For most of you, this is #WinningTime. If reading this on Friday, three days remain in your championship week matchup. If a player isn’t helping row the boat, he must be thrown overboard — no matter the name — and replaced with someone who will. It’s all about stats now, so figure out what you need and go hunting. I will utilize the Yahoo database and highlight players who are owned in less than 50% of leagues.
I want to thank everyone for reading, and I hope there were useful nuggets that helped you ascertain a title. Good luck to everyone!
Justin Holiday (SG/SF – MEM) – 34% owned
Over the past four games, Holiday has averaged 35.5 minutes and 11.0 shot attempts. He is a 3-and-D player who has provided 2.8 three-pointers and a whopping 2.3 steals. He will also chip in around four rebounds per game. Not bad. The only bugaboo is his sometimes poor shooting efficiency. While he has converted field goals at a 45.5% clip in those last four contests, he’s gone through sub-40% stretches throughout the season. To finish out the week, Holiday’s Grizzlies go up against the Suns and Clippers, two juicy matchups. The only issue is that it’s a back-to-back, which I usually don’t like for jump shooters.
Zach Collins (PF/C – POR) – 17% owned
Unfortunately for Blazer fans, Jusuf Nurkic is done for the year. While Enes Kanter has replaced him in the starting lineup, Collins looks to be an important piece for Portland’s frontcourt rotation. He played 25 minutes in Wednesday’s last game, and head coach Terry Stotts said that he likes playing the big lineup of Collins and Kanter. In addition, Kanter is a sieve on defense and Collins can stretch the floor, so there’s upside to more playing time. Collins provides three-pointers, rebounds, and blocks. Portland plays Atlanta and Detroit in a back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday. There is no better matchup than playing the Hawks. With the Pistons having a big frontcourt led by Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, Collins will have to play significant minutes.
Lance Stephenson (SG/SF – LAL) – 6% owned
Stephenson has played 30, 25, and 25 minutes the last three games, respectively. During that span, he’s averaged 8.3 points, 0.7 three-pointers, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.0 steal. Nothing spectacular, but it’s something. Hey, there’s a reason he’s only 6% owned. The 40% shooting stinks, but he should continue getting minutes, especially with LeBron James likely to rest or play fewer minutes. The Lakers play Charlotte on Friday and New Orleans on Sunday. Both are good matchups, but the Hornets are an especially mouth-watering opponent.
Dwayne Bacon (SG – CHA) – 3% owned
Bacon has started the last four games for the Hornets. The minutes have increased in each start: 19, 31, 33, and 36 minutes. He’s been a top-90 player, averaging 12.0 shot attempts, 14.8 points, 2.5 three-pointers, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.5 blocks. He’s also, however, shooting just 70.7% from the free-throw line this season and 65.5% in March. The Hornets play a fantasy-friendly matchup against the Lakers on Friday and the Warriors on Sunday.
Stan Son is a featured writer at FantasyPros. To read more from Stan, check out his archive and follow him @Stan_Son.
