The Nets’ Noah Clowney is holding down the starting power forward job and could see elevated usage.
• Play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo! >
We’re poised for a Week 13 scoring period that offers us a good balance of four- and three-game schedules, albeit while also featuring two teams with only two games on their docket. Nevertheless, there continues to be a healthy supply of players at each position not being highly utilized on fantasy rosters but still offering very worthwhile production.
Each week we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters who may shape up as some of the tougher calls to make, focusing on players with a start or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues.
Likewise, we’ll spotlight one Sit candidate at each position who would normally not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, often focusing on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz
Without further ado, let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 13:
Guards
Start: Kelly Oubre Jr., 76ers
49% roster rate
Oubre has reclaimed his role on the 76ers’ first unit, and with Joel Embiid’s presence in the lineup seemingly never guaranteed, the veteran wing has been able to help make up for the big man’s frequent absences. Oubre enters a four-game Week 13 schedule having averaged an impressive 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.8 steals across 37.4 minutes per contest over his last five games while shooting a crisp 47.2% over that span. Oubre has scored in double digits in all five games and has three consecutive two-steal tallies, underscoring his versatility and multi-category fantasy value heading into another scoring period where Embiid could certainly miss at least one game with his troublesome foot injury.
Start: Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers
20% start rate
Sharpe is in the midst of what is shaping up as a career-best all-around season, averaging a career-high 18.3 points per game while improving his shooting percentage from last season’s poor 40.6 figure to a much more respectable 45.1% tally through 30 games. The third-year pro checks into Week 13 running hot as well, having scored at least 20 points in four straight contests while shooting a blistering 46.4% from 3-point range in that span. Zooming out to a 12-game sample, Sharpe is averaging 20.6 points per contest dating back to Dec. 19, so his offensive success is far from an outlier and he’s able to offer serviceable contributions in rebounds and assists as well.
Sit: Collin Sexton, Jazz
64% start rate
Sexton does come into Week 13 on a nice run of production, as he’s scored at least 20 points in five straight games. However, the veteran guard is somewhat capped in the low 20s in scoring the majority of nights, and his contributions in rebounds and assists are serviceable but unremarkable. With only two games on his schedule this week, it’s a good time to consider affording Sexton a seat on your bench in favor of a player of similar caliber with more opportunities to take the floor.
Forwards
Start: Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers
27% start rate
Avdija is another member of the Blazers who’s very capable of boosting multiple categories for your roster this week. The offseason arrival has fit well in Portland, and he enters Week 13 on a stellar nine-game run that’s seen him average 18.6 points (51.3% shooting), 8.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 33.4 minutes per game. Avdija has also started all but the first game of that sample as Jerami Grant continues to sit out with a facial injury, and given the results, the former should continue enjoying a robust role irrespective of whether Grant returns this week.
Start: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Heat
39% roster rate
Jimmy Butler is set to serve the sixth game of his seven-game team suspension Monday, but the prevailing sentiment is the veteran won’t suit up again for Miami. We’ll proceed with that assumption while suggesting Jaquez as a Start option for a second straight week after he delivered 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals across 34.3 minutes per game in Miami’s four-game Week 12 schedule. The versatile second-year pro is presumably set to remain in his top small forward role and can benefit your roster in multiple categories, especially with his sticky defense and knack for taking the ball away on multiple occasions per game.
71% start rate
Miller has been solid since returning from a stretch of six absences over seven games due to an ankle injury, averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds across 32.7 minutes over his first three contests back. However, the second-year star will only have two games to work with this week and has flashed a rusty shot at times since returning (41.3%), making his potential production likely replaceable by a similarly talented three- or four-game option.
Centers
Start: Alexandre Sarr, Wizards
48% start rate
Sarr is another returning Start suggestion from Week 12 after the rookie big man turned in a solid three-game body of work. The rookie second overall pick missed Wednesday’s game against the 76ers due to an illness, but he’s averaged 10.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks across 25.5 minutes per contest in the two games since his return. Sarr’s week would have been even better had he not suffered through an atypically poor 1-for-12 shooting performance Tuesday against the Rockets, a game in which his illness may have already been affecting him and during which he still managed to contribute nine rebounds along with a steal and a block apiece. Now back to full health and with four games to work with, Sarr continues to be a viable consideration.
Start: Noah Clowney, Nets
20% roster rate
Speaking of serious offensive clunkers, Clowney endured one of those Sunday against the Jazz by going 0-for-9 from the floor, including 0-for-7 from deep, over 32 minutes. However, the second-year big averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals across 32.0 minutes per contest over Brooklyn’s first three games of the week. Clowney is holding down the starting power forward job at the moment, and with D’Angelo Russell (shin) and Cameron Johnson (ankle) no sure bets to play in all four games this week as they enter the scoring period riding multi-game absences, Clowney bears considering due to the possibility of elevated usage.
Sit: Jusuf Nurkić, Suns
55% start rate
Nurkić lost his first-unit spot to Mason Plumlee while serving his three-game suspension for an altercation, and after averaging 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 16.5 minutes in his first two games off the bench, he’s missed the last three due to a coach’s decision, and most recently, an illness. It’s difficult to tell whether Nurkić is long for the Suns’ roster at this point, and with the chance he could serve as a healthy scratch for at least part of what is a three-game week for Phoenix, he’s best left on the bench.
