This column can help you gauge which players may be worth targeting in a trade, some players that might be better off on someone else's roster, as well as some that may just need to be scooped up off the waiver wire or dropped from your roster altogether. Desmond Bane and Jaylon Tyson are red-hot, while big names like LeBron James and Zion Williamson are giving their fantasy managers more headaches than anything else.
Risers
Desmond Bane, SG/SF, Orlando Magic, 95% rostered in ESPN leagues
Bane got off to a very slow start with his new team this season, putting up disappointing numbers through the first few weeks of the season and making an appearance on my 'Fallers' list. Savvy team managers made low-ball trade offers and acquired the struggling shooting guard just before he got hot on Nov. 10, and he's been cooking ever since. He's averaged 29.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 3-pointers over his last three games and has been shooting lights out. The low 3-pointers are not a big concern and he's hit five of them over his last two games. He might cool down once Paolo Banchero (groin) finally returns in the next few weeks, but Bane has been a shining star in Orlando over the last month, scoring 37 points in two of his last three games.
Keegan Murray, SF/PF, Sacramento Kings (74% rostered)
Things are crowded in Sacramento with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis all needing the ball in their hands, but Murray has been a solid contributor since making his season debut on Nov. 20 after returning from a thumb injury suffered in the preseason. He posted 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.7 3-pointers in his six November games and became one of the hottest pickups in fantasy hoops once he started playing for the Kings. He's off to a rough start this month, hitting just 2-of-11 shots on Wednesday for 5 points, but also had 11 rebounds, a steal and two blocks in that game. He's looking like one of the safer bets in Sacramento going forward, especially since LaVine is having difficulties for a team struggling to win games.
Zach Edey, C, Memphis Grizzlies (65% rostered)
Edey has had injury problems of his own (head/ankle) and is tough to trust at times, but has also posted some monster numbers of late. He averaged nearly 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2.3 blocks over his first eight games of the season and went off for 19 points, 15 rebounds, a steal and a block in his first December game against the Spurs. He's finally healthy and locked in, and might end the season as one of the more valuable centers in fantasy. I like the idea of trading for Edey right now.
Kevin Porter Jr., PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks (70% rostered)
Porter is another player who got injured early, playing just nine minutes in the season opener, but has been cooking since he returned to the court on Nov. 29. He's played in only three games since then, but has racked up 28.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.5 steals and 4.0 3-pointers over his last two, shooting a ridiculous 61%. And with Giannis Antetokounmpo going down with a calf injury on Wednesday night, Porter might be in line for even more touches going forward. He's the real deal and finally appears to have won the confidence of coach Doc Rivers in the process. He could be a fantasy producer the rest of the way, especially with the possibility Antetokounmpo could be on the move.
Collin Gillespie, PG, Phoenix Suns (40% rostered)
Gillespie is not a household name in fantasy but has been one of the more reliable Suns thus far. He averaged 13.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.9 triples in November and started December with a bang by blowing up for a season-high 28 points with four boards, five dimes, two steals and eight 3-pointers on Monday night. Devin Booker is currently out with a groin injury and Grayson Allen is still dinged up, so Gillespie should continue to thrive going forward. His fantasy game is bigger than his name.
Jaylon Tyson, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (14% rostered)
Tyson went mostly undrafted this season and got off to a quiet start, scoring in single digits in his first four games. But he's quietly gotten better as the season has progressed and averaged a solid 12.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.5 triples in November. He started December off with a pair of huge games, posting a season-high 27 points with 11 rebounds, four assists, a steal and four 3-pointers on Dec. 1, and backed it up with 14 points and seven rebounds on Wednesday. Jarrett Allen is going to miss a few more games with his finger injury. With or without Allen, I expect Tyson to play well the rest of the way and he has a shot at being one of the waiver-wire pickups of the season in fantasy.
Jay Huff, C, Indiana Pacers (13% rostered)
Huff is a big man who can hit 3-pointers and block shots, and after an incredibly slow start in Indy, he has finally won the favor of coach Rick Carlisle. Huff has been inserted into the starting lineup for the Pacers and actually leads the league in blocked shots at 2.3 per game. He went on a recent tear by reaching double figures in five straight games, averaging 12.4 points, 2.4 3-pointers and 3.2 blocks, but fell back to earth on Wednesday with just three points and two blocks on 1-of-6 shooting. That is your sign to make an offer for the talented big man before he gets hot again.
