The first full week following the All-Star break is a busy one, with every team playing either three or four games. So opportunities for streaming will be limited, and most decisions about who to start and who to sit will be based on performance.
Teams with four games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOR, OKC, ORL, POR
Teams with three games: DAL, DEN, NYK, PHI, PHO, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Let's take a look at some options:
GUARDS
Consider starting: Joe Harris, BKN (58% owned, 41% owned)
Opponents: SA, WAS, CHA, MIA
Though it was partially thanks to a triple-OT game against the Cavaliers, Harris is the 43rd-ranked player over the past two weeks. That doesn't take away from how hot the three-point contest winner has been over this stretch, however, as he's shot 63.6 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from distance. More broadly, Harris has been the 126th-ranked player in the past month, which by itself is enough value to warrant starting on a four-game week in standard formats.
Consider sitting: Ricky Rubio, UTA (95% owned, 52% start)
Opponents: LAC, DEN, MIL
Rubio hasn't been playing badly over the past two weeks -- 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds -- but his performances haven't been especially strong, either. He's shooting an acceptable 46.7 percent from the field, but has failed to average more than 0.5 steals. Ultimately, on
The first full week following the All-Star break is a busy one, with every team playing either three or four games. So opportunities for streaming will be limited, and most decisions about who to start and who to sit will be based on performance.
Teams with four games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOR, OKC, ORL, POR
Teams with three games: DAL, DEN, NYK, PHI, PHO, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Let's take a look at some options:
GUARDS
Consider starting: Joe Harris, BKN (58% owned, 41% owned)
Opponents: SA, WAS, CHA, MIA
Though it was partially thanks to a triple-OT game against the Cavaliers, Harris is the 43rd-ranked player over the past two weeks. That doesn't take away from how hot the three-point contest winner has been over this stretch, however, as he's shot 63.6 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from distance. More broadly, Harris has been the 126th-ranked player in the past month, which by itself is enough value to warrant starting on a four-game week in standard formats.
Consider sitting: Ricky Rubio, UTA (95% owned, 52% start)
Opponents: LAC, DEN, MIL
Rubio hasn't been playing badly over the past two weeks -- 16.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds -- but his performances haven't been especially strong, either. He's shooting an acceptable 46.7 percent from the field, but has failed to average more than 0.5 steals. Ultimately, on a three-game week, I'd explore other options. There's a rough matchup against the Bucks, who have the league's best defense, at the end of the week.
Consider starting: Eric Gordon, HOU (76% owned, 43% start)
Opponents: ATL, CHA, MIA, BOS
Is Eric Gordon back? He's shooting so poorly on the year as a whole that he's just outside of the top-150, but the guard may have turned a corner. Over the past two weeks, he's drilling 3.5 threes per game while averaging 14.5 points, 2.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds and a combined 2.3 steals/blocks. Gordon's blocks will regress to the mean, but on a four-game week, it's possible he keeps up his recent, top-75 play.
Consider sitting: Mike Conley, MEM (100% owned, 86% start)
Opponents: LAL, CHI, DAL, OKC
If Conley was on my Fantasy team, I'd start to be concerned. Over the past two weeks, he's seeing just 29.0 minutes per game and has shot an abysmal 27.3 percent from the floor, which his modest numbers of 11.5 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds can't make up for. He's been the 190th-ranked player over this stretch, and I have no confidence he'll make a true bounce-back effort to move closer to his season-long rank of 30. We know that the Grizzlies are set to rebuild, and the organization traded away Conley's partner of the past 11 seasons. Conley could play the rest of the year on autopilot, and it wouldn't be shocking if Memphis gives Delon Wright and Jevon Carter extended looks down the stretch.
FORWARDS
Consider starting: Dario Saric, MIN (70% owned, 31% start)
Opponents: SAC, ATL, IND, WAS
In a move to modernize the Timberwolves' starting five, Saric has been inserted at power forward, replacing Taj Gibson. As a starter over the past two games, he's averaging 17.0 points on 65.0 percent shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals across 28.5 minutes. Saric's efficiency is bound to regress, but his production on the glass seems like it could be here to stay, as he's averaged 6.9 rebounds per game as a starter throughout his career.
Consider sitting: Aaron Gordon, ORL (100% owned, 90% start)
Opponents: NYK, GSW, IND, CLE
Gordon hasn't made the jump this season that many Fantasy owners were hoping, and he's only managed to be the 119th-ranked Fantasy asset over the past 30 days, while his teammate, Jonathan Isaac, has ascended. Over this past month, Gordon is shooting only 42.3 percent from the field while averaging a modest 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists in just over 33 minutes. DFS players know Gordon's inconsistency all too well, and it doesn't seem like he'll stabilize anytime soon.
Consider starting: Jabari Parker, WAS (86% owned, 46% start)
Opponents: BKN, BOS, MIN
Parker's entire season has been a rollercoaster ride and, despite being the 75th-ranked player over the past two weeks, his recent performances have been no exception. In his first and third games as a Wizard, Parker totaled seven points, while in his second and fourth games, he totaled 42 points. I can't explain the fluctuations, but over the course of a three-game week, I'd trust Parker to be a top-120 player.
Consider sitting: Brandon Ingram, LAL (97% owned, 66% start)
Opponents: MEM, NOP, MIL, PHO
Ingram bolstered his stock coming out of the All-Star break, dropping 27 points, 13 boards and one assist in 41 minutes during Thursday's win over the Rockets. However, it was an outlier performance and Ingram's first 20-and-10 game of the season. He's been the 101st-ranked player over the past month, which is solid, but owners in 10-team leagues shouldn't consider the third-year forward a lock.
CENTERS
Consider starting: Mitchell Robinson, NYK (55% owned, 27% start)
Opponents: ORL, CLE, LAC
He's far from a household name outside New York City, but Robinson is emerging as a premier shot-blocker. Over the last month, the 34th overall pick in the 2018 Draft is blocking 2.9 shots per game in addition to averaging 9.6 points on 74.2 percent shooting and 6.7 rebounds in just over 20 minutes. That's resulted in him being the 72nd-ranked player over that timeframe. Robinson should be added in 10-team formats, at the very least.
Consider sitting: Marc Gasol, TOR (100% owned, 83% start)
Opponents: BOS, POR, DET
Since joining the Raptors, Gasol's production has dropped off dramatically. He's played only 20.0 minutes per game across his first three appearances, averaging 10.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a combined 3.0 steals/blocks. Those are nice numbers given the workload, but it makes him a fringe starter in 10-team leagues, and some 12-team leagues, depending on format and roster construction. Plus, with only three games on the docket this week, Gasol's upside is relatively limited.
