Depending on the trades (or non-trades) you made at the NBA trade deadline, you could be feeling like your roster is a container ship stuck in a canal.
Fortunately, there is no deadline for waiver pickups and drops. Here are some hot names and cold players to consider as you make your tweaks for a playoff push.
Booms
Enes Kanter Center Portland Trail Blazers
Enes the Menace has been on one the last week. In the four games, the Turkish big man has been throwing his weight around and averaging 15.5 points on 70.3 percent shooting, 14.5 rebounds, two assists and a block.
Thanos ? or maybe Jesus 🤔 https://t.co/xmd9BgFdBl— Enes Kanter (@Enes Kanter) 1616882996.0
However, his hot run may be short-lived as Jusuf Nurkic is back in the lineup after spending two months recovering from injury. Nurkic's return cut into Kanter's minutes significantly this past Sunday: a trend that will most likely continue as Nurkic gets back into game shape.
Alec Burks Guard/Forward New York Knicks
No Rose, no Randle, no Bullock, no problem. Alec Burks rode in like the Survey Corps rescuing Eren Jaeger, saving the Knicks from a drop in production with some of their main weapons out. Burks, who has played for six teams in three years, averaged 22.7 points, 3.3 made threes, 6.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one turnover the last three games—all wins.
Rose and Bullock are due back soon, so expecting him to sustain this level of production would be foolish. Picking him up after those two fully return to the rotation would be risky, but if either is out again, he has proven he can produce in a pinch.
Danny Green Guard/Forward Philadelphia 76ers
Revenge is a dish best Green. Buoyed by his 28-point effort against the Lakers, the three-point specialist averaged 18.7 points on 54.5 percent shooting from the field and 5.3 made threes in three games last week.
Danny Green and Caruso talking about the old days https://t.co/k5S62uzLe6— Josiah Johnson (@Josiah Johnson) 1616734239.0
Green won't contribute much else in fantasy, but this three-point make volume can win you the category most weeks. If you're sick of punting the category, there aren't many options that are better.
Derrick White Guard San Antonio Spurs
You will never know who will be surging on the Spurs on any given week outside of DeMar DeRozan, but Derrick White's managers were appreciative of his efforts last week. White hasn't been in the mix until recently because of a problematic toe injury, but in four games last week he averaged 15.3 points, 3.3 made threes, three assists and 1.5 blocks in 33.1 minutes.
He will need to improve his accuracy to be a little more valuable from a fantasy standpoint, but if he continues to get healthier, he will be an interesting player to track because he's definitely getting the minutes to be a good producer.
Busts
Jordan Clarkson Guard Utah Jazz
The Filipino Flame Thrower has been having a career year, but last week won't be going on the season highlight reel. Even with his 28-point game on Sunday, Clarkson averaged 15.3 points on 33.8 percent shooting, 1.8 assists and 0.5 steals.
Jordan Clarkson wanted no parts of contesting a Grayson Allen dunk. https://t.co/15KWJw8tY9— BlueDevilStop (@BlueDevilStop) 1616896700.0
If he's not scoring, Clarkson isn't contributing much to a fantasy managers team, so this week has been a big blow for people who were depending on him for his points and shooting percentage. He is still an important part of Utah's success, so he will have chances to improve, but he is too volatile to be depended on right now.
Keldon Johnson Forward San Antonio Spurs
One Spur thrives while another one dives. For Keldon Johnson, diving has become a more frequent occurrence.
In four games last week, Johnson averaged 9.3 points on 42.4 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists and no steals. If you were hanging on to Johnson and hoping he would step up after LaMarcus Aldridge was benched and bought out, you can comfortably let him go.
James Wiseman Center Golden State Warriors
After missing three straight games prior to last week due to being in the NBA's health and safety protocol, Wiseman didn't do much to help fantasy managers when he returned. In three games last week, the Warriors' rookie averaged 11.7 points on 44.1 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds and 0.3 blocks.
Steve Kerr after James Wiseman took a step back 3 https://t.co/rFCIpxjqlc— Josiah Johnson (@Josiah Johnson) 1616816584.0
Wiseman is finding out the talent level from college to pros is huge and he's having a tough time making the adjustment. He will get better, but whether he gets better this year may be a question fantasy managers aren't willing to wait around for.
Joe Harris Guard/Forward Brooklyn Nets
Harris has been a beneficiary of playing with three All-NBA players, providing efficient shooting when called upon. But even the best shooters have off weeks.
In three games, Harris only shot 39.1 percent from the field and made 1.7 threes per game. His 8.7 points didn't help his fantasy value either.
Like Danny Green, if he isn't shooting well and scoring, Harris doesn't have much else to contribute to fantasy rosters. But with him averaging 14.2 points with 3.3 made threes for the season, it's only a matter of time before he helps you win a couple of categories again.