Fantasy Basketball Wired Wired Week 13: Nick Richards leads the way

With most teams at or just past the halfway point of their seasons, the next major checkpoint for the NBA is the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Some trades have already been made and activity should only pick up moving forward. Nick Richards’ move from Charlotte to Phoenix makes him a quality addition to fantasy rosters, especially with the reported expectation that he will be an immediate starter. Brooklyn, Utah and Portland have given younger players more opportunities to prove themselves recently, while other teams have made changes due to injuries. This week’s exemption cable column begins with the latest Sun.

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1. Nick Richards

2. Nikola Jovic

3. Scott Henderson

4. Jaime Jaquez Jr.

5. Toumani Camara

6. Cole Anthony

7. Wallace House

8. Guerschon Yabusele

9. Quentin Grimes

10. Brice Sensabaugh

PG Scoot Henderson (38%), Portland Trail Blazers

Henderson’s minutes have increased recently, with the second-year point guard playing well enough to earn bigger opportunities. Over the last week, he has averaged 19.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.3 triples per game, shooting 52.6% from the field. Henderson has struggled at the foul line (57.1 percent over the past week), but is a 76.2 percent shooter for the season. While the overall value hasn’t been great, Scoot is in a position where he should play a lot the rest of the season as Portland fell to 13-27 with its loss to the Clippers on Thursday. During Week 13, the Blazers will play four games, starting with the Heat on Tuesday.

C Nick Richards (34%), Phoenix Suns

With Mark Williams firmly established as Charlotte’s starting center, Richards needed a move to have a chance to establish his fantasy ceiling. With Phoenix needing to make changes at the five, the former second-round pick has landed in an excellent spot. Jusuf Nurkic’s future with the franchise doesn’t seem secure, as he picked up two DNP-CDs before being sidelined with an illness. That leaves Mason Plumlee and rookie Oso Ighodaro, neither of whom have been consistent enough to claim the job for themselves. Enter Richards, who is expected to step in as the Suns’ starting center, potentially as soon as Saturday afternoon in Detroit. While Phoenix’s first game in Week 13 (at Cleveland) won’t be easy for Richards, matchups with the Nets and Wizards follow.

SF Jaime Jaquez Jr. (34%) i PF/C Nikola Jovic (33%), Miami Heat

It’s been tough to figure out which Heat side to target with Jimmy Butler suspended, which means Jáquez and Jovic are worth a look. The latter has been the best performer recently, providing value per round 7 game in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. During that stretch, Jáquez is outside the top 100. The Heat play three games in Week 13, which isn’t great, and there’s also the question of whether Butler will play after his suspension ends (he says he intends to play). ). Given what’s happened, it’s hard to imagine Miami allowing Butler to play before being traded. Fantasy managers who can add Jovic or Jaquez should.

PG/SG/SF Ayo Dosunmu (31%), Chicago Bulls

Dosunmu returned to action on January 15 after missing 10 games with a strained calf muscle. He played 25 minutes off the bench in that loss to Atlanta, with Patrick Williams retaining his spot in the starting lineup. However, Dosunmu has been much more productive when healthy and was a fixture in the starting lineup before the injury. Outside of the contract the Bulls signed Williams to last summer, there’s no reason he should start ahead of Dosunmu once the fourth-year guard is deemed healthy enough to play without restrictions. And even if that contract is reason enough to keep Williams with the starters, Dosunmu won’t have much trouble earning minutes. Chicago plays three games in Week 13, starting with the Clippers on Monday.

SF/PF Toumani Camara (30%), Portland Trail Blazers

Already in Portland’s starting lineup, Camara had more opportunities to shine with Jerami Grant (face) and Deni Avdija (ankle) out with injury. Over the past two weeks, the sophomore wing has provided 7th-round value in 9-cat formats, averaging 13.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 0 .8 blocks and 2.0 triples per game. Even if Camara’s offensive numbers take a hit during Portland’s four-game Week 13 stretch, the defensive production has been consistent. He should also have value for the rest of the season, especially if Portland manages to move some veterans before the trade deadline.

