Hood as a late-round sleeper — it me — have to be feeling good about his recent output. Up to the 86th-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues, it appears as though Hood is well on pace to smash his ADP of 112.0.
Next: 25-under-25 -- The best young players in the NBA
Moe Harkless, SF/PF, Portland Trail Blazers: Following the Blazers’ 20-point loss against the Philadelphia 76ers last Wednesday, Harkless told Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest, “I just feel like I’m out there just to be out there. … Every game, it’s the same thing. … We play through three people.” Coincidence or not, head coach Terry Stotts promptly moved Harkless to the bench in the Blazers’ ensuing three games, where he combined for 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks and three steals in 50 minutes. Given his sparse amount of playing time as of late, fantasy owners in 10- or 12-team leagues should cut bait on Harkless without hesitation.
All ownership percentages via ESPN.com. All average draft position info via FantasyPros. All rankings via Basketball Monster are based on nine-category leagues and are current heading into Wednesday, Nov. 29.