Several unexpected players have been returning solid fantasy value over the last two weeks while some huge names have been letting their fantasy managers down while struggling in multiple fantasy categories along the way.
Brandin Podziemski and Tari Eason are heating up, while Andrew Wiggins and Cole Anthony are heading in the wrong direction as fallers.
Check out the Risers and Fallers as we prepare to enter Week 9 of the NBA season!
Risers
Brandin Podziemski, SG, Warriors (rostered in 1.9% of ESPN leagues): Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson have basically been disasters thus far and Draymond Green is now suspended indefinitely after his flop punch to the face of Jusuf Nurkic. Several Warriors are going to benefit and Podziemski entered Thursday's date with the Clippers coming off a monster line of 20 points, 11 rebounds, five dimes, a steal and two 3-pointers on 9-of-14 shooting in 29 minutes. He struggled with his shot against the Clips, hitting just 2-of-11, but was in the starting lineup, played a whopping 35 minutes, and finished with seven rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Wiggins finally came off the bench on Thursday and was his typical unimpressive self, so the arrow on Podz is still pointing straight up in the air. He's nearly a must-add player at this point, despite Thursday's struggles.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF, Heat (18.2%): Jaquez has refused to go away thus far and looks like a team leader for the Heat, heavily involved in the offense and gaining the trust of his teammates and coach Erik Spoelstra. He led the Heat with 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and a 3-pointer on 6-of-14 shooting in 34 minutes on Thursday and he's scored in double digits in 12 straight games. He's racking up production across the board and should continue to flourish with guys like Bam Adebayo (hip) out indefinitely and Tyler Herro still out with an ankle injury. Herro is due back on Monday or Wednesday of next week, but I'm not sure that his return will decimate Jaquez's value. He's been a blast to roster in fantasy thus far.
Jonathan Kuminga, PF, Warriors (13.5%): Draymond Green played primarily at PF and Kuminga and Dario Saric are the next men up. Saric has been a little better this season, but Kuminga came through with 16 points, six rebounds, a steal and a 3-pointer on 6-of-10 shooting in 29 minutes on Tuesday after Green was ejected. He then moved into the starting lineup on Thursday and hit 5-of-10 shots and two triples for 15 points, five rebounds and a steal. He doesn't do as many 'big man things' as I prefer from my power forwards, but it appears that he's finally going to get a chance to show his stuff. If there was ever a time for Kerr to let Kuminga do his thing, it's right now.
Tari Eason, SF, Rockets (4.8%): Eason has really benefited from the absence of Amen Thompson and has racked up 14 rebounds in each of his last two games, while scoring 25 and 18 points in them. In his last five games, he's averaging 12.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers. It's hard to say if he'll keep it going once Thompson is back, but Eason has played well enough in his last two games to warrant a pickup in almost every league.
Bilal Coulibaly, SG/SF, Wizards (3.8%): Coulibaly has quietly scored in double digits in all five of his December games and is averaging 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.6 3-pointers on 61 percent shooting over his last five. He's not going to be on Sportscenter or the highlight reels, but he's playing well enough to be considered everywhere.
Bonus
Dario Saric, PF, Warriors (8.0%): Saric played 20 minutes on Tuesday and hit 5-of-9 shots and two 3-pointers for 15 points and four rebounds. Thursday was a different story though, as he came off the bench for just 17 minutes and finished with five points and six rebounds on 2-of-5 shooting. I'm not sure exactly what happened here, but I'm hopeful it was a fluke. Saric almost has to benefit from Green's absence and his 17 minutes were one of his most recent low totals. It's a red flag for sure but I'm willing to give him a three-game window before giving up on him. He simply has to see a surge with the Green suspension, despite Thursday's disappointing outing.
Julian Strawther, SG, Nuggets (0.4%): Strawther, coming off two monster games, had just eight points, four rebounds, one assist and two 3-pointers in 20 minutes on 2-of-6 shooting on Thursday. He's at least worth monitoring but is more of a deep-league special than a player to be added in standard leagues. Just keep an eye on him.
Fallers
Draymond Green, PF/C, Warriors (64.4%): He's suspended indefinitely, is not eligible for the IL in most leagues and we simply don't know if or when we'll see him again this season. In case you haven't done so already, it's time to drop him.
Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF, Warriors (57.7%): Wiggins was finally demoted to a bench role on Thursday and played just 22 minutes, finishing with nine points, three rebounds and nothing else on 4-of-9 shooting. He was benched in Tuesday's game, despite the ejection of Green, and played just 15 minutes. He's been very disappointing this season and a move to the bench isn't likely to improve his stat lines. Managers that drop him may sleep better at night after doing so.
Cole Anthony, PG, Magic (39.8%): Anthony played just 18 minutes in his last game and finished with eight points, two rebounds, four assists and a 3-pointer off the bench. He'd been playing pretty well prior to that disaster but with Markelle Fultz (knee) due back in the very near future, I think Anthony is going to be too hit-or-miss to use in fantasy on most nights. I think you can find a better player to roll with off your waiver wire.
Marcus Smart, PG/SG, Grizzlies (57.8%): With Ja Morant due back in less than a week and Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. taking over in Memphis, I'm just afraid that Smart will be used as a defensive specialist and will drag fantasy teams down with a lack of offensive play once he's back from his injury. I think he's a serious cut candidate, especially if there are a lot of good options on your waiver wire. If not, just leave him on the IL in your league until further notice. But he's about to take a hit.
Eric Gordon, SG/SF, Suns (22.7%): The Suns Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal finally all took the court on Wednesday night and Gordon was out with a lower leg injury. Gordon is still going to score some points and serve as a 3-point specialist, but he's no longer going to be a focal point now that the Suns are healthy. Drop him for a hot free agent until KD or Beal go down again.
Bonus
Zach Collins, PF/C, Spurs (37.6%): Victor Wembanyama is taking over the world in San Antonio even though they've somehow lost 18 straight games. Collins has been coming off the bench of late and has played just 19 and 14 minutes in each of his last two games. He's averaging just 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 3-pointers and nothing else over that stretch and it's time to panic for his fantasy managers. I'm not flat-out dropping him just yet, but he's going to my bench and if things don't turn around in the next two games, I'll move on and drop him for a hot free agent.