PG Cole Anthony (29%), Orlando Magic

Anthony has provided 10th round value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. While that’s not great value, he’s become a player who needs to be signed in some 12-team leagues due to Jalen Suggs’ back injury. Even with Anthony’s efficiency issues, the circumstances make it worth the risk as Orlando waits for Suggs’ return. The Magic play three games in Week 13, with the top two teams headed for the draft lottery (Toronto and Portland).

PG/SG Cason Wallace (26%), Oklahoma City Thunder

Ranked outside the top 100 in 9-cat value all season, Wallace has provided that level of production over the past two weeks. During that span, the sophomore guard has averaged 11.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 3-pointers per game, and has started alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in most nights Wallace doesn’t play the same position as Isaiah Hartenstein, but the absence of the Thunder’s center with a calf injury means Oklahoma City will need more of its remaining players defensively and on the glass. Although Wallace scored just six points in OKC’s Jan. 16 loss against Cleveland, he grabbed six rebounds. The only negative is the schedule, as Oklahoma City plays its Week 13 opener on Wednesday.

PG/SG/SF Grayson Allen (21%), Phoenix Suns

The Suns lost Bradley Beal to another injury as he sprained his ankle in Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks and did not play against the Wizards on Thursday. Even if it’s just a one-game absence for Beal, deep league fantasy managers should strongly consider adding Allen. Over the past two weeks, he’s provided sixth-round value in 9-cat formats, three rounds better than Beal. Allen won’t leapfrog Beal in the pecking order, but he’s been productive enough to be trusted, especially in deeper fantasy leagues. What also helps is that two of Phoenix’s three Week 13 games are against the Nets and Wizards.

PF/C Guerschon Yabusele (20%), Philadelphia 76ers

While there is hope that Joel Embiid can return from his foot injury before the end of Week 12, this is still a good time to add Yabusele. The fantasy value hasn’t been great recently (11th round over the last two weeks), but injuries to Embiid and Andre Drummond (point) have made the France forward worth the risk. Philadelphia only plays three games in Week 13, but the schedule includes a Friday/Saturday back-to-back (vs. CLE, at CHI).

SG/SF Quentin Grimes (19%), Dallas Mavericks

Grimes has been the most productive Mavericks player among those who have had to step up due to injuries to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Over the past two weeks, he’s averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 3-pointers per game, which has been adequate for ninth-round value in 9 formats cats While Irving returned to the Mavericks’ lineup on January 14, he did not play the following night. Grimes will continue to have value while Doncic is out, especially with Dallas playing four games in Week 13.

SG/SF Ziaire Williams (14%), Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have reached the point where the focus is on improving their draft lottery odds and who else can leave before the trade deadline. Williams has been a constant in Brooklyn’s rotation and has provided 10th round value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. PG/SG Keon Johnson (15%) will also add value as the season progresses, but Williams is the player fantasy managers should target in the short term. Additionally, the Nets play three games in Week 13, including a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back against the Knicks and Suns.

SG/SF Tim Hardaway Jr. (12%), Detroit Pistons

While Malik Beasley and Ausar Thompson have been the preferred fantasy targets since Detroit lost Jaden Ivey to a fractured left fibula, Hardaway shouldn’t be overlooked. Over the past two weeks, he’s averaged 16.6 points and 3.6 3-pointers per game, providing solid value in those categories. While Thompson (49% of the roster) and Beasley (40%) remain worthwhile additions, the latter’s offensive production has been volatile recently. If you can’t get Thompson, don’t be afraid to consider Hardaway, even with the Pistons playing three games in Week 13.

SF/PF Brice Sensabaugh (11%), Utah Jazz

Like the Nets, Utah is a team that will have some younger players as viable fantasy options in the coming weeks. Sensabaugh, who has provided top-50 value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks, certainly qualifies. The second-year wing has benefited from John Collins’ absence from the lineup due to injury. And with JC the subject of trade rumors, Sensabaugh may not need a lock to provide value during the “silly season.” Another Jazz player to keep an eye on ahead of Utah’s Week 13 three-game sweep is rookie point guard Isaiah Collier, who is listed in 7% of Yahoo leagues.