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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
Saddiq Bey - F, Detroit Pistons
With Blake Griffin's Pistons career done -- more on that later in this article -- the Pistons have more minutes to go around, and they have some intriguing young players to fill those minutes.
One of those players is rookie Saddiq Bey, who has averaged 27.2 minutes per game over the past five games, with averages of 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 3.4 threes per game on a 66.7/60.7/83.3 shooting split. Now, those efficiency numbers will go down because a player firing up 5.6 threes per night won't keep shooting that well, but with Bey officially in the starting lineup now and playing over 30 minutes in each of the past two games, he needs to be on fantasy teams across the fantasy world.
Marcus Morris Sr. - F/C, Los Angeles Clippers
Hard to believe Marcus Morris has been around the league so long and just keeps getting better as a shooter. Through 21 games, Morris is shooting 50 percent from three on five attempts per game. The sample size for this is getting to be big enough for us to actually think that Morris can sustain this over the rest of the year.
He's also been starting the past two games because of injuries in L.A., though the impending return of Kawhi Leonard (leg) and Paul George (foot) is about to complicate things for Morris.
Now is definitely the time to sell high on Morris, if such a deal exists. He's trending up, but he could be just a few days away from trending back down. Hammer this trade window!
Kyle Kuzma - F, Los Angeles Lakers
With Anthony Davis (calf) out for the next month, Kuzma is suddenly one of the biggest risers in the NBA.
Kuzma has taken double-digit shot attempts in six of the last seven games. He's shot 50 percent or better from the floor in five consecutive games. He just posted a double-double against the Nets, and while Kuzma's lack of assists and inconsistent steal and block numbers are a slight concern, his scoring, rebounding, threes, and field goal percentage are all a big bonus for fantasy managers.
Also of note: Kuzma just seems to play better when he starts. Yes, that's a very eye-test kind of statement and while I could go grab some data to try to prove this, Kuzma seems exactly like the kind of player who we should not look at data for. Just seems appropriate when we're talking about Kuz, you know?
Nemanja Bjelica - F, Sacramento Kings
With Richaun Holmes (knee) out on Thursday, Bjelica took 21 shots, finishing with 25 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two threes. I'm not sure how long Holmes is going to be sidelined, but the Kings are also without a lot of frontcourt depth right now. That makes Bjelica an ideal play in fantasy leagues for the time being, even if he's likely to slide back to a lesser role once this Sacramento team is healthy. But hey, there's always value in short-term adds if you're looking to get an edge on your opponents!
Fantasy Basketball Fallers
Blake Griffin - F/C, Detroit Pistons
Griffin's time in Detroit is done, with the Pistons committing to hold Griffin out of lineups until they trade him. It's unclear how long that will take -- he has a big contract and has 100 percent not been playing at a level that would make a team want to pay him that contract, so this could stretch out for awhile. Griffin is probably not even worth holding onto in shallower leagues right now, because a trade or buyout would likely find him landing in a worse situation in terms of playing time than he's in now.
Andre Drummond - C, Cleveland Cavaliers
Oh hey, it's Blake's former frontcourt mate in Detroit, who is on this list for the exact same reason: the Cavs won't be playing Drummond again and are looking to trade him. Isn't it crazy how both of these guys are in the same situation? The difference: Drummond is better right now and can still be a valuable piece on a contender as a rim-protecting, rebounding big. So while you're dropping Griffin in a lot of places, Drummond's upside means you're holding onto him for now, even if you'll have to deal with some time without him.
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