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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.
We are entering the final 12 games of the regular season for most teams, and the playoff/play-in game race is starting to heat up in each conference. It has prevented some tanking in the NBA as groups like the Washington Wizards are using a late-season surge to claw their way into playoff contention. These one-off, do-or-die playoff games have worked tremendously for baseball over the years, and I am excited to see it come to the NBA. It's also creating many opportunities for new basketball players to pop up on our radar, whether we are in the thick of the playoffs or doing some early scouting for our 2021-22 drafts.
So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores from Apr. 19 to Apr. 25 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
P.J. Dozier - PG/SG, Denver Nuggets
Season: 21.2 Minutes per Game
Week 17: 30.0 Minutes per Game
Jamal Murray (knee) is out for the season. Will Barton (hamstring) and Monte Morris (hamstring) are not returning soon either. That doesn't leave a lot of healthy bodies in the Nuggets backcourt. However, one physically fit player is the guard, P.J. Dozier. He's not a name casual NBA fans know off the top of their head, but they are about to if he continues playing as he did in Week 17. Dozier started for Barton on Saturday against the Houston Rockets and erupted in only 28 minutes. The 24-year old dropped a career-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, two steals, and three triples. He's recorded at least 25 minutes of court time in six of his last seven games and should be a must-add in the 66 percent of Yahoo leagues where he remains on the waiver wire.
Jalen Brunson - PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks
Season: 25.4 Minutes per Game
Week 17: 26.0 Minutes per Game
Dallas is getting annihilated by a brutal stretch of the schedule and is resting their regulars to remain healthy for the playoffs. This philosophy mainly applies to the two European stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and others are left to soak up the majority of minutes and return helpful fantasy production. In Week 17, the third-year guard averaged 26 minutes and tallied 13 points, 4.3 assists, four rebounds, and 1.5 threes over four contests.
While the Mavericks do need to keep an eye on the teams behind them, they know how many injuries other superstars around the league are suffering this year. They don't want that to happen to their franchise player, and it will continue to offer Brunson the opportunities he needs to be a fantasy asset in your 14 or 16-team fantasy basketball playoffs.
Oshae Brissett - SF/PF, Indiana Pacers
Season: 17.8 Minutes per Game
Week 17: 28.6 Minutes per Game
Domantas Sabonis (back) and Myles Turner (toe) have been watching the Pacers from the injury table over the last few games, and it gave Osahe Brissett the time to show Indiana what he can do. Well, he's showing them a lot and has become a popular pickup in the final weeks of the fantasy basketball regular season. Brissett didn't play more than 10 minutes in any game this season before April 19th, but his entire season has turned upside down since that date. In his last five games (starting on April 19), the second-year forward is averaging 35.1 minutes per game and recording 15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers, 1.8 blocks with a steal, and an assist apiece. The Canadian has three double-doubles in those five contests and has become a fantasy All-Star down the stretch.
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