The Emirates NBA Cup has caused the schedule to be a little unusual in recent weeks, but that hasn’t slowed down a handful of players who have been on fire. Others are struggling mightily, though, and we will detail them below.
Risers and fallers takes a look at five who are trending up and five others looking get through rough patches.
Risers
Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG, Indiana Pacers
Haliburton has been a hot topic all season because of his terrible play on the road, but things have been looking up. He has been a much better and consistent player over his past seven games thanks to his hot shooting (49.0 FG%) and scoring (20.7 PPG, 3.6 3PG). Five of those seven games have been on the road, and he was a good visiting player last season, so he finally appears to be righting the ship. Hopefully, the road woes are behind him and he continues to play well in all arenas. Just don’t expect the blocked shots (six in his past four games) to continue at this rate.
Jimmy Butler, SG/SF/PF, Miami Heat
Butler appears to be a sure bet to be traded in the near future, and he gave potential suitors a wake-up call when he exploded for 35 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 steals against the Pistons on Monday. I don’t trust him to stay on the court, though, so if you’ve been wanting to move him, now is the ideal time, as he won’t have another game like he did on Monday. “What have you done for me lately?” carries a lot of weight in fantasy, and you might be able to find a trade partner who will be excited by his recent five-game spree. The fact he qualifies at three positions should only help to make moving him a little easier.
Ayo Dosunmu, SG, Chicago Bulls
Dosunmu has quietly been very good over his past six games, producing across the board with 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 3-pointers. He’s shooting lights out at 56% over that stretch and could really emerge if the Bulls decide to start moving players. He’s also available in more than half of the ESPN leagues, so check to see if he’s on the waiver wire in yours.
Obi Toppin, PF, Indiana Pacers
Toppin is rostered in just 10.9% of ESPN leagues and has been cooking over his past seven games off the Pacers bench. He has averaged 15.0 points while shooting an impressive 58% over that stretch. He also 12-for-13 on free throws in that span and has emerged as one of the Pacers’ more productive reserves. The big question is whether or not he can keep it going, but he’s at least worth a look in any league right now.
Justin Champagnie, SF, Washington Wizards
If you haven’t already grabbed the twin brother of Julian Champagnie, act now. He’s rostered in just 14.5% of ESPN leagues. Champagnie has been on fire since moving into the starting lineup in Washington. Over his past five games, he has averaged 16.0 points, 9.2 boards, 1.8 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.6 3-pointers while shooting 57% from the floor. The Wizards should continue to give Champagnie run the rest of the way, and he looks to be nearly “tank-proof,” which is nice.
Fallers
Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers
Garland has cooled off after a hot start, but the Cavaliers are still rolling, sitting in first in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the Celtics. For the season, he’s averaging 6.5 assists and shooting 42% on 3s, but in his past six games, he’s topped six assists just once, is 13-for-42 (31.0%) from deep and is turning it over too much (3.8 per game), all while deferring to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. He may never get as hot as he was over the first month of the season, but he should be better than this going forward.
Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtics
Brown’s fantasy value never seems to be as big as his name, and this season isn’t any different, especially with the emergence of Payton Pritchard as the odds-on favorite for Sixth Man of the Year. Brown has been held below 20 points in three straight games — something that happened just three times in his first 19 games this season — and shooting worse than 40% from the field in that span. He also has 15 turnovers in his past four games. Despite his recent struggles, he should bounce back soon.
Jordan Poole, PG/SG, Washington Wizards
After a hot start to the season, Poole has been fading, with consistency being his largest issue. In his past nine games, Poole has scored 13 or fewer points four times and 27 or more three times. He’s also got four games with at least five turnovers in that stretch. It’s definitely not all bad with Poole, as he’s shooting a career-best 40% from deep for the season, and his 20.6 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 3-pointers are certainly helpful. But if you don’t enjoy the roller coaster ride that comes with rostering Poole, there’s a good chance you can find a taker.
Naz Reid, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Reid has been very quiet during the past month and his past six games in particular have been a fantasy disaster, as he has averaged 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 26.5% from the field. That’s not going to cut it, and it’s a big reason why his roster rate is down to 60.5%. He simply can’t play any worse than he has recently.
Buddy Hield, SG/SF, Golden State Warriors
Hield started off the season on fire and has been struggling ever since. We thought he might become a force in Klay Thompson‘s role, but it’s not working out. And with the recently acquired Dennis Schroder ready to rock and roll in Golden State, Hield’s future isn’t looking so bright.