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Welcome to the fantasy basketball risers and fallers column, a weekly look at a few players whose stock is rising and a few who've been struggling with some analysis of why that's been the case. As always, this doesn't mean you need to drop these players who are struggling, but this could be a useful piece for making some trade decisions or for making some tough lineup choices.
Who is trending up this week? Who's trending down? Let's dive in and find out.
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Fantasy Basketball Risers
Josh Jackson - G/F, Detroit Pistons
The "which unexpected wing player in Detroit will play well" saga continues. Early in the year, it was Jackson. Then for a couple of weeks it was Wayne Ellington. And, it appears to be Jackson once again.
Over the last six games, Jackson is playing 28.2 minutes per contest, with averages of 18.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He's shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from three.
The Pistons have a really weak roster, especially after trading Derrick Rose. Dennis Smith Jr. went from not playing at all in New York to being part of this rotation. So, any NBA-level wing can perform on this team, and Jackson looks like an NBA player. That's enough to earn him minutes and shots attempts.
Hamidou Diallo - G/F, Oklahoma City Thunder
Like with the Pistons, the Thunder have a roster full of guys whose names don't jump out, except OKC has managed to be a respectable team in spite of this.
Diallo is averaging 35.2 minutes per game over the last five Thunder games, with four starts. While he's shot just 18.2 percent from three in that stretch, he's still managed to put together averages of 16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per night, plus 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks. He's posted consecutive double-doubles and seems to be trending up. It helps that OKC has minutes and patience to go around when it comes to their young players.
Lou Williams - G, Los Angeles Clippers
On the season, Williams is taking just 9.1 shots per game, his lowest mark since 2013-14. But over the past three games, he's seen an expanded role, with more minutes and 13.7 field goal attempts per contest. And because he's a really good shooter from deep, that's translated into 22.7 points per game over this stretch, plus 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
Yes, Paul George (foot) being out is contributing to this. But for a player who can be a bit streaky, I think this strong run has the ability to jump-start things for Williams even after the team gets healthy again. The Clippers need to let Williams be their top bench player, and Luke Kennard's minutes dropping as Williams' have gone up hopefully means we'll see Williams in a larger role for the rest of the 2021 season.
Kevin Huerter - G/F, Atlanta Hawks
With De'Andre Hunter (knee) out for the next six weeks or so, Kevin Huerter is taking on a larger offensive role in Atlanta. He's scored 16 or more points in each of his last four games and hasn't played under 30 minutes since January 24th, when he played 29 minutes.
Huerter is also shooting 54.5 percent from three over the last five games. That'll cool off -- there's just no way he shoots that well -- but the multi-faceted offensive attack in Atlanta means Huerter should get plenty of open looks. He ranks in the top 50 among players in unguarded jumpers taken per game and is 31st in points per possession on those attempts. Only three players who also take at least two of these shots per game have more PPP on them.
Fantasy Basketball Fallers
Immanuel Quickley - G, New York Knicks
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh.
Quickley seemed destined to be the Knicks best guard at some point this season and then they went and traded for Derrick Rose. New York is in win-now mode, even if it doesn't fully make sense why they're in win-now mode, and that's pushing Quickley down in the rotation...well, quickly. He's played 21 or fewer minutes in four consecutive games, and after shooting 25 percent or worse in each of the last two games, I wouldn't be shocked to see head coach Tom Thibodeau just give Quickley even fewer chances going forward. Clearly, the fantasy community's interests and the Knicks' interests aren't aligned.
Jeff Green - F/C, Brooklyn Nets
Green's fine in a pinch, but with Brooklyn getting healthier and Kevin Durant (health and safety protocols) likely back soon, Green's just not going to see the floor enough, especially with Brooklyn signing a more traditional backup-five option in Noah Vonleh. Green's intangibles will make him a useful piece in Brooklyn still, but kind of difficult to see him having much fantasy value once Durant is back in the lineup. Green's best used as a DFS value guy when the Nets are dealing with injuries, not as a season-long hold.
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