We are in the midst of the fantasy basketball playoffs and we congratulate in advance those who have been able to weather the workload and injury storms all year long to get to this moment – a chance to win the fantasy hoops championship. Much remains to be determined, but some players have already shown themselves to be important assets for fantasy managers during this playoff stretch.
And it’s definitely not Isaiah Leavers (smh).
Many high-profile stars would easily make it to this list, and rising players such as Mikal Bridges are also guaranteed. But instead of listing prominent figures, I will highlight a few another players who can lead you to victory.
Before I get on the list, I want to admit that Tyus Jones would have been included, but in a mind-boggling turn of events, I am Morant will be eligible to return to the Grizzlies on Monday after receiving an eight-game retroactive suspension from the NBA.
Jones had all the makings of a league winner when Morant’s return was in doubt. He was averaging 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 2.2 triples, 1.8 steals and just 1.2 assists in 33.8 minutes per game since he became a starting point guard for the Grizzlies.
The news of Morant’s return will clearly affect Jones’ playing time, but I wouldn’t dismiss him in 12+ team leagues. He remains a fantastic H2H fantasy player off the bench and will be posting in double figures and tallying enough assists, steals and trebles for fantasy managers in the coming weeks. This is great news for Morant’s managers as you can bring him back into your squads for the final weeks of the regular season.
With that in mind, here are four players with the potential to win the league by the end of the season:
Talen Horton-Tucker
The Jazz have a busy schedule in week 21, but if THT hits your bounce list, he will be the player you want to sign up for weeks 22 and 23. The Jazz play four games in both weeks, but more importantly, he’s held onto the starting role with Colleen Sexton (hamstring) and Jordan Clarkson (finger) out of turn. The knock against the Horton-Turnover lies precisely in the turns.
However, when losses are included, he is among the top 50 players over the past week, averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.7 triples and 0.7 steals since 49/39/91. throws. If you’re not looking for losses, he’s probably not your guy, as he’s passed the ball almost four times in a game last week (and since the All-Star break).
However, he will continue to see tons of minutes, and his usage has risen to 28.6% in March – a good indication that he will have plenty of opportunity to rack up stats when fantasy managers need them most.
Jalen Williams
I know he hasn’t been under 50% in a long time, but the rookie has been one of the best fantasy players since the All-Star break. Take a look at the splits:
Before the All-Star Game: 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.9 triples and 1.2 steals with 1.6 assists.
Shooting division: 51/32/75
Post-All-Star: 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.4 triples, 2.0 steals on 1.6 assists
Shooting distribution: 59/47/84
For a beginner to improve their efficiency with more special volume. This season, he is ranked 83rd in value per game, but last month he was in the top 15 players.
WITH Shay Gilgeus-Alexander A candidate for rest (or shutdown, let’s be honest), J-Dub should thrive for fantasy managers vying for a fantasy basketball championship.
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Kyle Anderson
It’s hard to believe that Kyle Anderson was only 48% on the roster in Week 19, but those in the shallower leagues made the move at the right time given his recent performance. He’s racked up a triple-double in his last two games, but he’s been an underrated fantasy asset all season. He’s been in the top 60 since Dec. 1 and refuses to downshift in “Slo-mo”.
The trade deadline was the best thing that happened to Anderson as he saw an increase in his PPG (+2.9), REB/G (+2.6), AST/G (+2.4), FG percentage (+8 .5%) and 3PT%. (+7.4%). He has risen to 32nd in value per game over the past seven days and Anderson will continue to work with Karl-Anthony Towns still reportedly a week before returning to court.
The Timberwolves will play three games in Week 22 (Monday/Wednesday/Sunday), and despite the three-day break between games Wednesday and Sunday, I would keep Anderson because he will be crucial in Championship week. Of course, you need to win to get there, but his versatility cannot be underestimated due to the amount of rebounds, assists, steals and blocks he accumulates in his fantasies. The Timberwolves are in sixth place in the West, so they’ll need him when they make it to the playoffs.
Zach Collins
The Spurs don’t disappoint with a variety of late-season rest tactics. However, Zach Collins is in a better position to punch some fantasy tickets to fantasy championships with news of Charles Bassey (knee) suffered a potentially season-ending injury on Tuesday night. Although neither Spurs are exempt from workload management, Collins played in 35 straight games before missing a game on March 5 for the second consecutive night. He will also miss today’s competition, but luckily the Spurs have only one game left in a row this season.
The Spurs are playing four games in Week 22 and three in Week 23, and despite some tough games, Collins has been doing well in the second half of the season. Since the trade deadline (when I was in favor of acquiring Collins, when he was 30% in the roster), he has averaged 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 triples, 1.2 steals. and 0.8 blocks on 49/44/83 shots. Those numbers placed him outside the top 40 in fantasy of all time. And most recently, he ranked 26th in the rankings per game over the past 14 days.
Collins’ offensive skill set is perfect for fantasy as he can stretch the floor and deliver assists like a big player. He has double-double potential every night in his current role and has been one of the top picks since February. I didn’t expect Collins to be a potential league winner, but here we are!
Source: sports.yahoo.com
