Knowing when to let go can be challenging for fantasy basketball managers. Take Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons, for instance. Grant is a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player this season, thanks to nearly doubling his scoring output while serving a primary offensive role for Detroit this season, and yet the lottery-bound Pistons have rested their star wing for nine of the past 14 games.Sign up for free fantasy baseballBaseball is back, and so is fantasy! Get the gang back together, or start a new tradition.Join or start a league for free >>Prepare with rankings & analysis >>
A reader in the middle of a competitive fantasy basketball playoff matchup asked me if it's time to release Grant in order to pursue players who, well, actually play. It's an entirely appropriate question and yet still jarring when you consider how well Grant has played this season, but it's also true that Detroit will likely rest their top player several more times in the next 13 days.
The marathon has become a sprint. With just seven or eight games left for each NBA team, fantasy managers will want to act with a greater level of immediacy, such as moving on from a player like Grant, who will rest often down the stretch.
Such decisions often require some consideration of context. Such as how big rosters are and the quality of free agents in a given league. In this case, with the reader having just three bench spots, it was time to move on from Grant for rookie teammate Saddiq Bey, who just produced 26 points and pulled nine boards for Detroit in a loss to Orlando last night.
Highlights
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers: 32 points (14-22 FG), 19 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals
Russell Westbrook, Washington Wizards: 14 points (5-8 FG), 21 rebounds, 24 assists
Lowlights
Andre Drummond, Los Angeles Lakers: 4 points (2-5 FG), 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TO
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs: 6 points (3-10 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Both Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo will miss Miami's matchup with the Mavericks. The absence of these two combo guards leads to increased fantasy value for Goran Dragic. The veteran playmaker is a free agent in roughly 60% of ESPN leagues and, yet, his numbers surge to 18.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists (per 36 minutes) whenever Herro and Oladipo are off the floor this season.
No reason to get cute with this one, as the marquee matchup between Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo is the focus of attention tonight. Durant tallied 42 points and just missed a game-tying shot at the buzzer against the Bucks this past Sunday, while Antetokounmpo delivered 49 in a battle of top talents.
