Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Anyone who’s played fantasy basketball before has heard the term “League Winners.” The term often refers to players who aren’t consistently producing at high levels early in the season due to low usage or lack of playing time but have shown flashes when given the opportunity. By the end of the season, due to either a trade or “tanking” by those GOD awful NBA teams at the bottom of the standings, those players can end up putting up monster fantasy numbers. Having these players results in, you guessed it, LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
It is a great strategy throughout the fantasy season to keep an eye out for these types of players if you’re looking to win your league because most fantasy owners know that by playoff time, you probably won’t be rostering around 20 to 30 percent of the players you drafted. That’s the case due to injuries or players not producing as you envisioned they would at the beginning of the season. Last year, a player like Zach Collins from the San Antonio Spurs put up top 50 fantasy numbers to close out the season after the Spurs traded starting Center Jakob Poeltl to the Toronto Raptors.
Fantasy owners who scooped up Collins after the trade enjoyed great production from the big man during the fantasy playoffs. Other players who had a significant boost later on in the season include Mark Williams of the Charlotte Hornets, who shot up the fantasy rankings after Center Mason Plumlee was sent over to the Clippers, or Foward Mikal Bridges, who went from a 4th option in Phoenix to the head honcho in Brooklyn after the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade. Here are five names you should keep an eye on during this season who can end up having a major impact on your fantasy playoff run.
1. PG Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers
Scoot Henderson has struggled with his shot to start the season like most rookie guards do, and went from starting to coming off the bench just a few games into the year. Henderson also dealt with some injuries and has been in a four-guard log jam with veteran guards Anfernee Simons, Malcolm Brogdon, and Shaedon Sharpe.
Due to injuries and Portland going nowhere fast, Henderson has been implemented back to a starting role and has been putting out quality numbers as of late. Better yet, when Portland finally moves off Brogdon, this will fully open the door for Henderson, and I can see him putting up top 50 numbers with high assists and quality scoring. If Henderson is on your waiver wire due to an owner who gave up on him due to frustration, Pick him up now before he gets the full reigns of this franchise for the remainder of the season.
2. SF Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards
Bilal Coulibaly is an athletic freshman forward who has shown great flashes during the 2023 season with good defensive stats, rebounding, and a highly efficient offensive game. Currently, the minutes are there for the Coulibaly, but due to Wizards black hole duo Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, Coulibaly hasn’t put out the consistent offensive output he is capable of. If the Wizards ever decide to offload Kuzma during the trade deadline or an end-of-season injury happens, I think it could open the door for a big-time end-of-season run for Coulibaly.
3. PG Keyonte George, Utah Jazz
The Utah rookie guard had impressed early this season with his fearless playmaking and scoring capabilities. Keyonte George moved into the starting lineup just a couple of weeks into the season and recently had a season-high 30 points and 7 assists on the night right before suffering an injury to his foot.
Coming back from injury, George was placed back on the bench and has been fighting for minutes with guards Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and Kendrick Nunn. If Utah decides to move off Clarkson or any other guards at the deadline, this will make George a quality starting point guard with top 70 upside to close out the season.
4. SF Ausar Thompson, Detroit Pistons
After Ausar Thompson’s hot start, putting up monster defensive stats, double-digit rebounds, and double-digit points, fantasy owners fell in love with the 4th pick of the 2023 draft. But Thompson’s production fell off drastically during the past few months while losing a starting role to the return of Forward Bojan Bogdanovic. If the Pistons organization has any brain cells left, they should move off Bogdanovic by the trade deadline.
If this happens, I fully expect Thompson to reclaim that hot start that made fantasy owners very happy. So if Thompson was dropped in your league due to some frustrated owner, keep an eye out for him after the all-star break.
5. PF Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers
Jabari Walker is only rostered in less than 2 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues. When given minutes, the big man has shown he is a strong rebounder and can put up double-digit point games on high percentages. Portland is a dumpster fire franchise and will probably be shipping out guys like Jerami Grant and/or sitting guys like Deandre Ayton, who already missed a bunch of time this season. If Walker gets consistent minutes at the end of the season, I can see him being a 20 and 10 guy.
Honorable Mentions include F- Taylor Hendricks Utah Jazz, Guard- Craig Porter Cavaliers, Forward- Patrick Williams Bulls, Forward- Julian Champagnie, Forward- Amen Thompson and Center- Sandro Mamukelashvili.
