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Fantasy Hoops Schedule: Breaking down Week 14

fantasy-hoops-schedule-17week14
fantasy-hoops-schedule-17week14

Fantasy fringe players of interest in Week 14 (Monday, January 23 through Sunday, January 29)

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Tony Allen, Mem, G/F (4 games – 26% owned)Only John Wall and Steph Curry have produced more value in the Steals category than Allen since the beginning of December, and Allen has also been a positive in Rebounds, FG% and Turnovers, while averaging a serviceable 10.7 points, in that span.

Montrezl Harrell, Hou, PF/C (4 games – 32% owned in Y! leagues)Harrell, who recorded 5 blocks on Wednesday, is averaging 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in his past 10 games. In terms of value for the past month, only DeAndre Jordan has offered a better combined roto return in the categories of FG%, Blocks and TOs. Harrell has also scored at a 14.6 clip over his past dozen games, helping him cement what should continue to be a sizable role in the Rockets’ rotation even with big man Clint Capela back in the mix.

James Johnson, Mia, F (4 games – 59% owned in Y! leagues) – Johnson has been a busy man of late, averaging 14 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.9 treys, 1.0 steals and 0.9 blocks in his past 14 games, logging 30-plus minutes in each of the past four games. His across-the-board production has produced a top 75 roto value over the past month, making him a solid play for the Week 14 H-2-H slate.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cha, F (4 games – 48% owned) – Defensive is where MKG makes his money, and he’s delivered an average of 9.3 boards and 1.0 blocks in his past seven games. He also owns a tidy 13:3 Assist-to-Turnover ratio in his past four games and he’ll face three teams (out of four) that rank among the bottom 12 in the league in Defensive Efficiency, so he’s got a shot to be more than just a defense-only play in the week ahead.

Down and out: Players to avoid in Week 14

Detroit/LA Lakers (2 games) – Poor Andre Drummond owners have to endure a second straight two-game week. But it’s hard to sit a guy that will likely get you 30 rebounds in those two contests. You can certainly sit everyone else on the Pistons, and Lakers.

Zach Lavine, Min, G (3 games) – Lavine just barely cracks the top 150 in terms of fantasy value since the calendar flipped to 2017. In that span, his average of 2.1 treys is the only fantasy category that is making a positive impact. Given his New Year’s rut and a slim schedule, you may want to take a pass on Lavine for the coming week.

Julius Randle, LAL, PF (3 games) – In his past five games, Randle is averaging 8.2 points, 2.6 TOs and has shot .348 from the field. A likely contributing factor to his poor play of late is an ankle tweak he suffered against the Clippers a little more than a week ago. Fantasy owners should strongly consider benching him for the three-game week ahead.

Notable injuries

Kevin Love, Cle, PF/C (4 games – back) – After injuring his back after logging just 16 minutes against Golden State on Monday, Love sat on Thursday against Phoenix. The Cavs open up next week’s slate by playing three straight teams (NOLA, SAC, BKN) that currently sit at least nine games under .500, so the Cavs will likely have plenty of opportunity to rest Love in Week 14.

Avery Bradley, Bos, G (4 games – achilles) – Bradley has missed six of his past seven games and isn’t expected to play Saturday vs. Portland. Even with four games upcoming, Bradley’s health is in too tenuous of a state to risk playing him.

Danilo Gallinari, Den, F (3 games – ankle) – Gallinari is shaping up to be a risky proposition for a three-game Week 14 as he missed Thursday’s game with San Antonio because of an ankle injury.

Joakim Noah, NY, FC (4 games – ankle) – Noah has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, and he’s likely to continue to miss time in the near-term, making backup Kyle O’Quinn, who has averaged 8.0 boards and 1.3 blocks in his past six games, a decent dice roll.

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