Is anybody else at least a bit bamboozled by everything going on in the league lately? It seems as though tanking this year has reached an all-time peak, with key players facing random DNPs, not to mention all of the usual resting shenanigans. The players on my list have been adjusted accordingly, having already been burned by going to bat for players from both the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors last week.

 

 

I’ll highlight three players who project to be strong adds in Week 21, as well as three drop candidates who have been increasingly losing ground as the season continues. As always, I provide options for varying levels of league depth, and these lists are far from being a blanket add/drop laundry list.

 

Adds

 

Kai Jones
(Shallow Leagues)

 

The Dallas Mavericks are in a bit of a pickle from a roster standpoint going forward. Kessler Edwards is nearing the end of his contract with the team, and as a result, Kai Jones is going to be the only active center on the roster for the foreseeable future. With a great back-to-back to start the week, Jones can easily be an add in shallow leagues for at least the first half of the week.

 

Jones has erupted over the last two games since his return, ranking as high as the top 25 over the last two weeks. He has been an incredible finisher, shooting 87% on nearly eight FGA. He complements this scoring ability with some great rebounding and block numbers, despite playing limited minutes since his return.

 

Can this blow up in our faces? Perhaps. Anthony Davis is supposedly set to return soon (he was listed doubtful today), although a timeline has yet to be announced. Until then, players with top-30 upside on the waiver wire are tough to find, especially ones in as dire a situation as the Mavericks are currently. This makes him a great initial add in shallow leagues until further notice.

 

 

Spencer Dinwiddie
(Standard Leagues)

 

Another Maverick makes the list (yes, their team is really down on its luck right now), and this time it is a more proven commodity in the fantasy space. Spencer Dinwiddie has long had a proven track record of being able to generate solid counting stats when given the opportunity, and it is finally his time to take the reins again in Dallas.

 

From a fantasy perspective, Dinwiddie has a profile similar to many lead guards, but is just lacking a bit in consistency. As a result, he can put up great assist and scoring numbers, even if the field goal percentage and defensive stats are lacking. With nearly 39 minutes a night over the last week, he is now being given a chance to strong-arm his way into enough volume to be relevant.

 

As mentioned above, Dinwiddie has long lacked the consistency to be an elite option, but with a great schedule to start the week and no other guards in sight (unless you count G-Leaguers like Jaden Hardy and Brandon Williams), he’s cleared for a great path to value. He has ranked 76th over the last two weeks, peaking as high as 25th over the last week, which is more than enough to be a standard-league add in most instances.

 

Kevin Huerter
(Deep Leagues)

 

The Chicago Bulls have been a revolving door of nagging injuries to their guard cast, most recently seeing Tre Jones lose his starting spot to a foot sprain. This allows Kevin Huerter to remain a guaranteed starter for the team going forward, and has given him a bit of a career resurgence over the last few weeks.

 

 

Huerter has been in an extended slump this season, but now we get to see what he is fully capable of when locked in. Huerter has been on a tear from deep, averaging 3.3 threes a night while shooting 43% in the last week. He has also been great at bringing in stocks (even blocks randomly enough), points, and percentages in this run as well.

 

Much like Dinwiddie above, Huerter has long been limited by consistency issues. However, playoffs are about capturing lightning in a bottle, and Huerter has been performing far too well to ignore. He ranks 14th(!) in the last week and 43rd in the last two weeks, making him a no-brainer in-form add in most deep leagues despite a roster percentage of below 25% on Yahoo.

 

Drops

 

RJ Barrett
(Shallow Leagues)

 

Perhaps one of the highest-profile names to feature on this segment to date, RJ Barrett is currently proving to be a disappointing asset down the stretch, especially given the desire of the Toronto Raptors to tank. He has missed five of his last eight games, with no consistent rhyme or reason (outside of tanking) behind the missed time.

 

Barrett has long been a category-league disappointment, but his recent level of play has dipped far outside rosterable status. Even when punting his worst category (free throws), he still barely ranks inside the top 200 over the last couple of weeks. During this time, he has only managed to be a positive in two categories, with his usual volume-based strengths going by the wayside.

 

 

The wing has not only faced random time off, but much like Lauri Markkanen from last week, he has also been severely limited when given playtime. He is down nearly seven minutes a night from his season average over the last two weeks, and without the extra playtime to juice up his volume, he now presents as a headache and negative asset in category leagues (especially shallow ones).

 

CJ McCollum
(Standard Leagues)

 

Another relatively well-known player, CJ McCollum has failed to return to a competent level of play despite having all of the opportunity in the world given the injury woes of the New Orleans Pelicans. He operates as a primary scorer for the team, but appears to have completely lost his fire with a dearth of playable NBA players around him.

 

Everything has taken a dip for the longtime vet, with his percentages showing up as the most damaging aspect of his recent play. While it is clear to say that no NBA player would average 29% from the field and 44% from the line, those in the playoffs do not have the luxury to hold such a negative asset. He is also a negative in seven categories, with basically no redeeming factors to his game as of late.

 

McCollum has ranked as the 355th player over the last week, coming off the back of a dismal ranking of 176 over the last two months. He has long been struggling to find his feet for a desperate Pelicans roster, and while he will most certainly improve, there are much greener pastures to be found in the meantime. He can no longer be considered a must-roster player in standard leagues until his play improves.

 

Aside: This article was written before the massive 40 point performance of CJ this Sunday. While my opinions of him have changed little since writing this article (he still ranks outside the top 200 on the week and top 150 in the last two months), I do understand giving him one more chance.

 

 

Jonathan Kuminga
(Deep Leagues)

 

This one will certainly come as a blow to those who held Jonathan Kuminga through his two-month-long absence, but it is clear that since the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors are a completely different team than before. The addition of Jimmy Butler has filled the niche previously held by Kuminga, severely dampening any upside he might have had prior.

 

Kuminga has long struggled to make his mark on the fantasy community, developing a relatively inefficient game highly dependent on volume that does not fare well in a category format. Since his return, the wheels have completely fallen off, and Kuminga is a huge (-.4 or lower Z-Score) negative in eight categories (he remains a slim positive in turnovers).

 

The Warriors have been their best self in their current iteration, leaving no room for Kuminga to potentially reclaim his role as a second/third scorer for the team. As the 296th ranked player since his return, there is basically no reason for Kuminga to remain rostered in 77% of leagues. Much like Kyle Kuzma last week, he presents as a rare must-drop player, as basically any regular starter can pull in more value than him at a given moment (think DaQuan Jeffries even).