Hello! With the NBA trade deadline approaching, we've got a big week ahead of us, so be sure to rest up this weekend.
The approaching trade deadline is well-timed for us, as it's a relatively down week for potential pickups. That's actually a good combo though. My first piece of advice for deadline week is always to save your acquisitions until you are reacting to trades. With no home run waiver pickups available, managers can focus on short-term moves over the weekend and then lay back a bit as they wait for news to drop.
For more advice on managing the trade deadline, check out the dedicated section below.
Schedule-wise, Week 16 is on the lighter side. Four teams – Nuggets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Jazz – play only twice. And only 10 teams have four-game weeks. Managers will need to use their bench more than usual. From Monday through Friday, the schedule is balanced, with between six and nine games each day. Then things turn, with a busy Saturday (11 games) and an almost silent Super Bowl Sunday (two games). Managers should try to get a step ahead by adding Sunday streamers on Saturday, when lineups will be nearly full anyway. Also, those Sunday games start early, at 2 pm ET, so make sure to get those lineups set.
As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Adds for all leagues
Josh Hart, Knicks (68% rostered)
The Knicks have been without OG Anunoby (elbow) and Julius Randle (shoulder) for the last three games, leading to Hart stepping into the starting lineup. Randle is out for at least two weeks, but my expectation is that Precious Achiuwa (listed below) is more impacted by Randle, while Anunoby is the one with a bigger impact on Hart. We have no timeline on Anunoby, meaning he could return Saturday or he could be out for a while. While he's gone, Hart should keep getting a ton of minutes. When Anunoby returns, Hart's workload will probably go down, but it should stay partially elevated until Randle is also back. Hart is chronically underrated in Fantasy because of his low scoring, but he's up to 8-11-7 with one block in his three recent starts. That many rebounds and assists from a small forward is almost impossible to replicate.
Grayson Allen, Suns (63% rostered)
You already know that I think Allen is an all-leagues must roster. Missing a game and a half last week dropped him back below this article's Mendoza line, but he's already set to return Friday. Check if an impatient manager unwisely dropped him.
Paul Reed, 76ers (26% rostered)
Joel Embiid (knee) will miss at least Saturday's game, his 14th absence of the season. He can only afford three more absences before he becomes ineligible for awards. The 76ers have five remaining back-to-back sets, including one to close Week 16, and still 35 games ahead. Hopefully, they're recognizing that Embiid has very little chance of meeting the 65-game award threshold, that chasing such a goal will do far more damage than good, and they can give up on the chase. Assuming Embiid and the 76ers allow that logic to win the day, then it becomes likely that he'll miss multiple games next week.
In Embiid's last three absences, Reed has shined to the tune of 16-10-3 with 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks across 31.3 minutes. Reed is worth adding just for Embiid's Saturday absence alone, but there's a solid chance managers will get more than just one more game out of him.
Gary Trent, Raptors (30% rostered)
A rash of injuries have left the Raptors shorthanded, opening the door for Trent to get back into a big-minute role. If Trent isn't careful, he's going to get added to the injury report himself due to the burn marks on his hand – that's how hot he's shooting lately. Starting the last seven games, he's draining 3.9 3s per game while hitting at a shocking 51.9%. I remain concerned about his minutes when Toronto is at full health, but we don't have to worry about that right now.
Precious Achiuwa, Knicks (26% rostered)
I gave Achiuwa a tepid endorsement last week because of my fears that Isaiah Hartenstein might have been facing a lengthy absence. Apparently, I was worried about the wrong Knicks' big. Julius Randle (shoulder) will miss at least two weeks, and probably more (Hartenstein is playing on a minutes restriction). The shorthanded Knickerbockers have given extra run to Achiuwa, who has started three straight and is averaging 13-9 with 1.3 steals and 1.7 blocks in 38.7 minutes.
Nick Richards, Hornets (59% rostered)
This blurb is as boring as Richards' stat lines. As tired as mentioning the stable yet uninspiring better-than-replacement-level-but-barely-so Fantasy big man for the sixth week in a row. He's averaging 10-9-1 and 1.5 blocks in 29.3 minutes as a starter filling in for Mark Williams (back), who remains without a timetable for return.
Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls (27% rostered)
Dosunmu is playing well lately, and he even joined the starting lineup for the last three games with Zach LaVine (ankle) and Patrick Williams (foot) out. He's averaging 16-3-3 with two stocks and 1.8 3s in 31 minutes over his last nine games. Those numbers are good enough to roster for as long as they last. Dosunmu is only 23 years old, so it's possible he's improved to the point where this is his new normal. That said, he's had extended runs in the starting lineup before and never come close to his current productivity, so I've got an eyebrow firmly burrowed. The reason I'm highlighting Dosunmu here is that he's the rare pre-trade deadline stash candidate who doubles as an add-him-while-he's-hot streamer. The Bulls are likely to be sellers at next week's trade deadline, and there are many possible directions they could go that would result in extra opportunities for Dosunmu.
Other recommendations:
Aaron Nesmith, Pacers (58% rostered); Kevin Huerter, Kings (63% rostered); Kelly Oubre, 76ers (64% rostered); Harrison Barnes, Kings (52% rostered); Al Horford, Celtic (48% rostered); Dillon Brooks, Rockets (47% rostered); Cam Whitmore, Rockets (37% rostered); Naz Reid, Timberwolves (50% rostered); Andrew Nembhard, Pacers (34% rostered); Jonathan Isaac, Magic (8% rostered)
Managing the trade deadline
When it comes to managing the trade deadline as a Fantasy manager, there are a few things you can do to set yourself up for success.
First, make sure you turn on tweet alerts for the key news breakers. Most trades will get reported by Adrian Wojnarowski or Shams Charania, though Marc Stein and Chris Haynes also tend to get one or two each year. The alerts achieve two goals – they let you know instantly when a trade occurs, and they protect you against fakes from weirdos who impersonate the big names to tweet fake trades.
If your schedule allows it, you should try to be as free as possible from about 1-4 pm ET on Thursday. Most years, that's when the bulk of the action is (the deadline is at 3 pm, and some deals don't get announced until after it's passed).
Before Thursday, make sure you know who your most droppable player is. If the long-awaited Clint Capela trade finally comes, you don't want to waste any time in the race to add Onyeka Okongwu. Know who your drop is ahead of time.
The last important piece of deadline preparation is to make sure you know your league's rules around acquisition limits. Most leagues have a weekly limit, though some have seasonal restrictions while others have none at all. If you have a weekly limit, you want to preserve at least three for trade reactions. Even if you only have one or two droppable players, you want to have an extra acquisition available. Our first guesses at who benefits from trades are often wrong, so you want the ability to make a pickup after Friday and Saturday's games.
A few players I'm keeping an extra eye on:
Trey Murphy, Pelicans (42% rostered) – The Pelicans are prime candidates to make a consolidation trade, and Murphy was awesome down the stretch last season. If they make a deal that opens up more minutes for Murphy, he'll lead this column next week.
Walker Kessler, Jazz (83% rostered) – Kessler should already be rostered, but he's available in nearly one in five CBS leagues (and his roster rate is even lower on most other platforms, good job CBSers). The Jazz are highly likely to trade away either Kelly Olynyk or John Collins, and either move would likely benefit Kessler.
Naz Reid, Timberwolves (50% rostered) – In the unlikely event that the Timberwolves move Karl-Anthony Towns, Ried would probably become a must-add.
Sam Merrill, Cavaliers (11% rostered) – was dominating as a 3-point specialist before Darius Garland and Evan Mobley returned to action. I don't expect Cleveland to make a move, but if they do end up trading away one of their star guards, Merrill will once again be an attractive option.
Deep league special
David Roddy, Grizzlies (10% rostered)
Memphis' Thursday night Steven Adams trade underscores that the Grizzlies are likely to be active over the coming week, and that they're more likely to be sellers than buyers. That could mean a more permanent role for Roddy down the stretch. In his four January starts, which include two of their last three games, he averaged 12-6-2 with 1.5 steals and 1.5 3s across 33.5 minutes. If you're not sold on Roddy, or if he's already on a roster, then check which other Grizzlies are available. There's a lot of uncertainty right now, but opportunities are probably coming for some of them. John Konchar (9% rostered) and Scotty Pippin Jr. (5% rostered) are two widely available options to consider.
Other recommendations:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Timberwolves (6% rostered)
