Fantasy Basketball Week 14: Who's hot and who's not, plus a category booster to target
Wed, Jan 26, 2022
NBA News (AP)
Tuesday's nine-game main NBA slate was unreal. Three studs put up superhuman stat lines and eclipsed 70 fantasy points on DraftKings. Under-the-radar players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Guillermo Hernangomez, and Luke Kennard were also unexpectedly competing with the cream of the crop, thanks to spectacular outings. Wednesday's 10-game slate is sure to bring plenty more action to the hardwood, but we'll go over fantasy basketball's hottest and coldest players before addressing where managers should look to find value in season-long leagues and DFS ahead of the midweek lineup.
Who's hot
Embiid has looked flat-out unstoppable lately. The Sixers big man has averaged 40.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over his last five games. He tallied 42 points and 14 rebounds against the depleted Pelicans on Monday. It'll be difficult for any player to match Embiid's fantasy production in Week 15, as he'll likely feast in his upcoming matchups against the Lakers and Kings.
Harden has had an up-and-down year but could be poised to go on a big-time run with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out of commission this week. The Nets superstar scored over 30 points in a triple-double performance against the Lakers for the second time this year on Sunday and is essentially averaging a triple-double for the season when Durant doesn't play. The league's second-leading assist man will likely see a major scoring boost in the coming weeks.
The reigning MVP fell one assist short of notching his fifth triple-double in six games on Tuesday. He tallied 28 points, 21 rebounds, and nine assists against the Pistons. This year's fantasy points leader is sure to pull away from the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo if he keeps performing at such a high level.
Who's not
Dinwiddie's shooting has been horrendous, and fantasy managers should be worried about him. The Wizards point guard has averaged 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 13.6 percent shooting over his last two games. He went 2-for-10 in Washington's embarrassing loss to the Clippers on Tuesday and has made three or fewer field goals in three of his last five outings. Dinwiddie's scoring and playmaking are up in January after down months in November and December, but his efficiency has been far from ideal for Roto leagues.
Category booster: Blocks
Biyombo was brought on as a short-term fill-in while Phoenix was dealing with a slew of injuries at center, but his recent performance shows that he can be a long-term contributor. The Suns big man might have limited value when Deandre Ayton plays, but he could be positioning himself to take JaVale McGee's backup center spot for the rest of the campaign. Biyombo's averaged 14.6 points and 9.6 rebounds over his last five games and notched three double-doubles during that stretch. Ayton and McGee won't play in Wednesday's matchup against the Jazz, so season-long fantasy managers and DFS players should be locked in on Biyombo.
