Isaiah Hartenstein (16% rostered)
Mitchell Robinson is undergoing ankle surgery and will miss the next 8-10 weeks, so we won’t be seeing him until mid-February at the earliest. New York has very little depth up front, and Jericho Sims has been an afterthought this season. That means we’re going to see a lot of Hartenstein at center, so hopefully his body holds up to the increased workloads coming his way.
Hartenstein was a bit of a flop last season in eight starts with averages of 5.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 blocks in 24 minutes, though it should be noted that he wasn’t healthy for pretty much the entire season as he battled through a lingering ankle issue. In his most recent game, Hartenstein looked spry in 29 minutes with five points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. If he’s anywhere close to that, we could have a mid-round player on our hands for the next couple months.
Dante Exum (18%)
While Kyrie Irving apparently dodged a serious injury, the Mavericks are still going to be very cautious going forward. In fact, they aren’t even throwing a timetable on him for now, as the foot that was collided into by Dwight Powell was the same one that’s been giving him major problems this season.
Exum has long been a folk hero of mine, but he ran out of chances in the NBA before heading overseas for the past couple seasons. But man, does he look different now. Exum looks poised on the ball while still bringing his usual peskiness on the defensive end. In his last three games, Exum has produced 13.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.3 three-pointers in 24 minutes per game. With Josh Green also out for the Mavericks, this could be a sustainable workload for Exum going forward.
Donte DiVincenzo (9%)
With Mitchell Robinson out 8-10 weeks, there’s a good chance that the Knicks use Julius Randle at center much more often, so maybe that opens things up for the rest of the rotation. The player I’d be looking at closely is Donte DiVincenzo, as he’s a solid producer in 3-pointers, assists, rebounds and steals when the minutes are there. New York’s wing rotation has been a logjam all season, but Donte only needs to flirt with 25 minutes to be a top-100 guy. Over his last four games, Donte has produced 11th-round 9-cat value in 21 minutes with 11.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.5 triples on 51.7 percent shooting.
Day’Ron Sharpe (5%)
While I don’t think Nic Claxton’s starting job is in danger in the slightest, I do think Sharpe has closed the gap and that explains his recent uptick in minutes. The Nets now have two highly talented centers, each with their own set of strengths. Sharpe is a versatile defender, a ferocious offensive rebounder and an underrated playmaker. In his last four games, Sharpe has averaged 9.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in 20.2 minutes. He is shooting 41.7% from the line, however, but he’s a terrific add in most cases.
Patrick Williams (45%)
He’s not nearly as available as the others on here, but it should be mentioned that I think Williams will be a must-own player from here on out. The Bulls are speeding towards a rebuild, and it’s a matter of time before they start selling off their veterans. Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan are sure to have solid markets, while Zach LaVine will be the trickier player to move with his massive contract that is perceived as dead money by most of the NBA.
Williams’ start to the season was about as ugly as it gets, but credit to him for turning things around. Over his last six games, Williams has been a 7th-round value in 9-cat with 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers. The Bulls desperately need Williams to pan out considering the draft capital that they invested in him, and he has far more in his “bag” than he’s been allowed to show playing next to three high-usage players for most of his career.
Nick Richards (14%)
Mark Williams appeared to suffer a setback in his most recent game, and will miss at least Monday’s game. Richards is a solid speculative add just in case this injury lingers, and he’s a capable producer in 9-cat with a strong resume for the past couple seasons. In his last two games, Richards has put up 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in 26.7 minutes.
Matisse Thybulle (16%)
The analysis for Thybulle never changes. He’s the best pure source of steals and blocks when the minutes are there. The Blazers are dropping like flies and they are going to milk every single injury with “precaution” with their eyes on the lottery. Over his last six games, Thybulle has averaged 2.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 29.7 minutes.
With all of the brutal news coming out of Cleveland, I'm wondering if I should offer Steph for Donovan & some FAB $ straight up. I can certainly use Mitchell's steals, less turnovers, & slight uptick in dimes. Thoughts?