Trust the process!
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most exciting, eye-catching teams in the NBA right now. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are two very young players with very clear future-MVP potential, and they are both putting up numbers and creating scenarios that are shaking the fantasy landscape on a daily basis. That volatile mix of explosive production and upside, in conjunction with creative negatives, made both of them topics of fantasy discussion during the last two days.
Simmons was subjected to a "hack-a-dude" strategy, as NBA TV put it, getting sent to the foul line an NBA-record 24 times in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. He made only half, which opens the possibility that other teams might try this tactic in the future until he proves he can make them. Simmons managed one of the most impressive lines of the night, anyway (see below), but in roto-style leagues, that 15-of-29 from the line would be a category killer. It's something definitely worth keeping an eye on moving forward.
Embiid, on the other hand, might have been even more individually impressive than Simmons on Wednesday. However, with the 76ers having back-to-back games, for the second time this season Embiid is expected to sit out the latter half of one of these sets to get some rest. His minutes restriction has been removed and his per-game numbers are outstanding, but as long as Embiid is set to miss one of every pair of back-to-back contests, his value as a fantasy producer is capped -- especially in weekly transaction leagues that rely on schedule volume.
Wednesday recap
Highlights
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: 37 points (11-23 FG, 8-12 FT), 11 rebounds, 7 3-pointers, 5 assists, 5 steals, 7 TO
Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic: 40 points (13-23 FG, 8-11 FT), 15 rebounds, 6 3-pointers, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 1 TO
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers: 31 points (8-16 FG, 15-29 FT), 18 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 6 TO
Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors: 36 points (12-18 FG, 4-4 FT), 8 3-pointers, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 TO
James Harden, Houston Rockets: 29 points (8-22 FG, 9-9 FT), 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 3-pointers, 1 steal, 1 TO
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs: 41 points (17-24 FG, 4-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 3-pointers, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 TO
Westbrook turned in his fifth straight monster game, closer to the level he established last season than what he did in the first month of 2017-18, despite a bruised hand that was diagnosed after the game. This is the Westbrook that fantasy managers want to see, but the Thunder lost again, so keep an eye on whether he starts trying to adjust his game in the hopes of jump-starting the team.
When I wrote Wednesday's DFS Best Buys, I had to leave off some names for the sake of article length. Gordon was one of those names, though he was projected to have a good game. However, he obliterated expectations with a massive 40-and-15 that actually outpaced Westbrook for "line of the game." Gordon's level of play has improved of late, making him a worthy potential trade target in the short term.
As I mentioned earlier, Simmons turned in one of the lines of the night with 31-and-18, but teammate Joel Embiid might have been just as impressive with 25 points, 14 boards, 4 assists, 4 blocks and a steal with only three turnovers. The forgotten player for the 76ers is often Dario Saric, who is coming off a monster rookie season, and flexed some of that potential on Wednesday with 24 points, 8 boards, 2 assists, a steal, a 3-pointer and only 1 turnover of his own.
Lowry was another player considered for my Wednesday Best Buy list that I didn't have room to include. He also showed that his outstanding play of late is a trend and not a mirage. Of note, teammate DeMar DeRozan also scored 30 points, showing that they are rediscovering the way to "go boom" together.
Harden put up another monster line, while playing next to Chris Paul, in a blowout win against an overmatched opponent. There's nothing to indicate that Harden will slow down anytime soon, which is why he moved to the top of my rankings earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Aldridge turned in the most points that he's ever scored in a Spurs uniform. He really took advantage of the time that Kawhi Leonard was out. However, with rumblings that Leonard could be returning "sooner, rather than later," fantasy managers might consider moving Aldridge now, while his value is at its peak.
Lowlights
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 11 points (4-7 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 TO, 5 fouls, 21 minutes
TJ Warren, Phoenix Suns: 7 points (2-6 FG, 3-4 FT), 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 TO
Otto Porter Jr., Washington Wizards: 8 points (3-14 FG, 2-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 TO
Goran Dragic, Miami Heat: 6 points (3-12 FG), 3 assists, 2 rebounds
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies: 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-2 FT), 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 TO
Towns was my Fade player for Wednesday, because in two of his previous four meetings with Anthony Davis he had gotten into foul trouble. It happened again on Wednesday and, even though he managed a double-double, it was very low volume for him. He also managed six turnovers and five fouls in only 21 minutes of action. The bright side is that Towns' time on the bench opened things up for a Gorgui Dieng (available in 63.9 percent of leagues) sighting. Perhaps Dieng's 19 points, 6 boards, 5 assists and 4 steals in 37 minutes off the bench will get his season jump-started.
