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The All-Stars are announced. The second-half schedule is too. The first half of this 2020-21 season is about to wind down.
There's still plenty of time for you to make some moves that can net you a fantasy basketball championship, though! And to make those moves, you've got to drop people.
Below is our weekly fantasy basketball drop list, a look at players who are can be dropped in some or all formats. Every Thursday, we'll look at why it's fine to move on from certain players based on their recent play. Remember: every league is different, so make sure you evaluate what options you have to replace these players before you actually drop them.
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Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing
DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, N/A)
56% rostered
The Rockets have moved on from Cousins, so right now he's not on a roster. He was in the perfect position over the last few weeks to maintain fantasy value, as the Christian Wood injury and Houston's lack of other inside options meant that Cousins was going to have chances to play heavy minutes and post double-doubles.
But now? It's hard to imagine he finds a new home that would come close to what Houston provided in terms of playing time and production. We've already heard that the Lakers are unlikely to sign him, and Cousins on a contender would be a bench option.
Maybe a team that isn't a contender takes a chance on the oft-injured center, but who would that even be? Who needs a starting center bad enough to make Boogie that guy? Eventually, he'll end up in a reserve role on a contender, but I could see us having to wait out the whole Andre Drummond situation in Cleveland before we see a team that misses out on Drummond turning to Cousins.
Nemanja Bjelica (PF, Sacramento Kings)
4% rostered
I'd like to issue an apology to everyone, as I recommended picking Bjelica up last week. I didn't think they'd get healthy so quick when I said that.
But after scoring 25 minutes and grabbing eight boards on the 18th, Bjelica played just 12 minutes the next night and then hasn't played in either Kings game since then. With Richaun Holmes and Harrison Barnes back, Bjelica is just completely out of the rotation in Sacramento. There's no reason to roster him in fantasy if you still are.
Again, sorry! But to be fair, he probably should be playing! Bjelica brings some shooting to the floor that the Kings could use.
With the buyout market looking robust, there might not even be anywhere for the Kings to ship Bjelica to at the deadline, limiting his future appeal. His 26.3 percent mark from three looks bad on paper, but he shot over 40 percent from three for the three years in a row before this one, so I really think he could still have value in the right spot. Alas, hard to see that happening for Belly.
Hassan Whiteside (C, Sacramento Kings)
62% rostered
Hey, speaking of Kings bigs who aren't really in the rotation, let's talk Hassan Whiteside!
Out of the rotation -- and currently out because of COVID protocols -- Whiteside is in that DeMarcus Cousins mode right now, where he has no spot in your lineup until he finds a new home. The Kings keep losing games and have no need for Whiteside in a season where they need to be looking forward, so the best assumption here is that a buy out is the next step, freeing him to go...
...yeah, I don't know. It seems like we're about to have an abundance of veteran free agent centers at midseason, and there's really not a ton of room for them. He could wind up as a Laker, or he could languish around in free agency, or...
...yeah, again, this whole thing is so unclear. But what is clear: Whiteside's nothing more than an occasional streaming play when everyone else is hurt if he stays in Sacramento.
Immanuel Quickley (PG, New York Knicks)
23% rostered
Yeah, the minutes are gone.
The rookie was still posting the occasional strong game for a bit after the Derrick Rose trade, but he's played under 15 minutes in back-t0-back games, shooting 20 percent from the field in 11.3 minutes per game.
Elfrid Payton played 33 minutes last game, and Derrick Rose played 27. There just isn't room for this team to get their promising rookie on the floor, even if Knicks fans think they should. At 15-17, the Knicks are still firmly in the hunt for the postseason, and the veteran presence of Payton and Rose is what head coach Tom Thibodeau is going with.
So, yeah, in the majority of leagues, you're good to go ahead and move on from Quickley.
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