RADIO
Welcome to Rotation Watch, Rotoballers! Each week, this article will highlight the players that are gaining minutes in their team's rotation. Fantasy managers want to roster the players that are accumulating stats and racking up the playing time. They want to avoid the players falling out of favor and watching the action from the sidelines.
The fantasy basketball playoffs begin in two of my leagues next week, and it is exciting. All that hard work of grinding the waiver wire is about to be put to the ultimate test. Hopefully, this article and the rest of Rotoballer's excellent season-long coverage have helped you on your way to the playoffs. Whether they begin now or you're playing until the final buzzer of the regular season, we will be here to help out with your fantasy basketball rosters.
So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores from Apr. 5 to Apr. 11 and look for those hidden gems that grabbed minutes to help your fantasy basketball team achieve the ultimate prize: a championship. These suggestions are the cream of the crop, and if you ever need an extra slice of advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut, and I'll happily talk about some fantasy basketball with everyone.
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NBA Playing Time Changes
Reggie Jackson - PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers
Season: 21.5 Minutes per Game
Week 15: 27.0 Minutes per Game
Patrick Beverley (hand) is out of the mix for the next few weeks, and that leaves an opening for Reggie Jackson to help your team during the fantasy basketball playoffs. With Bev out, there are 23.4 minutes per game available to be absorbed by another player. Some will go to Rajon Rondo, but there will be a few tossed Reggie Jackson's way to increase his production. Week 15 was evidence of this as the 30-year old averaged 17.3 points, 4.8 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and three triples across four contests. Another thing to consider with Jackson down the stretch is the Clipper's management of their superstars, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. One of them has the chance to sit on any given night for maintenance reasons, and, if that happens, Jackson will receive a boost whenever the Clippers decide to go that route.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers
Season: 26.5 Minutes per Game
Week 15: 32.3 Minutes per Game
KCP has been getting plenty of run for the purple and gold as they manage a string of injuries over recent weeks. It all came together for the eight-year veteran in Week 15 as the Lakers played three games. Caldwell-Pope averaged 18.3 points, 3.3 boards, three assists, and four three-pointers in that trio of contests. He took a massive 11.7 shots per game and was hitting them at a 57.1 percent clip. Anthony Davis is due back by the end of next week, and LeBron James will about a week to 10 days after AD. While that means KCP can't carry you to the promised land of a championship, he will have the ability to help you through the first and maybe the second round of your fantasy basketball playoffs.
Saddiq Bey - SF, Detroit Pistons
Season: 25.2 Minutes per Game
Week 15: 28.1 Minutes per Game
Detroit is in the middle of a hard reset and trying to figure out what kind of players they have on their roster. With Jerami Grant the only expensive building block on the roster, Saddiq Bey is attempting to show the front office he is a piece to keep as the franchise rebuilds. The Pistons played a ludicrous five games in Week 15, and it gave Bey all the chances he could want to shine in his rookie season. Bey put up 17.2 points in the handful of games and 3.2 three-pointers on 50 and 41 percent shooting, respectively. The rookie forward also chipped in 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals to make him a legitimate five-category contributor. He's only 34 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues. Still, he can be a meaningful bench contribution for 12-team leagues if this amount of playing time continues down the final third of the regular season.
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