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Welcome to the RotoBaller NBA Recap. In this feature, we will highlight one key fantasy basketball takeaway from each night during the past week. These viewpoints can be both positive and negative and will hopefully help to provide insight into different roster moves you should consider making.
Fantasy basketball has a lot of moving pieces with all the different scoring settings that are possible to play under, so I will always do my best to spotlight where players gain or lose value in certain game types.
Without further ado, let's get right into the 10th week of the season and try to figure out how to take advantage of what we saw transpire.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
Monday, December 23rd
Damion Lee Needs To Be Added Immediately
Let's face it; the Golden State Warriors have turned into an absolute dumpster fire in 2019. The departure of Kevin Durant didn't help, but injuries to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry helped to transform the year into a throwaway venture. Perhaps this leads to a top selection during the 2020 draft for a team that will get both the 'Splash Brothers' back in action next year, but someone is going to have to step up for the time being.
After returning from a broken hand that sidelined him for exactly a month, Damion Lee has quickly become one of the teams' best players, reaching double-digit points in four of his past five games. On Monday, the second-year guard out of Louisville quietly put together a stat line of 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and two three-pointers, and I believe the time to add him to your squad is now.
Lee is in a situation to not only be one of the top scorers for the Warriors but also has hidden category league potential since he is a solid rebounder for his position and will be given the green light from deep. The 27-year-old brings with him more experience than most second-year players have this early into their NBA career, and I'd act now before his fantasy stock rises past his current 10 percent ownership level.
UPDATE: Damion Lee scored 22 points to go along with 15 rebounds on Christmas and has already seen an extra 20 percent of managers add him to their roster. If he is still floating around your waiver wire, grab him and hope the run continues.
Tuesday, December 24th
Christmas Eve - No Games
Wednesday, December 25th
Chris Boucher Has Stocking Stuffer Potential
Even though Chris Boucher has only amassed 11.6 minutes per game during the month of December, you might want to give him a second look - even if it is only for the foreseeable future.
Injuries to Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol have turned the Raptors into an extremely thin frontcourt, and with no timetable currently listed for the return of either player, head coach Nick Nurse has turned to Boucher over the past few games and been rewarded handsomely. During the two contests where he was given over 20 minutes of playing time, the third-year pro has averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers made. That is obviously an abnormally small sample size we are picking from, but Boucher's ability to add blocks and threes to your team shouldn't be discounted.
Given the potential he has shown when being presented with more playing time, it is hard to imagine that the Raptors won't start expanding his role in any situation, but Boucher's short-term value at least makes him an add and hold until Siakam or Gasol returns. The worst-case scenario is that you get a few quality games out of the dynamic, young power forward, but there is a chance that you strike gold if things play out correctly for the former Oregon Duck.
Thursday, December 26th
Jalen Brunson Is Droppable In Almost All Leagues
It was a fun ride for Jalen Brunson, who filled in admirably during Luka Doncic's absence, but it is difficult to find a legitimate path to fantasy success for him now that the European sensation is back on the court.
Brunson was only able to log 14 minutes on Thursday, recording six points, three assists and one rebound in his reduced role, and while he should be a significant real-life factor for the Mavericks and their second unit, there just isn't enough playing time or a high enough usage rate to warrant being held in virtually any setting.
Brunson deserves his props for contributing 14.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 9.2 assists during his expanded five-game role, but part of your edge in fantasy basketball is knowing when to move on from a player when they no longer carry any value, and that time for the former Villanova product is now.
Friday, December 27th
Duncan Robinson Is A Strong Category League Asset
I wrote about Duncan Robinson last Friday and have decided to double-dip again this week. I tend to try and avoid recapping the same players since we have over 300 to choose from, but the Heat sharpshooter remains someone I find interesting in fantasy settings.
I mentioned last week how I wasn't the biggest fan of the former Michigan product in groups that reward points per statistic, and that still remains true, but category league participants have a unique player that can be plugged in as a utility option for their squad.
During the month of December, Robinson has connected on four threes per contest, which includes hitting six or more shots from behind the arc three times in his last eight games. I prefer using him as a utility piece so I can build a complete squad around his skill set and not take a hit in other categories that may be drained by starting him, but his prowess from deep is enough to give you a massive boost for a cheap price tag.
