If you missed the playoffs, fantasy baseball is right around the corner
The fantasy playoffs are fast approaching in fantasy basketball. If you’re on the edge of a playoff berth, now is the time to kick yourself into gear. To maximize your odds, you should hit your acquisition limit every week from here on out. Even having a mediocre player is impactful when you can fill another roster spot every night. The time for long-term decision making is over, you need to put yourself in the position to win this week.
When making moves, take the time to look at which players will be getting minutes boosts. At this point in the season, players get rested and injured on every team on a weekly basis. Backup players can be huge producers if you know when to play them. Sort all players in your league in the player pool by IR eligibility to track down the replacements with the biggest roles to fill. These are some of the players that will have expanded roles this week.
Mikal Bridges
F Kelly Oubre tore his meniscus last week. Oubre has been the Suns’ second or third option on offense, scoring over 18 points per game in that role. Phoenix has looked to two players to fill that role: SF Mikal Bridges and PF Dario Saric. Saric has been nothing but disappointing in his short tenure with the Suns. He’s posting career lows in points and usage percentage. Super Dario is getting outplayed in all fronts by Mikal Bridges. In his second season, Bridges has made value for himself on both ends of the court. He currently leads the Suns in steals and leads their wings in field goal percentage. Since Oubre’s injury, Noodles has averaged over 38 minutes per game. He’s going to be heavily involved in moving forward and will produce on a nightly basis.
Dillon Brooks
What’s the difference between the Grizzlies locker room and Sanford’s intensive care unit? About 50 degrees in outside temperature. The forward depth in Memphis has been obliterated over the past two weeks. SF Justise Winslow hasn’t played in over a month, PF Brandon Clarke has a quadricep injury and PF Jaren Jackson has a knee sprain. Clarke and Jackson won’t be re-evaluated until next week. SF Dillon Brooks has been picking up the slack. He has led the team in scoring over the past week at nearly 23 points per game. He doesn’t produce volume in other categories, but he’s a quality source of points and threes. Brooks has standalone value when Memphis is healthy, but he’s somehow owned in less than 35 percent of ESPN leagues.
Juan Hernangomez
C Karl-Anthony Towns has missed seven games since fracturing his wrist. The void left by KAT hasn’t been filled by one person, rather it has been a combination of F Juan Hernangomez and PF James Johnson. Both have been roster worthy as of late. Johnson is excelling on the defensive end, averaging over a block and a steal per game since Towns’ injury. Hernangomez has filled in on the offensive end of the court. He has three double-doubles in the seven games that Towns has missed. He has also received at least 25 minutes in each of those games, whereas Johnson has eclipsed that mark just three times. Both players serve their purposes, it’s up to you to decide which to add.
Shake Milton
If Shake is on your wire, you better order him up. Since PG Ben Simmons has been out with a back injury, PG Shake Milton has filled in. He’s scored in the double digits in three straight games, including a 39-point explosion against the Clippers on Sunday. C Joel Embiid is out with a shoulder injury, so Milton has room to expand his game offensively for the time being. He’s already owned in half of ESPN leagues, so if he isn’t owned yet in your league, he will be soon.