The NBA season is officially underway and fantasy waiver wires are hopping with news that Miles Bridges is set to return. RJ Barrett looks a lot better this season, the Rockets may be sharing the ball too much and Cade Cunningham's name is currently bigger than his game.
Please send your questions for future mailbags to me on Twitter at @Docktora so we can keep this column fun and packed with questions.
Should Bruce Brown be rostered in a yahoo 12-team roto category league or is it better to look for someone with more upside? - Tony castella (@TonyNdai)
Hey Tony, it all depends on who is sitting out there on the waiver wire in your league. If Skylar Mays or Reggie Jackson (who plays four times per week in four of the next five weeks) are there I'm making the move. If the best you can do is someone like Cedi Osman or Tim Hardaway, I'm sticking with Brown. But generally speaking, Brown is not really a must-have fantasy player at this point. He's more valuable to the Pacers in real life than he is to his fantasy managers.
In what order do you think Jalen Johnson, Cameron Johnson and Miles Bridges end up this season - Parker (@Parkdiggitydoog)
After hearing nothing but crickets about the return of Bridges for a solid month it does sound like he's been cleared to play on Friday and coach Steve Clifford says that he'll play a "significant role right
The NBA season is officially underway and fantasy waiver wires are hopping with news that Miles Bridges is set to return. RJ Barrett looks a lot better this season, the Rockets may be sharing the ball too much and Cade Cunningham's name is currently bigger than his game.
Please send your questions for future mailbags to me on Twitter at @Docktora so we can keep this column fun and packed with questions.
Should Bruce Brown be rostered in a yahoo 12-team roto category league or is it better to look for someone with more upside? - Tony castella (@TonyNdai)
Hey Tony, it all depends on who is sitting out there on the waiver wire in your league. If Skylar Mays or Reggie Jackson (who plays four times per week in four of the next five weeks) are there I'm making the move. If the best you can do is someone like Cedi Osman or Tim Hardaway, I'm sticking with Brown. But generally speaking, Brown is not really a must-have fantasy player at this point. He's more valuable to the Pacers in real life than he is to his fantasy managers.
In what order do you think Jalen Johnson, Cameron Johnson and Miles Bridges end up this season - Parker (@Parkdiggitydoog)
After hearing nothing but crickets about the return of Bridges for a solid month it does sound like he's been cleared to play on Friday and coach Steve Clifford says that he'll play a "significant role right away." If he's in shape and his legal woes are really behind him (he had another court date last Monday), he's probably worth a flier in most leagues. I was bullish on him early and then stepped away when that final criminal summons was issued last month.
As far as guessing the priority order on those guys in terms of what they do the rest of the way, it's mostly just guesswork. But given Bridges' history and the log jam at small forward in Atlanta, I'm going: 1. Bridges, 2. Cam, 3. Jalen.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason ROS? (12T 9CAT H2H) - FantasySportsNoob (@FantaCSportNoob)
There's not really a question there but Smith is getting 28 minutes a night and was the No. 3 pick in his draft and Eason is getting 16 minutes a night and was the 17th pick in the same draft (2022). The priority should be to develop Smith but as I've talked about on several podcasts this year, the Rockets are really spreading the ball around, making it tough for any of them to truly break out. But given where we are right now, I'd much rather have Smith than Eason right now.
Is RJ Barrett's performance sustainable? What's wild is that he's playing almost 3 fewer minutes but is shooting waaay better this year. - Gary S White (@garyswhite)
Barrett is currently a sixth-round fantasy value and flirting with the fifth round, which is crazy to me. Especially when you consider he was like a 25th-round value last season, meaning he wasn't even worth rostering. His minutes are down, his rebounding is down and he's still not blocking or stealing the ball much. But he's averaging career highs in points, assists and three-pointers and is also shooting it lights out at a career-best 48.7 percent.
I doubt he'll shoot it that well all year and he sat out on Wednesday night with an illness, but the bottom line is that he's worth rostering in all leagues right now. And it's all tied to his great shooting, as you pointed out. He finished last season at 43.4% so the five added points to his percentage are enough to make a huge difference in his fantasy value.
Is Amen Thompson ever going to get a chance? - Kael (@Nakakael)
Thompson's early season was derailed by a severely sprained right ankle but he's out of his walking boot and probably nearing a return. Like I said earlier, the Rockets have some depth and are playing team basketball where everyone is getting touches and opportunities, so it's going to be tough for a lot of them to break out. Thompson is likely going to be playing behind both Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green, and given how difficult it has been for Green to make a lot of noise thus far, I'm not holding my breath for an Amen breakout. He's certainly intriguing and the Rockets are probably excited to get him out there to see what he can do, but unlike his brother in Detroit, I think minutes and opportunities are going to be a lot tougher to come by in Houston.
Points league. Would you move Fred VanVleet for Franz Wagner? Need some more positional flexibility but not sure Wagner can average as many pts as VanVleet. - Stevén James (@RealSteveDubya)
It feels like a reasonable trade and if the move gives you more position flexibility and it helps your team, I can get behind it. The scoring should be close and it all depends on your league's format and your point-guard depth, I suppose. But in a vacuum, VanVleet is trending as a sixth-round value and Wagner is down at 10th- or 11th-round value. The flexibility may offset that while it's also possible that the two player's values will align more closely over time. I'd rather have VanVleet personally, but it's possible the move could actually help your team. You'll have a lot to consider before making that move to make sure it's the best thing for your team, as FVV has clearly been the better player up to this point.
In points league 9-cat better ROS: Bradley Beal or Josh Giddey? - Kaimansinthehouse (@martinezpich)
Considering Beal generally plays on one leg and has to deal with guys like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and Giddey is an efficient, well-rounded young dynamo, I'm going with Giddey in a landslide. Even though his numbers are down a bit as he's playing more of a facilitator role this season as opposed to an offensive weapon.
Would you consider trading Harden for Cade Cunningham? - zZjecv13Zz (@JCanales13)
I think I would consider trading 'The System" for a lot of players and Cunningham is probably one of them. But as Harden said himself on Tuesday night, he's still working his way into shape, getting to know his new teammates and figuring things out in L.A. Cunningham's core numbers are fine but terrible field goal percentage and a lack of rebounds, steals and blocks has his ranking down around Round 18, which is not good. So, I think if I were sitting on Harden right now I'd just be patient and give him another couple weeks to get adjusted to his new team and see where we are at that point.
If Cade's shooting doesn't improve, you will not want him on your team. And Harden still has a chance to be a very good fantasy player this season. Lastly, moving Harden right now would be the ultimate 'dealing low' situation no matter who you trade him for. Wait for him to blow up a couple times and then look to move him when he's more coveted by other managers in your league.
