Fantasy Basketball 2019: Hidden Gems to Pick Up for NBA Week 9
We're nearly two months into this NBA season and both the real-life and fantasy basketball standings are starting to even out. There are the top-tier squads, the middling teams, and the clubs that have already given up on the season.
However, moving up the standings is a bit easier in fantasy basketball. With the right marginal roster moves, going from sixth to second in your league can happen in a matter of weeks.
Here, we've spotlighted five "hidden gems" who can help you pick up a win this week. These are players owned in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Basketball leagues but, due to a variety of factors, are in prime position to be big fantasy scorers in Week Nine.
Let's take a look at these potential diamonds in the rough.
Dillon Brooks, SG, Memphis Grizzlies (31 percent owned)
Week 8 Stats: 22.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.8 SPG, 49.2 FG%, 38.5 3PT%, 88.9 FT%
Week 9 Schedule: 12/16 vs. MIA, 12/18 @ OKC, 12/20 @ CLE, 12/21 vs. SAC
As his stat line suggests, Brooks hasn't been doing a whole lot other than scoring for Memphis recently, but he's been doing that exceptionally well. The only three players who have matched his Week 9 combination of points per game and efficiency over this whole season are potential All-Stars: Brandon Ingram, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Expect Brooks to continue his hot shooting into the upcoming week. Ja Morant is likely to sit out one half of Memphis' back-to-back, plus half of the Grizzlies' four opponents this week—Cleveland and Sacramento—have fairly porous perimeter defenses. With Morant possibly out of commission for a whole game and Jaren Jackson Jr. having an inconsistent sophomore season, pick up Brooks if you want Memphis' Week 9 leading scorer on your roster.
Terence Davis, SG, Toronto Raptors (1 percent)
Week 8 Stats: 4.0 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 25.0 FG%, 22.2 3PT%, 100.0 FT%
Week 9 Schedule: 12/16 vs. CLE, 12/18 @ DET, 12/20 vs. WAS, 12/22 vs. DAL
Obviously, Davis had a rough Week 8. But don't let those three games deter you from picking him up, because the undrafted rookie was absolutely balling throughout November.
From November 2 through December 1, Davis averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on 53.5 percent overall shooting, 45.7 percent three-point shooting and 88.9 percent free-throw shooting. And this week, he and the Raptors face the Cavaliers, Pistons and Wizards, none of whom rank better than 19th in the NBA in defensive rating and all of whom rank 12th or worse in opponent field-goal percentage.
This easier stretch benefits all the major Raptors, but Davis is primed to be a specific beneficiary because starting shooting guard Fred VanVleet is sidelined with a knee contusion, and his status for the upcoming week is unknown as of right now. If VanVleet doesn't play this week, Davis is in line for more minutes, so he should be picked up for those in need of scoring efficiency and assists.
Donte DiVincenzo, PG, Milwaukee Bucks (10 percent)
Week 8 Stats: 9.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 58.3 FG%, 44.4 3PT%, 100.0 FT%
Week 9 Schedule: 12/16 vs. DAL, 12/19 vs. LAL, 12/21 @ NYK, 12/22 vs. IND
With a fibula fracture sidelining Eric Bledsoe for the next several weeks, the Bucks will turn to Donte DiVincenzo as their starting point guard. That shouldn't be a major downgrade, though. The Big Ragu has been one of the best bench players in the entire NBA this season.
DiVincenzo contributes on both ends of the court, averaging 8.8 points while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and swiping 1.5 steals per game this year on defense, splits matched only by a who's who of the league's best two-way players. He's even spelled Bledsoe for minutes at times this year due to his high basketball IQ, though his assist numbers aren't especially noteworthy.
Milwaukee has a difficult schedule this week that will put its 18-game winning streak to the test several times. This stretch is highlighted by that much-hyped Thursday night showdown with the Lakers. If they are to go undefeated this week, they'll need DiVincenzo's contributions nearly as much as Giannis Antetokounmpo's or Khris Middleton's. Claim him for scoring efficiency and steals.
Jerami Grant, PF, Denver Nuggets (27 percent)
Week 8 Stats: 12.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 BPG, 46.2 FG%, 54.5 3PT%
Week 9 Schedule: 12/18 vs. ORL, 12/20 vs. MIN, 12/22 @ LAL
Though a trade from Oklahoma City to Denver ostensibly demoted him from a starting forward to the bench, Jerami Grant has seemed nonplussed by the change. He's playing as well as he ever has.
Grant's Week 8 numbers are a little better than average for this season, but he's averaging career highs in points, assists and defensive rebounds per 36 minutes so far. Obviously, fantasy stats don't exist on a per-minute basis, but those stats matter because Grant may get a big minutes bump this week.
As of right now, starting power forward Paul Millsap is sidelined with a quad injury and may be out for Denver's upcoming three games. If that is the case, Grant will be called up into the starting lineup and could be a fantasy boon for those in need of three-point shooting, blocks or steals.
Landry Shamet, SG, Los Angeles Clippers (11 percent)
Week 8 Stats: 11.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 80.0 FG%, 75.0 3PT%
Week 9 Schedule: 12/17 vs. PHO, 12/19 vs. HOU, 12/21 @ SAS, 12/22 @ OKC
In the same way that Davis' poor Week 8 stats shouldn't be considered representative of his season, don't overrate Shamet's red-hot shooting against Chicago last Saturday. That was just his first game since returning from a month-long absence, but he's not going to get eased back in. A host of Clipper injuries have immediately elevated Shamet's role.
Both Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams are out with a concussion and calf strain, respectively, while Kawhi Leonard will only play half of the Clippers' back-to-back this weekend. This leaves Paul George, Shamet, Rodney McGruder and Terance Mann as Los Angeles' backcourt for the week, so the sophomore guard is virtually guaranteed lots of playing time and a big role against some bad defenses.
Of the four teams the Clippers play this week, only the Thunder are a top-15 defense this season per net rating, so expect Shamet to continue raining threes, though perhaps not quite at the clip he shot against the Bulls last weekend.
