I hope you guys are enjoying this season as much as I am. After being seven weeks in, we can really see how well our drafting paid off. Many of you are scrambling to help fills gaps left by injuries while others are just looking for anything to help stop the bleeding. Over the past few weeks, players like Justin Holiday, Robert Covington, and Josh Richardson have held down top 25 spots because of their defense. Players who can contribute points and defensive stats have found themselves within a tier of their own and many players can become impactful strictly because of their defensive impact. Do not forget to stay updated on the players who are making their names known for stopping scorers rather than doing all the scoring.
Others like Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, and Deandre Ayton have done the exact opposite. Those players offer little to zero defensive stats, but are still considered the top of the young crop of players. You can go either way, but this year defense has taken a clear jump in importance. Players who can drop 30 will always take the narrative away from more complete players, so make sure you watch for trends and that players contribute across the board consistently, rather than in just one category.
As a reminder, for standard (10-12 team) league adds, we use a general rule of thumb of an ownership rate of under 50% on Yahoo. All position eligibility based on Yahoo leagues.
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Standard League Adds for Week 4
Elie Okobo, G – Phoenix Suns
Ownership: 16%
7.1 PPG / 2.4 APG / .425 FG% / .8 3PG
Elie Okobo has had his name tossed around more than enough fantasy basketball conversations...as if that were that many fantasy basketball conversations in the first place, but that's aside from the point. Over the past two weeks Okobo has been unreal. He is scoring in every way and most importantly contributing in threes. Threes are normally dry outside of a few point guards, so Okobo averaging close to 20 points and hitting threes makes for the perfect streamer pick. The Suns have not entirely devoted their point guard duties to Devin Booker just yet, so expect someone like Okobo to be the perfect compliment to Booker. Both players can shoot and it seems like Phoenix would rather the ball be in Booker's hands and finding Okobo open on the wing as the secondary option.
JaMychal Green, F – Memphis Grizzlies
Ownership 14%
9.0 PPG / 6.9 RPG / .8 SPG / .9 BPM
Here's the thing. Although JaMychal is fitting right back into the Grizzlies rotation, the more minutes he receives, the less usage he sees. Luckily, he is nearing one steal and one block per game to help with his averages, and his ability to get a double-double against anyone helps his ceiling. He struggles to hit shots consistently and any threes he makes should be seen as a bonus. He will score around the rim and has the touch to do so, but it's clear that is not his strong suit and not how he prefers to play. If need be he will shoot, but look for him to help you on the defensive end or with rebounds.
Mason Plumlee, C – Denver Nuggets
Ownership 11% %
7.0 PPG / 5.2 RPG / .614 FG% / 1.9 APG
You might be thinking this is just a reaction from his Rondo-like over the shoulder pass he had the other day. Not true. He has been trending upwards and hit a small usage spike over the past week. He is playing better and producing at a decent rate, so wait for his minutes to finally find a consistent area around the 20-22 minute range. The blocks are usually a rarity for him, but this is a role that Plumlee can easily play. He won't keep up the number of blocks, but expect the quality of his production to benefit from whatever extra blocks he will provide.
More Fantasy Basketball Analysis
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