This article is part of our Category Strategy series.
Heading into the fifth week of the season, we're starting to see some bumps from early disappointments. Players like T.J. Warren, who was widely drafted and then widely dropped, are making their way back onto rosters.
The lesson here is two-fold: First, be willing to part with low-end players. Sometimes the player you'll pick up is Dillon Brooks, but sometimes it's Lauri Markkanen. Second, never write off a player entirely. Warren struggled early? Fine, drop him. But don't forget to keep tabs on him, as you may want to add him back later.
In general, we'll focus on players available in at least 50% of leagues in ESPN, Yahoo!, and CBS. That said, since the ownership can vary significantly from one site to the next, sometimes we have to fudge those rules a bit, especially early in the season.
Points
Austin Rivers, Clippers
(Ownership: ESPN – 18%; Yahoo! – 51%; CBS – 51%)
After Milos Teodosic (foot) was hurt on opening night, Rivers stepped into a major role. He's averaged 32.8 minutes per game since Teodosic went down, and Rivers has scored at least 16 points in more than half of those games. He's prone to some off shooting nights – whenever he failed to reach 16 points it was because he shot below 33 percent from the field – but he's locked into a huge opportunity. Teodosic's injury, plantar fascia, could keep him out for a while longer, and it is an injury that can linger and impact a player even after they return.
Bobby Portis demands mention after scoring 21 points in Tuesday's season debut. Portis is just back after an eight-game suspension, and the Bulls lack frontcourt depth. Looking at Portis' career per-36 numbers, he can be a good scorer and rebounder, a good source of threes for a big man, and barely-better-than-nothing-but-still-technically-better in assists, steals, and blocks. While there's not much justice in his getting minutes because he hospitalized the guy above him on the depth chart, the fact remains that the Bulls are short on bigs, so there is opportunity for Portis, at least until Nikola Mirotic (face) comes back. Once Mirotic is back, Portis' value will suffer, and I don't expect Portis to outplay Lauri Markkanen most nights. Portis is a fine let's see what happens stash, but my guess is that he's merely an end-of-roster contributor for the next few weeks, and then a drop candidate once Mirotic is healthy.
J.J. Redick should never have been dropped in the first place, but if he was, go get him immediately. He's even more valuable now after Tuesday's announcement that Jerryd Bayless (wrist) is out indefinitely. Bayless' wrist is what cost him all but three games in 2016-17.
Other suggestions:J.J. Redick, 76ers; Bobby Portis, Bulls; Denzel Valentine, Bulls
Three-Pointers
Allen Crabbe, Nets
(Ownership: ESPN – 10%; Yahoo! – 56%; CBS – 48%)
Crabbe's scoring and field goal percentage have been fairly inconsistent, but his contributions from behind the arc have been rock-steady. He's been held without a three only once, and he has multiple threes in more than half his games. He's been given a green light, and if his three-point efficiency returns to the levels he's reached in previous seasons, he'll see a boost in points, threes, and field goal percentage.
Donovan Mitchell may have already been snatched up in most leagues, but he's still widely available in ESPN leagues, and some teams probably released him after his 3-of-21 shooting night Tuesday. Mitchell should still be owned and is a high-volume source of threes.
As with Redick, above, Hield probably shouldn't have been dropped in the first place, but if he's available in your league, fix that promptly.
Other suggestions:J.J. Redick, 76ers; Buddy Hield, Kings; Donovan Mitchell, Jazz; Austin Rivers, Clippers; Bobby Portis, Bulls; Denzel Valentine, Bulls
Rebounds
Taj Gibson, Timberwolves
(Ownership: ESPN – 30%; Yahoo! – 60%; CBS – 56%)
Gibson has long been a favorite of Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, and that relationship has likely played a big role in getting Gibson such a large role in a this crowded frontcourt depth chart. Whatever the cause, Gibson's 29.2 minutes per game is given him plenty of chances to contribute in the categories he is best in, specifically rebounds and field goal percentage. Over the last four games, Gibson is averaging 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 54.3 percent from the field.
Salah Mejri is mentioned in the other suggestions here, as well as in blocks, but he's really only an option if you are desperate or have a really high tolerance for frustrating situations. He's bound to be maddeningly inconsistent, as it'll be almost impossible to predict when he'll play 20-plus minutes. When that happens, he can get 12 or 13 rebounds and five blocks, as he did on Friday and Tuesday. The problem, however, is that on Saturday he saw only nine minutes, and his only contributions to the box score were three rebounds and a missed field goal.
Other suggestions:Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks; John Henson, Bucks; John Collins, Hawks; Salah Mejri, Mavericks
Assists
Frank Ntilikina, Knicks
(Ownership: ESPN – 6%; Yahoo! – 22%; CBS – 46%)
Ntilikina's minutes are increasing, and with them, so are his assist totals. He's still hard to start in 12-team leagues, but a high-volume passer is hard to find on the waiver-wire, and he's worth adding as a medium-term stash if you're not ready to use him quite yet. The Knicks are clearly playing better when he's on the floor, and it only took him about five games to see his workload jump from roughly 20 minutes per game to roughly 25. Another minor bump, which he is well on his way to earning, and he'll be startable in almost all settings. He has at least seven assists in four of his past five games.
Other suggestions:T.J. McConnell, 76ers; Patty Mills, Spurs; Jerian Grant, Bulls; J.J. Barea, Mavericks
Steals
Kris Dunn, Bulls
(Ownership: ESPN – 10%; Yahoo! – 39%; CBS – 63%)
Dunn returned from his finger injury last week, and he's been given a fairly steady 23.8 minutes per game. Dunn's not an exceptional player overall, but he is a very good defender. As a rookie, he averaged 2.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per-36 minutes. None of the Bulls' backcourt players are all that impressive, so Dunn has no real threats to his workload, and a slight improvement in his play could earn him extended run.
Other suggestions:Austin Rivers, Clippers; Courtney Lee, Knicks; Luc Mbah a Moute, Rockets
Blocks
John Henson, Bucks
(Ownership: ESPN – 7%; Yahoo! – 33%; CBS – 34%)
Henson is the most obvious winner from Tuesday's Eric Bledsoe trade. The Bucks gave up Greg Monroe (calf) in order to acquire Bledsoe, leaving Henson and Thon Maker as the Bucks' only true centers remaining. Rookie D.J. Wilson is often listed as a center, but he's a better fit at power forward, and it might not matter since he's only played 14 minutes all season.
Neither Henson nor Maker has proven capable of handling large minutes, but with so little competition, Henson seems a safe bet to average at least 25 minutes going forward. For a shot-blocker of his skill level, that's all he needs to provide steady value in this hard-to-find category. He's averaged at least 1.2 blocks per-24 minutes in every season of his career, and there were two seasons when he averaged 2.7 blocks per-24 minutes. In 2016-17, the league-leader in blocks per game had 2.6.
Other suggestions:Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks; John Collins, Hawks; Kris Dunn, Bulls; Kyle Anderson, Spurs; Salah Mejri, Mavericks
