RADIO
It's been a long week. Kobe Bryant's passing last Sunday has cast a pall over basketball, and has made it hard to see the games as what they're meant to be: games. Instead, turning on an NBA game has been met with this huge sense of sadness and grief, and this feeling that everything is so off kilter that we'll never get back to where we were.
But the basketball is still happening, even as it's become so tough to focus on, and you came to our site to think about the game itself, and about the game you play within the game itself: fantasy basketball.
Here's our weekly fantasy basketball drop list, a look at players who are can be dropped in some or all formats. Every Friday, we'll look at why it's fine to move on from certain players based on their recent play. Let's look at players who you can consider dropping so far. Remember: every league is different and we're working on a pretty small sample size this early in the year, so make sure you evaluate what options you have to replace these players before you actually drop them.
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!
Players to Consider Dropping or Replacing
Eric Paschall - (F, Golden State Warriors) - 32% Owned
Paschall's production has taken a nose dive this week, and against Philly he played just 11 minutes, finishing with four points and three rebounds. He got 23 minutes of action the next time out against the Celtics, but that resulted in just four points and one board, so...not great!
With Willie Cauley-Stein gone, there's theoretically more room for Paschall to stick in the rotation even with Draymond Green back in the lineup, but it's also fair to not want to put Paschall in your fantasy lineup on nights where Green plays, because *gestures to the two games I mentioned above*
Go ahead and hold in deeper leagues, but you're fine to move on in shallow ones.
Jarrett Culver - (G/F, Minnesota Timberwolves) - 17% Owned
The rookie wall is here.
Culver hasn't had a double-digit scoring effort since January 18th. In the five games since then, his most points were seven, his most rebounds were four, and his most assists were three.
Consistency is the key here, or rather inconsistency is. Culver's not getting into any kind of rhythm, there's fluctuation with his minutes, and there's just no way I can justify rostering him right now based on his recent performance. I still think he has a bright NBA future, but you're not reading this column for dynasty league advice.
Marvin Bagley III - (F/C, Sacramento Kings) - 80% Owned
Bagley's foot injury won't be re-evaluated for three weeks. He's played just 13 games all year. Y'all, it's time to officially consider this a lost season for the second-year forward.
I get why you'd want to hold onto him. His last game before the injury was a 15-point, 15-rebound effort against the Heat. But we're likely looking at March when Bagley returns, and that's just, like, if things go well. Do the Kings want to play him again this year and risk re-injury?
If you need immediate wins to help you in a close playoff race, Bagley's someone to look to move on from. Maybe not a straight-up cut, but talk to the top teams in your league about trade possibilities.
Matisse Thybulle - (G/F, Philadelphia 76ers) - 15% Owned
I like Thybulle, but his minutes and production are both fading. Unless you're rostering him exclusively for his upside in steals and blocks -- which could be fair, depending on your needs! -- then you won't really be losing much if you choose to move on from the rookie. His value at this point is exclusively as a defensive specialist. Your fantasy ownership of him should be dependent on if that's what you need the most, because you can find a better source of percentages, points, rebounds, and assists on the wire.
