Tyreke Evans in a top multi-position player
The following is a list of my top-five multi-position players in fantasy basketball sites where logging in sufficient playing time in secondary positions gives a fantasy player added position eligibility. These are players that are worth trading for and/or picking up via waiver wire in all fantasy basketball leagues. It also touches on multi-position players who were on the cusp of being on my top-five list. These players will give all fantasy owners three specific advantages:
- They are especially useful in leagues that don’t have starting G (guard), starting F (forward), utility, or flex position.
- They lessen the blow when an injury occurs to one of the fantasy owners’ players and make it less likely for fantasy owners to own a player they only own because of a weakness at one position on their roster.
- They help fantasy owners worry less about having to balance out their roster at each position. It also gives them a player whose trade value may be higher than it should be due to the position flexibility alone (that becomes a sizable advantage for teams who can afford to trade that player).
Top-Five Multi-Position Players to Target
1. Tyreke Evans – PG, SG, SF – New Orleans Pelicans:
Tyreke Evans’ fantasy value has increased considerably ever since he was given the opportunity to run the New Orleans Pelicans starting point guard position (filling in for injured starting point guard Jrue Holiday until some time after the All-Star break). Evans has filled in nicely for Holiday since mid-to-late January, and is someone all fantasy owners should try and acquire (at a reasonable price) due to his versatility and all-around ability (averaging 17 points, 0.8 three-pointers, six assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game). He isn’t posting the greatest field goal or free throw percentages right now (43.8 and 68.1 percent), but he does more than enough in other stat categories to make up for these holes in his game.
2. Markieff Morris – SF, PF, C – Phoenix Suns:
Averaging 15.5 points (shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the line), 0.8 three-pointers, six rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game, Markieff Morris continues to improve and impress in his fourth NBA season. It’s hard to find a center-eligible fantasy player who can play as many positions as Morris can and fill up stat lines as consistently as he does in a variety of stat categories. He is coming off a rough game on Sunday (2/8/15) where he shot 3-for-20 from the field, but consider that performance to be a fluke. He’s another player all fantasy owners should try and get their hands on via trade and/or waiver wire, if possible.
3. Jamal Crawford – PG, SG, SF – Los Angeles Clippers:
Jamal Crawford continues scoring a solid amount of points (almost 16 per game) and hitting a good amount of three-pointers (just shy of two three-pointers made per game), while shooting at a very high percentage from the free throw line (90.3 percent). He continues to either come off the bench or start at a variety of positions for the Clippers. He also averages close to one steal per game, but there are two major downsides to owning him, a putrid 39.2 field goal percentage and only 2.6 assists per game. Crawford does just enough to make owning him worth it though and is a fantasy player that can catch fire at any point and double his scoring average in certain stretches throughout the season. If you’re in need of a multi-position eligible guard (who can also play the small forward position) who puts up the numbers that he does, see what you can do to acquire him without selling the farm.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo – SG, SF, PF – Milwaukee Bucks:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, AKA – “The Greek Freak,” seems to finally be getting the hang of NBA basketball in his sophomore season. His fantasy owners have enjoyed his position flexibility and sudden boost in his scoring, along with his rebounding and blocking averages this season (17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and one steal per game in his past five). If he can continue averaging numbers better than his season averages, he’s going to turn into one of the best late-round fantasy draft picks this season in most fantasy leagues. If he didn’t already catch your attention before, but has it now, be sure to check your league’s waiver wire to see if he’s still miraculously available or worst case, see what it would take to acquire him via trade in whatever fantasy league(s) you’re in.
5. Robert Covington – SG, SF, PF – Philadelphia 76ers:
As long as Robert Covington can improve on his field goal percentage at some point in his career (he’s currently shooting 39.2 percent from the field), the sky is the limit for this second-year player. He’s currently averaging an impressive 18.3 points, 3.5 three-pointers, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game in his past four, and is still available in a decent amount of fantasy leagues. If he isn’t available in your league(s) via waiver wire/free agency, see what you can do at first to try and get him on the cheap before his overall value and fantasy league ownership percentages skyrocket.
Players to Monitor
Khris Middleton – SG, SF, PF – Milwaukee Bucks:
Khris Middleton is one of those fantasy players that just can’t seem to get the amount of respect and attention he deserves in, and it shows in his fantasy ownership percentages (still hovering in just over the majority of fantasy players owned in all leagues). He has averaged 16.3 points, 1.8 three-pointers, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in his past eight games. If fantasy owners don’t start taking notice of his stellar play of late, a lot of them are going to miss out on being able to snatch up a pretty solid player off waivers. Trying to trade for him is always an option, of course, but do yourself a favor and see if he’s still available in your league(s), first and foremost. If he is, you know what to do.
Donatas Motiejunas – PF, SF, C – Houston Rockets:
With Rockets forward Terrence Jones slowly transitioning his way back into game shape after suffering a leg injury, Donatas Motiejunas continues to log heavy minutes as his replacement and perform at a high level. There is no telling how much playing time he will eventually lose once Jones is 100 percent and ready to fully return, but one thing is for sure and that is that Montiejunas isn’t going to make it easy on Houston to limit his minutes again. He has averaged 17.2 points and seven rebounds per game in his past five. He is available in just under 50 percent of most popular fantasy basketball websites’ leagues. If he fills a void on your team, get him now while you still can via waiver wire, but trading for him isn’t a suggested option.
Hollis Thompson – SG, SF, PF – Philadelphia 76ers:
Hollis Thompson had his most productive stretch of basketball in the past week. He is also finally starting to get solid minutes consecutively in his past three games (averaging 34 minutes) and has averaged 19 points, 3.7 three-pointers and five rebounds per game during that stretch. He is still widely available in most fantasy leagues, so pick him up ASAP if you’re in need of scoring, additional three-pointers and some rebounding help.
Evan Turner – PG, SG, SF – Boston Celtics:
Evan Turner has got to be one of the hardest fantasy players to figure out this season in terms of knowing when to play him. He can look like a decent waiver wire acquisition some days and then a major bust in others. If you’re desperate for a multi-position fantasy player (who’s currently available in a large majority of fantasy leagues) who could potentially help you out a little bit in odd stat categories, you could pick him up and hope for the best.
All stats as of 2/9/15
CD Hill is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from CD, check out his archive.