Warren is a high-variance player, which is outstanding on the up days but terrible on the down ones. Wednesday was a down one and a very forgettable one at that. On a side note, teammate Josh Jackson (available in 83 percent of leagues) reveled in garbage time and put up one of the best stat lines of his first season in the NBA. He had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist in 32 minutes off the bench.
After playing well in his previous few contests, Porter struggled in this game. Teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. (available in 79.2 percent of leagues) went big again with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 combined blocks/steals, while Jodie Meeks (99.8 percent) got hot and turned in 21 points with 4 boards and 3 3-pointers in 26 minutes off the bench. While John Wall is out, it is conceivable that Meeks could supplant Tim Frazier as the backup to own.
Dragic struggled for the Heat on Wednesday, but really the whole team was down in a blowout loss to the Heat. Of note (see below), Hassan Whiteside sat with a knee injury.
Gasol's numbers weren't terrible on Wednesday, but all eyes are on him right now because he is the player most identified with getting his coach fired. The front office said that one of the reasons for the firing was to put Gasol in position to be a superstar. If so, 10 points isn't going to get it done.
Wednesday's takeaway
The Suns keep switching up their big-man rotation. On Wednesday, Greg Monroe and Marquese Chriss started and Tyson Chandler got the DNP-CD. Until the Suns settle on a rotation, none of their bigs can really generate any value.
Injuries of note
One day after LeBron James was ejected for the first time in his career, Anthony Davis followed suit on Wednesday, getting tossed for the first time. It had the effect of ending his night early, but it's unlikely that any further suspension will be warranted. This should not be an issue moving forward.
Russell Westbrook had an X-ray after the game that revealed a bruised hand. However, he missed no game action due to the bruise, and the injury does not sound serious.
Kristaps Porzingis twisted his ankle and had to leave early, but apparently did try to talk his way back onto the court. In interviews, he claimed that he is called "The Lizard" because of how fast he heals. Consider him day-to-day for now. Enes Kanter was huge on Wednesday, picking up the slack.
Bradley Beal caught an elbow and had to briefly leave his game, but he was able to return and appears to be fine.
Hassan Whiteside sat with his knee issue, and said he believes that the problem is getting worse. No official word has come down, but this sounds ominous. In his absence, Bam Adebayo (available in 98.6 percent of leagues) got the start and turned in 9 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 31 minutes.
Lonzo Ball fell and hit his head on the court, opening up a cut, but was able to return to action after getting some attention in the locker room.
Analytics advantage for Thursday
The Bulls have allowed 48 total rebounds per 100 possessions, the worst opponent rebounding rate in the NBA. Their Thursday opponents, the Nuggets, rank seventh in the NBA with 46.2 rebounds per 100 possessions. This sets things up for Nuggets like Juan Hernangomez (a team-leading 10 rebounds last game, as a starter, available in 99.3 percent of leagues) and Kenneth Faried (second on Denver with eight rebounds last game, as a starter, 91.9 percent) to potentially have good games.
Top players to watch Thursday
As I've already outlined, Joel Embiid is expected to sit out Thursday's second half of a back-to-back. This opens things up for Dario Saric (available in 40.1 percent of leagues) to potentially have a monster game, and even deep-bench backups such as Amir Johnson (99.1 percent) or Richaun Holmes (99.3 percent) to register a blip as high-risk streaming options.
On Thursday, the LA Clippers play their first game since Blake Griffin's injury, and it will be fascinating to watch how that plays out. Lou Williams (available in 21 percent of leagues) and DeAndre Jordan seem most likely to step in with potential franchise-caliber numbers. Austin Rivers (75.4 percent) and Wesley Johnson (90.8 percent) are both inconsistent, but both could find their roles increased. Plus, of course, someone will physically have to replace Griffin in the lineup. In the short term, it sounds like Sam Dekker (available in 99.1 percent of leagues), Montrezl Harrell (98.8 percent) and/or Willie Reed (99.7 percent) could get that call. Any of the three could at least conceivably put up unexpected numbers if they get heavy playing time.