Fallers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks (100% rostered)
Amid discussions that Antetokounmpo is considering his future with the team, the Bucks' star will miss the next 2-4 weeks due to a calf strain. Milwaukee's entire offensive scheme is centered around Giannis and he could find himself in an entirely different role on a different team if a trade happens. The horrible free throw shooting is a fantasy red flag and I'm guessing his overall production will drop, regardless of where he ends up. It may be tough to trade him with all the uncertainty currently surrounding him, including the injury, but his name alone has a ton of trade value. I think managers should try to move him before he gets a new team that is not tailor made for him.
LaMelo Ball, PG, Charlotte Hornets (99% rostered)
Ball shot just 34% from the floor in November and has struggled with his 3-point shot all season, shooting a career-low 29% from beyond the arc thus far. His averages of 19.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists have been nice, but he turns it over a ton (3.4 per game) and is shooting just 38.4% from the floor on the season. It's hard to imagine him playing in more than 60 games, as he's done that only once in his five previous seasons, and now is a good time to think about trading him for as much as you can get in return. Especially after he blew up for 34 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and five 3-pointers on Wednesday night.
LeBron James, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (100% rostered)
James has played in just five games this season thanks to a sciatic injury and the numbers have not been pretty. He's topped 20 points just one time this season and had just eight points on 4-of-17 shooting in Thursday's loss to the Toronto Raptors. The keys to the Lakers have been handed to Luka Doncic, while Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton are both more effective than James right now. He's going to turn 41 just after Christmas and he's averaging a career-low 15.2 points and 4.0 rebounds to go along with 7.2 assists. His advanced age, injury history, low production and uncertainty with the Lakers are all big red flags and I'd recommend waiting for him to have a good game and then try to move him for whatever you can get.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers (88% rostered)
Embiid is dealing with a sore right knee that will likely bother him for the rest of his career. He's played in just seven of the Sixers' 20 games thus far and I'm guessing that will be the trend for the rest of the season. He's yet to make an appearance in December and played just three games in November. The numbers are down when he actually plays and he's averaging career lows of 19.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. Move him for whatever you can get and let someone else deal with the headaches that come with trying to roster Embiid in fantasy leagues.
Zion Williamson, PF, New Orleans Pelicans (91% rostered)
Williamson has played in just 10 of the Pelicans' 23 games this season and is now out for at least the next three weeks with a hip adductor strain. He missed eight straight games earlier this season with a hamstring injury and in his previous six NBA seasons he's played in more than 30 games only twice. Injuries have been a recurring issue and his stats don't really support him being such a popular fantasy player. This season he's averaging 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, a career-high 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks and he's yet to make a 3-point shot. In short, you can probably find a similar, more reliable player on your waiver wire. I'm not going to tell you to straight-up drop Williamson, but it's not a radical idea to do just that. Trade him for whatever you can get and move on.
Amen Thompson, SG/SF/PF, Houston Rockets (99% rostered)
Perhaps no player came into this season with as much fantasy hype surrounding him than Thompson. The Rockets are a very good team and, despite having Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, Thompson is thought to be the future superstar in Houston. Despite a slow start to the season, I'm still feeling and feeding into the hype train around Thompson. Maybe we were a year too early to crown him a fantasy king, but it's coming. The numbers aren't bad, they're just not as gaudy as we were hoping for, especially when it comes to defense. He's averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks on the season but he's caught fire over his last two games with 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks, so this is hopefully a sign that he's going to start living up to the hype. Now is a great time to try to make a trade for Thompson.
Dyson Daniels, PG/SG, Atlanta Hawks (94% rostered)
It's starting to look like Daniels was overdrafted in fantasy leagues, as his 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.3 steals are underwhelming. So much of his value is tied into steals that he has to swipe around three per game to make his draft spot worth it, and the fact his scoring is down nearly four points is not helping. Daniels has plenty of time to turn things around and start shooting the ball with more confidence, but his sub-60% free throw rate is a buzzkill and he's simply not looking for shots on a talented Atlanta team. Things could get even worse when Trae Young is back, so waiting for Daniels to get hot and then trying to move him for a top-25 player might be the best strategy going forward.
Zach LaVine, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings (89% rostered)
LaVine clashes with Russell Westbrook and DeRozan in Sacramento and bottomed out on Wednesday when he hit just 1-of-5 shots for two points in a blowout loss to the Rockets. He's scored at least 20 points in just one of his last six games and the fans are letting him have it at home games. There's a chance DeRozan gets traded before the Feb. 5 deadline, which would likely give LaVine a boost and put him back in the scoring spotlight for the Kings. But we're still two months away from the trade deadline and LaVine's value has plummeted over the last few weeks. If he has a big game or two, think about trying to move him. If DeRozan doesn't get traded, it's going to be a very long season for LaVine.
