We've been handed another relatively normal week this time around, with only one team (the Knicks) playing fewer than three games. New York's rotation has been more consistent lately, but it's still hard to identify anybody worth locking in with just two games.
Let's see what Week 12 has to offer:
Teams with four games: ATL, CHA, DAL, MEM, MIN, OKC, ORL, PHO, TOR
Teams with three games: BKN, BOS, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NOR, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
Team with two games: NYK
Guards
Consider starting: Joe Harris, BKN (51% owned, 34% start)
Opponents: NOR, MEM, CHI
Joe Harris continues to improve on his game, and he's shown off his upside lately with Allen Crabbe sidelined due to a knee injury. Over the past seven games, Harris has averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds, while hitting 3.3 threes per game. Though his usage may take a dip once Crabbe returns, Harris is hovering around the top-100 in most fantasy leagues as January approaches As a result, he's worth picking up in 12 or 14-team formats and is especially valuable on four-game weeks, though he's an option to start on three-game weeks (like Week 12), as well.
Consider sitting: Emmanuel Mudiay, NYK (87% owned, 51% start)
Opponents: DEN, LAL
We should recognize that Mudiay has been a top-100 player over the past two weeks and that the 22-year-old looks to be turning his career around. Perhaps most
We've been handed another relatively normal week this time around, with only one team (the Knicks) playing fewer than three games. New York's rotation has been more consistent lately, but it's still hard to identify anybody worth locking in with just two games.
Let's see what Week 12 has to offer:
Teams with four games: ATL, CHA, DAL, MEM, MIN, OKC, ORL, PHO, TOR
Teams with three games: BKN, BOS, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NOR, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
Team with two games: NYK
Guards
Consider starting: Joe Harris, BKN (51% owned, 34% start)
Opponents: NOR, MEM, CHI
Joe Harris continues to improve on his game, and he's shown off his upside lately with Allen Crabbe sidelined due to a knee injury. Over the past seven games, Harris has averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds, while hitting 3.3 threes per game. Though his usage may take a dip once Crabbe returns, Harris is hovering around the top-100 in most fantasy leagues as January approaches As a result, he's worth picking up in 12 or 14-team formats and is especially valuable on four-game weeks, though he's an option to start on three-game weeks (like Week 12), as well.
Consider sitting: Emmanuel Mudiay, NYK (87% owned, 51% start)
Opponents: DEN, LAL
We should recognize that Mudiay has been a top-100 player over the past two weeks and that the 22-year-old looks to be turning his career around. Perhaps most importantly, he's shooting 46.2 percent from the field, which is the first time he's eclipsed 40 percent for his career. Even so, on a two-game week against stiff competition, it's probably best to save Mudiay for another week with at least three games.
Consider starting: Garrett Temple, MEM (20% owned, 8% start)
Opponents: HOU, DET, BKN, SAS
With MarShon Brooks and Omri Casspi effectively out of the rotation, Temple has filled in nicely over the past seven contests, averaging 12.6 points (55.9 percent shooting), 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He's been a prototypical three-and-D producer, collecting 2.3 threes and a combined 2.6 steals/blocks per game over that stretch. We shouldn't expect Temple to keep up his current rate of success shooting the ball, but his increase in minutes combined with a four-game week means he may be worth starting while he's hot. Games against Detroit and Brooklyn could be especially fruitful.
Consider sitting: Tim Hardaway Jr., NYK (99% owned, 69% start)
Opponents: DEN, LAL
Hardaway is still the Knicks' primary offensive threat, taking 15.7 field goals per game in the month of December. However, he's shooting just 35.9 percent over the past 30 days, which has plummeted him down the fantasy ranks (120th over that stretch). He shot 42.1 percent last season, so it seems he'll progress toward the mean eventually. Still, with only two games in Week 12, I wouldn't bank on that as a reason to start Hardaway, who heads into the weekend battling an illness that kept him out of Thursday's loss to Milwaukee.
Forwards
Consider starting: Kyle Anderson, MEM (37% owned, 13% start)
Opponents: HOU, DET, BKN, SAS
Like Garrett Temple, Anderson has benefited from some lineup shifts and should be in consideration to start on this four-game week. Considering he's a top-120 player on the season, his ownership rate feels a little low, especially in 14-team formats. Over the past two weeks, he's been a top-70 player, averaging 10.7 points (68.4 FG%, 91.7 FT%), 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 dimes and a combined 2.5 steals/blocks. At the very least, Anderson should be in strong streaming consideration for owners in 12-team leagues.
Consider sitting: Andrew Wiggins, MIN (99% owned, 84% start)
Opponents: NOR, BOS, ORL, LAL
It's not often I'll suggest sitting a player on a four-game week, but it's worth highlighting how Wiggins' raw stats can be deceiving with regard to his fantasy value. Over the past two weeks, he's averaging 17.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. However, shooting just 39.8 percent from the field and providing very little in threes and defense has made him the 149th-ranked player over that stretch. Fantasy owners in 14-team formats may have to bite the bullet and start him, but I'd rather avoid Wiggins completely in 10-team leagues.
Consider starting: Jerami Grant, OKC (54% owned, 34% start)
Opponents: DAL, LAL, POR, WAS
Grant has taken a more active role in the Thunder's offense over the past 10 games, averaging 10.6 shot attempts, compared to 8.3 shot attempts prior to Dec. 10. With the increased usage, he's racked up 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and a combined 2.2 blocks/steals in 32.7 minutes. Over the past seven days, Grant has jumped into the top-60 on the back of 14.7 points, 7.7 boards and a combined 3.3 blocks/steals. On a four-game week, the risk that typically accompanies starting a role player like Grant is mitigated.
Consider sitting: Derrick Favors, UTA (83% owned, 52% start)
Opponents: TOR, CLE, DET
Favors is the perfect example of a player to keep in your back pocket for four-game weeks. At this point in the season, most fantasy teams have racked up at least one or two injuries, so you may have to start Favors out of necessity in 12-team formats. Still, he's the 120th-ranked player on the year and is barely in the top-190 over the past two weeks. The fit with Rudy Gobert remains subpar, and there have been stretches where coach Quin Snyder prefers Jae Crowder. Look for other options before locking Favors in your lineup.
Centers
Consider starting: Dewayne Dedmon, ATL (52% owned, 32% start)
Opponents: IND, WAS, MIL, MIA
Dedmon has been a revelation when Alex Len is hurt. The day after Christmas, Len missed the Hawks' contest against Indiana with a disc issue in his back, and Dedmon erupted for 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block across 37 minutes. Per-36-minutes with Len off the court, Dedmon averages 13.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a combined 3.2 steals/blocks. Even if we assume Len plays every game during Week 12, Dedmon on a four-game week is still a valuable asset. He should be owned in 14-team formats, and he's even a streaming option in some 10-team leagues.
Consider sitting: Enes Kanter, NYK (99% owned, 70% start)
Opponents: DEN, LAL
Coach David Fizdale loves to keep us on our toes, and his decision to start Luke Kornet on Thursday against Milwaukee (23 points, seven threes, five assists, three boards and one block) is an interesting one. As an aside, Kornet is worth considering on your waiver wire, but I still have my doubts about him seeing more than 20 minutes consistently for the remainder of the year. Regardless of Kornet's presence, starting Kanter on a two-game week is risky. Averaging 13.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists over the past two weeks, Kanter has been a top-100 player. But another player on a four-game week would need to average just 7.0 points and 2.0 boards to match Kanter's expected production.
