Yahoo Sports
If you don’t often look at fantasy ratings, you might be surprised at what you see. Some of the players who are the third or fourth pick on their real-life teams are some of the best fictional assets in the NBA. If you are building a well-balanced roto tournament team, it is imperative that you know where the hidden value lies.
Below are a few players who have ranked a lot higher than most coaches would expect, and you might be able to trade for them by hanging on to a bigger name.
Nine categories, value per game: 12
Often injured, Jackson missed the first month of the season while recovering from foot surgery. He wasted no time getting back into the swing of things and regaining first round value since he stomped onto the court.
Trying to get Jackson off a opposing manager will be difficult, given Jackson’s 3.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. But they may not understand how valuable his fictional profile is truly Because the rest of his numbers don’t jump off the page.
Not only is Jackson ranked 12th – he’s also ahead of big names like the men LeBron JamesAnd Domantas Sabonis And Paul George – Plays rarity (center) while also providing hard-to-find waiver-cord steal and block stats. This makes him hypothetically more valuable than some of the rangers and suites close to him in the rank.
It would be hard to lose a deal with Jackson unless you hand over someone like the truly elite Luka Doncic or Jason Tatum. With all trades, you need to consider your team’s needs, but the only fundamental reason to pass on a trade is if you’re already leading the league in blocks.
Nine categories, value per game: 19
Like Jackson, Anunobi’s elite defensive numbers raise his fantasy rankings. He records a league-high 2.3 steals per game and snaps 0.8 blocks.
His three-point shots have declined this season, but he still averages 1.8 per game, and his field goal percentage (46.5) and free-throw percentage (83.6) are higher than last year. The negative assist-to-turn ratio is somewhat alarming (2.1 assist, 2.3 spin), but Anunoby doesn’t kill you in either category.
Helping his case he tied for the third-most minutes per game in the NBA (37.1) with a teammate Fred VanVleet. The Raptors’ 17-23 record created a commercial buzz, but I think Toronto will eventually go to the playoffs and continue to play players like Anunoby the big minutes. Coach Nick Nurse doesn’t have anywhere to run on the bench, so Anunoby will always be heavily involved.
You can ignore this tip if you’re already leading your league in steals. Otherwise, do what you can to get Anunoby and watch yourself climb the rankings.
Nine categories, value per game: 25
Lopez has gotten a lot of hype this season for blocking shots (2.6 BPG), but you wouldn’t assume from the rest of his stats that he’s the 25th-most fantasy player.
It will kill your auxiliary production (1.2 APG), but it also doesn’t achieve turnover (1.4 TOV). His turnover per game is the lowest of anyone in the Top 29. Lopez should be on your radar if you’re one of the few people who intentionally builds a low-turnover team.
Part of Lopez’s magic is his ability to hit threes (1.9 per game) and maintain a high field goal percentage (50.5). His rebounding can be a bit inconsistent (6.5 RPG), but he’s been better lately (8.0 RPG in the last 12 games).
There’s no need to trade Lopez if you’ve already led the league in sets, but if you’re looking to catch up in the category or just build a balanced roto team, center should be a goal. There are fantasy directors out there who will handle him far from a famous player dropping down the ranks.
Nine categories, value per game: 32
Wiggins has just returned from a month out with a thigh injury, although that shouldn’t affect how fantasy managers view him. He played 19 minutes in his first match, but there is little reason to believe he will be limited for much longer.
Quietly, Wiggins is having the best fantasy season of his career. Free throw percentage (64.4) is still inexplicably poor, but he reached career highs in field goal percentage (50.5) and three-point percentage (44.2), and digs 3.0 triples per game. In addition, his turnover rate (1.4 per game) is a career low, and his steals (1.3 per game) are career highs.
His baseline doesn’t have obvious holes, and even his poor free throw shooting isn’t that damaging since he only takes 2.0 per game. Wiggins has just turned into a high-quality two-way fantasy option – one that ranks far above what most directors would expect.
Getting Wiggins should be easy. It’s a role player who puts up relatively modest numbers. They just so happen to translate very well to fiction.
Nine categories, value per game: 35
The most boring name on this list, Harris can secretly be compared in nine-tier production to players of All-Star caliber like Jaylen BrownBam Adebayo And Jrue holiday.
What makes Harris so valuable? Similar to Wiggins, he has no glaring weaknesses, and keeps his turnover low. Harris averages just 1.3 turnover per game – an extremely low mark for a co-winger. The rest of his statline is simply solid – 16.5 points on 49.2 FG% and 87.9 FT%, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 triples, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks in 34.4 minutes. There is no concern about his role or workload. He’s practically locked into this production.
Those numbers make him a good fit for almost any fantasy team. It’s a safe option upstairs, especially if you’re building a well-balanced roto team.