NBA Stock Watch: Chris Bosh rising, DeMarcus Cousins falling
Roto Arcade
Dalton Del Don Thu, Dec 31 12:00 AM PST
STOCK UP
Chris Bosh: Over the last six games, he’s averaged 24.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 3pt while shooting 51.8 percent from the field, a span in which he’s been the No. 11 ranked fantasy player despite not recording a single block. Bosh is averaging a career-high in threes (1.7) and 3pt% (40.6) this season while committing a career-low 1.4 tpg. He’s been the No. 16 player this year, which is a good two rounds ahead of where he was typically drafted. There’s also a decent chance Bosh sees an increase in Usage Rate at some point this season when Dwyane Wade suffers his inevitable injury. It’s great to see Bosh thrive returning from what was potentially a very serious health problem that ended his season last year.
Chandler Parsons: He’s coming off a bad game Wednesday, but the big news with Chandler is he’s back in the starting lineup. He’s averaged 34.5 minutes over the past four games, so there are no longer any restrictions coming off knee surgery. Parsons is still available in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues, and he’ll be a must-start moving forward.
Ish Smith: Since getting traded to Philadelphia three games ago, he’s gotten 18.0 ppg, 8.3 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.0 bpg and 0.7 3pt. He’s locked into the 76ers’ starting lineup, and Smith is still barely owned in half of Yahoo leagues, which should quickly rise. He’s unlikely to be in Philadelphia’s long-term plans, but the team cares little about that now and should continue to give Smith plenty of run.
Marcin Gortat: After a slow start to the season, he’s really turned it on of late, as he’s averaged 18.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.9 blocks while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 90.9 percent from the line over his last seven games, a span in which he’s been a top-15 player. Gortat’s current Usage Rate (18.9) is the highest of his career, and it should remain that way for a while with Bradley Beal still with no timetable to return from his leg injury.
Rodney Hood: He’s gone an ugly 1-of-14 from downtown over the last two games, so it may seem strange to see him in the rising group, but Hood looks like a clear beneficiary of Alec Burks’ ankle injury that will sideline him past the All-Star break. Hood’s Usage Rate has seen a spike, and the second-year player should be a nice source for those in need of threes. He’s still available in more than half of Yahoo leagues. Other possible pick-ups for those in deeper formats include Devin Booker and T.J. Warren, who are both looking at increased opportunities with Eric Bledsoe out for the season with a knee injury.
STOCK DOWN
DeMarcus Cousins: His fantasy stock is going to improve from here on out, but for someone drafted in the top-10 his performance so far has no doubt been worrisome. Cousins is averaging a career high in points (24.3), but while adding a three-pointer to his game (he’s made 1.1 3pt this season after never getting more than 0.1 before in his career) should’ve theoretically helped his value, it’s taken a toll on his FG%, as the big man hasn’t made more than 48.0% of his shots from the floor in any game since Dec. 8 (although to be fair, he’s actually shooting nearly as well beyond the arc (30.2%) as mid-range (31.5%) this season). Cousins has been the No. 109 ranked player over the past month, as it remains to be seen if he can truly blossom in George Karl’s system (the Kings have the second-highest Pace in the NBA). Still, Cousins is 25 years old and is seeing the highest Usage Rate of his career (remarkably committing 1.0 fewer tpg compared to last year despite this), so there’s plenty of hope he can be the player most expected entering the season moving forward.
Goran Dragic: He’s been a big disappointment all season long, averaging just 11.6 ppg while shooting 27.7 percent on threes. While he’s played a bit better of late, Dragic has been the No. 100 player over the past month, which is still 44 spots below his Yahoo ADP. His Usage Rate continues to be way down since joining Miami compared to when he was in Phoenix, and it doesn’t help the Heat rank second to last in the NBA in Pace.
Kevin Martin: Despite frequently coming off the bench, here are Martin’s end of season ranks over the past five years, respectively: 22, 85, 71, 64 and 63. But his numbers are down across the board in 2015/16 and even worse, Martin has completely fallen out of Minnesota’s rotation, so while he may once again hold value when/if he’s traded down the road, he’s droppable in all formats right now.
Bismack Biyombo: He’s been plenty useful of late, averaging 14.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over the past two weeks, when he’s been the No. 62 ranked player. But his time to be owned by fantasy owners has come to an end, at least for now, with Jonas Valanciunas back in action sending Biyombo to the bench.
Kyle Korver: He’s been a top-40 player each of the past three seasons after joining Atlanta, but Korver is currently in the midst of one of the worst shooting slumps you’ll ever see. In fact, he’s 0-of-18 from beyond the arc over the past two games and 2-of-27 on field goal attempts over the past three. That’s obviously a small sample, but after shooting 49.2% from downtown last season, he’s at 36.4% this year, which is his lowest mark since 2007/08 and the second worst of his career. Korver shouldn’t be dropped in fantasy leagues, but he hasn’t been a top-175 over the past month.
George Hill out there like the Dalai Lama, allowing Brooks to eat like that.
