Jrue Holiday’s steady minutes and versatile game have resulted in plenty of fantasy value for him

In this weekly column, I will be focusing on the best/worst performances over the past week. I will focus on out of the ordinary trends, or players that have strayed greatly from their average draft position. Great performances by top players or bad performances by benchwarmers will generally be ignored.

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RISERS

• Jrue Holiday (PG – NOP) – Holiday has steadily improved since his minutes restriction was lifted right before the new year. While it has been a slow progression, owners of Holiday have to enjoy that his best play will come down the stretch for their playoff run. In the last week, Holiday has put up 25 points, four rebounds, seven and a half assists, two three-pointers, a steal and a block per game. Contribution across the board is what gives Holiday his value, and with Tyreke Evans out for the rest of the year, Holiday will run the bulk of the Pelicans’ offense.

• Devin Booker (SG – PHO) – Booker is the lone bright spot in a horribly dysfunctional season for the Suns. Since the dust settled on the various rotation, personnel, coaching and front office drama, young Booker has been allowed to play heavy minutes and work on his game. Over the last week, Booker has averaged 28 points, two rebounds, a three-pointer, a block and almost six assists per game. With the return of Brandon Knight to help facilitate the offense, Booker should benefit from defenses forced to pay attention to two backcourt scoring threats.

• Emmanuel Mudiay (PG – DEN) – Mudiay has been playing very well over the last two weeks, and you have to wonder if that is due to his maturing as a playmaker or the recent stability in the Nuggets’ rotation. In that period, Mudiay has averaged 18 points, two three-pointers, four rebounds, six assists, a block and almost a steal a game. His shooting has improved from the field, though not from the line, and he is playing the best ball of his rookie season. He is a great commodity for owners who are punting percentages and turnovers.

FALLERS

• Kent Bazemore (SG/SF – ATL) – Bazemore has been ceding playing time to Kirk Hinrich of all people since Hinrich’s return to Atlanta. This is a pretty bad sign for anyone still holding on to Bazemore. Over the last week, his minutes have dropped below 30 per game, and he has only averaged six points, six rebounds, one steal, one block and has shot 29% from the field. While some of the core stats are there, if his shot isn’t falling he won’t play.

• Dennis Schroder (PG – ATL) – Another victim of the crowded Hawks’ backcourt. Who would have thought Hinrich would be such a disruption? When Schroder or Jeff Teague were not moved at the trade deadline, Schroder was always going to be the overall loser in this situation. His minutes have dwindled, and he has only averaged six points, three assists and almost a steal in the last week. This offseason will be another story, and Schroder is a good stash for those in keeper leagues.

• Danny Green (SG/SF – SA) – Green’s sub-par season has sunk to a new low as is shooting touch is completely gone. A player that thrives on hitting open threes, Green has shot 28% from the field in the last two weeks. He is only making a three every other game in that time and averaged five points per game. His steals are still around the two per games, and his blocks from a guard spot are decent, but without contributing anywhere else, it’s hard to justify owning him in any standard leagues. Deeper leagues and streaming him if you need the steals are about the only acceptable use for him any longer.

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Mike Catron rambles on about the fantasy impact of NBA box scores and provides other insights on strategy at WatchtheBoxes.com. You can follow him on Twitter @WatchtheBoxes where he will be live tweeting various NBA games, answering your fantasy questions and mostly retweeting stuff you need to know from people you already follow.