Seth Curry’s made the most of the extra minutes he’s seen in the early going
I feel like I’m in the minority here, but I love seasonal fantasy basketball. I even prefer it over daily fantasy. Like with fantasy football, I like drafting a team and having the chance to mold it, craft it, and build it over the course of a season. I think I’m also in the minority when I say that I prefer my fantasy basketball leagues to be deeper leagues. While I prefer standard sized leagues in fantasy football, I feel that deep leagues really enhance the enjoyment of fantasy basketball.
Last season I was in a 16-team league, and I loved it. Part of the fun was monitoring lineup changes during the pregame and finding streaming candidates off of the wire. In a way, it’s kind of like combining seasonal with daily fantasy. The problem with a deeper league is that there aren’t as many options available. Fortunately, there are always productive and talented players that become hidden gems on the wire. In this column, I will go deep dumpster diving looking for productive players owned in less than 20% of leagues (ESPN as of November 12th) that could help you win your matchup this week or could be long-term stars.
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Seth Curry (SG – DAL): 7.3% Ownership
Week 4 Schedule, four games- Monday @ NY, Wednesday @ Bos, Friday VS Mem and Sat @ Orl
As the younger brother of superstar Steph Curry, Seth Curry has been overlooked for a while now. While no one is ever going to confuse the two brothers, Seth has looked pretty solid as of late. In the last week, Curry has averaged 13.3 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.7 steals in 30.3 minutes per game. With the Mavericks near the bottom of the West and very unlikely to make the playoffs, and with injuries to star player Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles) and Deron Williams (calf), Curry’s minutes should continue to grow. With four games, Curry should be a great streaming option in all leagues for the week and could be a major sleeper for the rest of the season.
Maurice Harkless (SF – POR): 15.8% Ownership
Week 4 Schedule, four games – Tuesday VS Chi, Thursday @ Hou, Friday @ Nor, and Sunday @ Bkn
So far this season, Harkless has easily been the third best player on the Blazers behind superstars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. In the last week, Harkless has averaged over 13.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 31.3 minutes per game. The Blazers are loaded at the small forward position with Harkless, Evan Turner, Allen Crabbe, and Al-Farouq Aminu. Harkless, however, has clearly been the best of the bunch. While his place on the depth chart could change, he’s a reliable option this week with four games on the schedule including games on Tuesday and Thursday where only 10 teams are playing.
Wilson Chandler (SF – DEN): 14.2% Ownership
Week 4 Schedule, three games – Wednesday VS Pho, Friday VS Tor, and Sunday VS Utah
Chandler has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, but he’s questionable to play Saturday VS Det and should be ready for the start of Week 4. On the season, the 10-year veteran from DePaul is fourth on the Nuggets in points (15.7), rebounds (6.2), and minutes (29). In his last three games, Chandler has averaged 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. The Nuggets don’t play until Wednesday, giving Chandler plenty of time to recover. The Nuggets also have one of the fastest-paced offenses in the league and play all three of their games at home this week. This makes Chandler a very respectable streaming option in deeper leagues.
Willy Hernangomez (C – NY): 0.6% Ownership
Week 4 Schedule, four games – Monday VS Dal, Wednesday VS Det, Thursday @ Wash, Sunday
In the past two games, the 22-year-old rookie from Spain has averaged 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks in only 19.5 minutes. Now while it’s only been two games, these numbers are very impressive for a rookie averaging 19 minutes a game. With the poor play of backup center Kyle O’Quinn and the underwhelming play of starting center Joakim Noah, expect to see a minutes increase for Hernangomez. Playing in the New York market, it will not take long for the word to get out. Hernangomez could be a major sleeper moving forward. With four solid matchups this week, I would pick him up right now.
Well, that’s it for this week. Tune in next week as we continue to scour the depths of the waiver wire to find players owned in less than 20% of leagues who can help you win your week, and could be long-term sleepers that help you win your leagues.
Steve Maro is a correspondent with FantasyPros. For more from Steve, check out his archive or follow him @maro_steve.
