These are wild times in fantasy basketball right now with multiple players entering the health and safety protocols on a daily basis. As we try to sort through the mess, let's answer some questions that came in for this week's Mailbag column.
Can't believe I'm asking this, but would you rather have Bobby Portis or Draymond Green the rest of the way?
Asking this question heading into the season would have been crazy. Portis was ticketed for a bench role for the Bucks, while Green is one of the leading players on the Warriors. However, a back injury to Brook Lopez has changed everything.
Portis has taken his starting job and run with it, averaging 15.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.9 three-pointers per game. He's also been efficient, shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 79.3 percent from the charity stripe. While Green will provide more assists, he doesn't have the scoring upside that Portis does. Lopez won't be back anytime soon after undergoing surgery, so give me Portis for the remainder of the season.
Looking ahead, in what order would you rank Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, Josh Giddey and Scottie Barnes in terms of fantasy value?
I'd rank them: Barnes, Mobley, Cunningham, Giddey and Green. Green was an easy pick for me as the worst option here given his lack of efficiency and contributions outside of points and three-pointers. Barnes was the clear-cut top choice for me given his key role on the Raptors and his ability to contribute in multiple areas.
Mobley checks in second out of this group because of the difference he can make with defensive stats. I was torn between Cunningham and Giddey, both of whom have efficiency issues. However, I decided to rank Cunningham ahead of Giddey because of his higher scoring upside and ability to hit more three-pointers. Giddey sure has been impressive, though, with averages of 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.9 three-pointers.
With the news that Kyrie Irving will apparently return to the Nets and play in road games, how do you approach the situation if you're rostering him in weekly lineup leagues?
If you have him in a weekly league, my first move would be to try and trade him. When the Nets were holding him out of all games, there was a better chance that he would eventually get vaccinated in order to play. However, he has nothing to prove during the regular season, so it wouldn't be a surprise if only playing in road games was appealing to him. Once the playoffs get closer, then he could get vaccinated to be available for a championship run.
Again, I'd try to move him. However, if you can't, it's going to be tough to play him in weekly leagues. You'll have to monitor the Nets schedule closely and hope they go on extended road trips. He'd have to play in a minimum of two games in a normal week to be worth starting.
Realistically, what should fantasy managers expect from Klay Thompson once he returns next month? Can he get back to being a top-40 or 50 player right away?
Expect the Warriors to bring Thompson along very slowly. He's missed two straight seasons and nearly half of this one. Also, they have one of the best records in the league, so they don't need to push him just to make the playoffs. The key will be keeping him healthy for when they roll around.
With all of that in mind, don't expect much from Thompson right away. He'll probably be on a minutes restriction to start, and that could last a couple of weeks. It's also highly unlikely that he plays both games of any back-to-back sets the rest of the regular season. He's another player that might be worth more on the trade market given his name recognition.
With all of the players joining the league on 10-day contracts under roster exemptions, we've seen some blasts from the past return, including Joe Johnson and Lance Stephenson. If you could bring back one of your favorite players, who would it be?
Let's start out by saying there isn't much fantasy appeal to these 10-day COVID replacements. There are some fun names sprinkled in and there are certainly DFS implications, but it's tough to take a chance on any of them in season-long leagues. With that being said, if you can make daily moves in your league and there are no game caps, you might be able to squeeze out some production from unlikely sources.
I'm a Bulls fan, so my answer here has to be Joakim Noah. No, it's not Michael Jordan. I have to be at least somewhat realistic. Noah had his own night in Chicago earlier this season with the Bulls giving him a grand sendoff into retirement. However, the Bulls have Tony Bradley and Tyler Cook backing up Nikola Vucevic right now. I'd love to see Noah come back and provide his wild energy off the bench for 5-to-10 minutes a night. Alas, it won't happen.
