As the first leg of the NBA season comes to a close, player values are starting to fall in place. Of course there are some exceptions, like if some of these players just happened to start off ice cold or riding a hot streak. However, by this time statistics begin to even out. The early hot streaks dissolve, and the underachievers slowly work their way back into the fantasy hierarchy. Here are this week’s top risers and fallers in fantasy basketball.
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RISERS
ERSAN ILYASOVA, MILWAUKEE
Congratulations to Ersan Ilyasova for making the risers list a few weeks after being mentioned as a faller. He’s not totally out of the woods yet, but his play has been much more productive in the month of December, where he has averaged 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 treys per game. His fantasy value comes from his ability to knock down treys while maintaining usual big man stats, and while he’s still not playing with much consistency, things are looking a lot better now than they did a month ago. As long as he’s letting it fly from three and regaining Scott Skiles‘ trust, Ilyasova will keep moving on up in the rankings.
BRANDON KNIGHT, DETROIT
Brandon Knight is proving me wrong with each successful game that he has. I thought he would be stuck in that Johnny Flynn-like mold, where he’s too much of a scorer to play the one, but too small to defend at the two, but apparently, the joke is on me. Over his last eight games, Knight his putting up 18.4 points 4.1 rebounds 4.4 assists and 2.8 treys. He is especially valuable in leagues where he has both point guard and shooting guard eligibility. As Detroit continues to drop games, the younger guys will get tons of run so look for him to keep up his breakout campaign and continue his rise in the rankings.
JORDAN CRAWFORD, WASHINGTON
There is no question that Jordan Crawford is a flat-out baller, but in the past his consistency kept him from logging major minutes for the Wizards. Since entering the starting five, Crawford has put up 17.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.5 threes, including a 27-point, 11-rebound and 11-assist triple-double Tuesday night against the Hawks. Washington’s backcourt situation will get a little murky when John Wall returns in a few weeks, so while he is on his way up in the rankings, now might be your best chance to sell high.
TIAGO SPLITTER, SAN ANTONIO
Tiago Splitter‘s stock is trending up after joining the starting lineup three games ago. He’s been the model of consistency in the month of December, averaging 11.3 points on an impressive 64 percent shooting from the field, while chipping in 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks, and also has scored in double digits in nine straight games. His numbers are never really going to wow you and he’s not a player you are going to ride to the championship, but he has a lot of upside and there is definitely a place for him on your roster if you are in a league with at least 12 teams. As long as Splitter is starting and Gregg Popovich is showing confidence in him, he’ll be a more than useful fantasy player.
FALLERS
DERON WILLIAMS, BROOKLYN
Although Deron Williams is still a top-tier option as far as fantasy point guards go, a disappointing start has left owners wondering if he was worth their first round pick. He’s currently averaging 16.8 points, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 three-pointers per game. It could be worse, but considering he was drafted ahead of guys like Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and Steph Curry, 16 and eight is not going to cut the mustard. Williams has even criticized the type of offense Avery Johnson is running in Brooklyn, yearning for the motion offense he ran in Utah with Jerry Sloan. Not for nothing, but if he had any issues with the offense, wouldn’t that be something to take up with your coach before signing a five-year extension? Anyways, don’t get too down on D-Will. His team is still going through a bit of an acclimation process, and as the players continue to get more familiar with each other, their efficiency will rise. Deron creates a great buy low opportunity, but for now his stock is dropping.
ANDREA BARGNANI, TORONTO
As if his slow start wasn’t bad enough, Andrea Bargnani has now added injury to insult. His scoring numbers have dropped each successive season, leaving this year’s average at just 16.0 points per game before taking a leave of absence because of a bum elbow. If you’re a big man who doesn’t rebound or block many shots, you’re going to have to score a ton, and without that production, Bargnani is barely more useful than Ilyasova. If he’s floating around on your waiver wire, he’s worth a stash, but owners certainly can’t be happy about their draft returns on him.
ROBIN LOPEZ, NEW ORLEANS
Not that you were depending on Robin Lopez to carry you to the championship or anything, but since the return of last June’s No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, Lopez’s numbers have been the definition of inconsistent. There’s simply not enough time (and stats) to spread around between Lopez, Davis, Ryan Anderson, and Jason Smith upon his return. Davis returned six games ago, and in that span Lopez has scored as many as 22 points and as few as two, as many as ten rebounds and as few as one, and has had as many as five blocks and as little as none. It looks like Monty Williams is just going to play whoever is playing hottest alongside Davis, meaning that these inconsistencies will continue to be prevalent, and that Lopez will be moving down in the rankings.
Who’s been the biggest bust so far?
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