Jazz rookie Isaiah Collier has been on a fantasy tear in February.
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With the All-Star break on tap this coming weekend, we’re set for a truncated week that sees teams maxing out with three games on their schedule. Those clubs are comfortably outnumbered by teams with only two games, but due to injuries and trade-deadline moves, we still have plenty of players to choose from when it comes to under-the-radar starting candidates.
Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters who may shape up as some tougher calls of the week to make, focusing on players with a start or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues.
Likewise, we’ll spotlight one Sit candidate at each position who would normally not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, often focusing on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
Without further ado, let’s examine some tougher start/sit decisions for Week 17:
Guards
Start: Jordan Clarkson, Jazz
39% roster rate
Collin Sexton is slated to have his ankle sprain evaluated at some point this coming week, but with the All-Star break looming and the Jazz devoid of any postseason aspirations, there’s a solid chance the veteran guard simply sits out until after the pause in play. Clarkson has started two of the three games Sexton has missed during his current absence and thrived with the opportunity, averaging 27.5 points (on 55% 3-point shooting), 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest. Zooming further out, the veteran guard is putting up 20.2 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 28.3 minutes per game over the six contests he’s played in since returning from his foot injury, and given Utah’s penchant for high-scoring battles, Clarkson could deliver handsomely in offensive categories with the maximum three games to work with.
Start: Isaiah Collier, Jazz
34% roster rate
Collier is another member of the Jazz backcourt that has been offering impressive production of late, and in the rookie first-round pick’s case, he’s been churning out the numbers while in seemingly firm possession of the starting point guard role. Dating back to Jan. 12, Collier is averaging 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per contest, a 14-game stretch where he’s drawn 12 starts. Collier also comes into Week 17 with three double-doubles in the previous four games, and if Sexton remains out this week as seems likely, Collier should continue to enjoy elevated usage.
ALSO CONSIDER: Brandin Podziemski, Warriors (31% start rate)
53% start rate
VanVleet has been sidelined for the past five games with an ankle strain and has yet to return to practice as the new week begins, setting up the possibility of him missing the Rockets’ final two contests before the All-Star break this week. The veteran guard has also had his share of erratic shooting performances this season, and prior to his current absence, he’d scored in single digits in three of four games while shooting 26.5% from the floor. Leaving him on the bench on the short week is a prudent way to go.
Forwards
Start: Klay Thompson, Mavericks
48% start rate
Anthony Davis promptly suffered a multi-week injury in his Mavericks debut Saturday, which, when combined with the fact Luka Dončić was shipped out of town in exchange for him, leaves a massive usage void on the Mavericks. Thompson is therefore one of two members of Dallas’ rotation we’ll suggest as Start options as Jason Kidd’s squad embarks on a three-game week. Thompson has offered glimpses of his vintage self lately, hitting or exceeding the 20-point mark in three of his last seven games while draining 42.6% of his 3-point tries in the entirety of that span. The veteran wing sports a 21.5% usage rate and per-36 averages of 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals when not sharing the floor with the departed Dončić this season, and he could develop into Dallas’ second-most reliable source of offense behind Kyrie Irving in the short term.
Start: Naji Marshall, Mavericks
11% roster rate
Marshall is also poised for additional opportunity in the wake of Davis’ projected multi-week absence, and the former could open the week in the starting five Monday against the Kings with P.J. Washington also listed as questionable due to an ankle injury. Marshall enters the scoring period having put up double-digit scoring tallies in four straight games, a span in which he’s averaging 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals across 25.5 minutes per contest off the bench. Those numbers could naturally improve with any starts he might draw during Dallas’ three-game week, and due to the Mavericks’ short-handed roster, he should serve as a key complementary source of offense and rebounds irrespective of where he slots in.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves (52% start rate)
Sit: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
62% start rate
Antetokounmpo has been ruled out until after the All-Star break due to his troublesome calf injury, a decision made with an eye on having the superstar healthy for the stretch run of the regular season. The Bucks were only playing two games this coming week anyhow, so the move is expected after Giannis already was a non-factor in Week 16 due to four consecutive absences. Antetokounmpo fantasy managers who are fortunate enough to also have any of Damian Lillard, Kyle Kuzma or Bobby Portis will naturally consider those players must-starts despite the two-game schedule.
Centers
Start: Kel’el Ware, Heat
43% start rate
Ware didn’t have much opportunity to start the season after an impressive Summer League showing, but the rookie first-round pick has made up for lost time with an impressive run of starts. The Heat think enough of Ware to have moved Bam Adebayo to power forward in order to accommodate the former’s inclusion in the starting five, and he’s rewarded the coaching staff’s faith by averaging 11.8 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks across 30.9 minutes per contest in his first nine starts. That sample even includes an outlier of a scoreless outing versus the 76ers two games ago in which Ware put up only three shots and logged just 19 minutes partly due to foul trouble. With some solid floor-stretching ability (39.7% 3-point shooting) in addition to his prowess on the boards and the defensive end, Ware is an appealing start on a three-game week.
Start: Quinten Post, Warriors
3% roster rate
Post is another young big that’s emerged of late, impressing the Warriors enough with his play to have them convert his two-way contract to a standard deal Friday. The rookie second-round pick earned the promotion by averaging 10.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting an outstanding 40.9% from behind the arc on 4.4 3-point attempts per contest in the last five games, all starts. The Boston College product appears to have the starting center job firmly in hand for the time being, and it’s worth noting he also generated a 20-point effort in 20 minutes off the bench against the Bulls on Jan. 23, a game in which he sank five of his 10 attempts from deep. Given his versatility, the ascending seven-footer makes for a viable start on a three-game week for the Warriors that could see Stephen Curry miss at least Monday’s game versus the Bucks due to quad soreness.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nikola Jović, Heat (25% start rate)
51% start rate
Williams has had an eventful last several days, as he appeared headed to the Lakers via trade before the transaction was rescinded due to a failed physical. As a result, the big man is technically part of the Hornets’ roster again, although he wasn’t with the team in Detroit for Sunday’s game against the Pistons and therefore is very uncertain to play Monday against the Nets. Charlotte then only has a Wednesday date versus the Magic remaining before the All-Star break, meaning Williams may not see the floor again until play resumes late next week.
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