Fantasy Basketball: A Dozen Dimes, Week 22
Welcome back to our weekly transactions article, where we dish out 12 dimes of fantasy hoops advice.
Because most fantasy hoops trade deadlines have already passed and the playoffs in the majority of head-to-head leagues are coming up, A Dozen Dimes has essentially converted into a waiver wire column for the rest of the season. In other words, instead of offering up 12 nuggets of adding, dropping, buying, and selling advice for this upcoming week and beyond, we're focusing on just the adding.
These are generally listed in relative order of importance. If you're looking for even more advice, check the "related news" section underneath to cycle through other recent editions of this column. We try not to repeat ourselves too much from one week to the next, so you might find more ideas you like from previous weeks that are still valid.
All fantasy rankings are courtesy of BasketballMonster.com.
Okay, let's get down to it.
Nemanja Bjelica
Over the last couple weeks, Nemanja Bjelica has stepped up as a starter for the Minnesota Timberwolves in place of the injured Jimmy Butler (knee), and he's been a solid fantasy asset ever since. Over his last five games, Bjelica has been the 14th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 14.4 points, 2.2 threes, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.4 turnovers in a whopping 38.8 minutes per contest (the Tom Thibodeau special), while shooting 54.0% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line.
Butler might not even be back by the time most fantasy hoops leagues end, so go ahead and ride Bjelica until the wheels fall off. He's still out there in 70% of Yahoo leagues and 85% on ESPN.
Joe Ingles
Joe Ingles has been one of the most featured players here this year, but he's still only owned in 65% of Yahoo leagues and 50% on ESPN, so we have no choice but to mention him again.
Over his last 22 games, Ingles has been the 31st-ranked player in nine-category leagues with averages of 14.5 points, 3.1 three-pointers, 3.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers per contest with a shooting split of 50.9% from the field and 88.0% from the free throw line. There's a decent enough chance that he's better than half the players currently on your fantasy team, so if he's somehow still available in your league, add him immediately.
Larry Nance Jr.
Larry Nance Jr. has been great for the Cleveland Cavaliers since they acquired him at the trade deadline and has even started the team's last four games in place of an injured Tristan Thompson (ankle). Over his last nine games, Nance Jr. has been the 12th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 13.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.0 block, and 0.4 turnovers in 26.5 minutes per contest, while shooting 63.0% from the field and 84.0% from the free throw line.
Thompson is likely to miss another week or more, and Nance Jr. was playing just fine when he was in the lineup anyway. Junior's available in 35% of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues, and you know what to do if he's out there in yours.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanovic has been scorching hot over his last seven, averaging 19.6 points, 2.7 threes, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in 32.7 minutes per contest, while shooting 55.1% from the field and 88.9% from the charity stripe. That's good enough for 23rd-ranked value over that span, which has brought him up to 99th on the year and 41st over the last month.
Bogdanovic should be owned in more than 55% of Yahoo leagues and 50% on ESPN, so give him a look if he's out there in yours and you're in need of scoring and triples in particular.
Reggie Bullock
Reggie Bullock has become a more reliable fantasy asset than most people realize, ranking 83rd in nine-category leagues over the last three months. He's been heating up even more over his last three contests, averaging 17.7 points, 3.0 threes, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 33.5 minutes per game, while shooting 57.1% from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
He's a pretty safe bet for mid-round value these days, can flirt with being an early-round guy during a good week, and is available in 65% of Yahoo leagues and 85% on ESPN.
Dewayne Dedmon
Dewayne Dedmon has been a mid-round value since re-joining the Atlanta Hawks' starting lineup on February 11th and has been quietly stuffing the stat sheet over his last six games in particular. Over that span, he's been the 43rd-ranked player in nine-category leagues on the strength of 9.7 points, 0.8 triples, 7.7 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers per contest, and shooting split of 51.1% from the field and 87.5% from the line.
He's not on a lot of radars with a mere 30% ownership rate in Yahoo leagues and 20% on ESPN, but his solid contributions across the board make him a big man to own down the stretch.
Dwight Powell
Dwight Powell has become a regular starter for the Dallas Mavericks lately, and he's been providing plenty of fantasy goodies in the role. He's been a top-100 player in nine-category leagues since entering the starting lineup on February 26th, but he's been the 32nd-ranked player over the last week (three games), proving he should be owned in more than 40% of Yahoo leagues and 35% on ESPN.
Over that three-game span, Powell has averaged 16.3 points, 0.3 threes, 6.3 boards, 1.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers in 25.3 minutes per contest, while shooting a blistering 69.2% from the field and 80.0% from the line. If you need a big that can score, rebound, and give you some help with your ratios as well, Powell's your guy.
Kelly Olynyk
Kelly Olynyk has been a great all-around contributor in only 22.8 minutes per contest off the Miami Heat's bench over their last five. He's been the 48th-ranked player in nine-category leagues during this time, averaging 11.6 points, 1.4 triples, 7.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers per game, while shooting 57.1% from the field and 84.6% from the free throw line.
He doesn't need many minutes to get it done for his fantasy owners, but Hassan Whiteside is apparently dealing with a hip issue, so that could mean even a few more opportunities going forward. If you're interested, Olynyk's available in 55% of Yahoo leagues and 80% on ESPN.
Caris LeVert
Caris LeVert has been hot over his last four, ranking 35th in nine-category leagues for the week off the Brooklyn Nets' bench. Over that span, he's averaged 17.3 points, 2.0 triples, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers in 27.6 minutes per contest, while shooting 50.0% from the field and 84.6% from the charity stripe.
LeVert's part of a pretty crowded Nets backcourt with D'Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Allen Crabbe, and Joe Harris, and could put up a dud in any given game that one of those guys gets hot and eats into his minutes, but he should still be added while his hand is this hot. He's available in 60% of Yahoo leagues and 80% on ESPN.
Jae Crowder
Jae Crowder's fantasy returns with the Utah Jazz have been a bit easier on the eyes than his early-season run with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His last three games, in particular, have been encouraging despite a relative dud on Sunday. Over that span, he's been the 87th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 14.3 points, 3.0 triples, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 0.3 turnovers in 31.5 minutes per game off the pine, while shooting 41.7% from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line.
He's getting plenty of run with Utah's starters and should get a chance to keep producing down the stretch. He might never be the player that ranked in the top-50 in each of the last two seasons again, but this version of Crowder is worth picking up if he's available in your league, as he is in 40% of Yahoo leagues and 70% on ESPN.
Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo has drifted in and out of fantasy relevance a bit this season and is only ranked 139th on the year in nine-category leagues, but he's been a bit sharper over his last eight contests, ranking 109th while racking up plenty of counting stats. Rondo has averaged 10.4 points, 1.0 triple, 5.4 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers in 30.1 minutes per game during this time, while shooting 47.8% from the field and 69.2% from the line.
You'd like a better free throw mark and fewer turnovers, but overall, that's a pretty solid line. He's out there in 35% of Yahoo leagues and 40% on ESPN.
Kyle O'Quinn
Kyle O'Quinn has only played 20.6 minutes per contest off the bench for the New York Knicks over his last four games, but he's done enough in those limited minutes to rank 17th in nine-category leagues over that span. His averages of 9.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 0.8 steals are kind of unassuming, but the 3.0 blocks, 1.0 turnover, 53.8% shooting from the field, and perfect 10-for-10 shooting from the charity stripe are what vault him to second-round value.
He's far from dud-proof in such limited minutes (he went scoreless just five games ago), but he's blocked exactly three shots in each of his last four contests and is deserving of a look as a swats specialist if nothing else.
