Starting 5: Trending Stats Watch - Tuesday, January 20th
The Starting 5 Series will provide Grinders a quick look at the day’s top positional plays, analyzed through the lens of our Daily Research Tools.
Today we’ll take a closer look at the Trending Stats Watch tool. We can use this tool to determine which players are getting a recent boost in minutes and how well they are performing with that extra playing time. The boost in minutes is often tied closely to injuries, so it’s a tool that goes hand and hand with the RotoGrinders daily lineup alerts.
While everyone is scrambling with late breaking injuries, wondering which player benefits the most, this tool helps you figure who to plug into your lineups. My two favorite tabs are “MIN” and “FPTS”, and that is what we’ll examine today.
Point Guard: Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs
Let’s take a look at who has been getting more playing time over the past week.
I personally think it’s a good night to take the plunge on Tony Parker at his depressed price. However, based on the above minutes chart, it looks like doubling up at PG with more Spurs would be a solid option. That would save you money to spend at SF and PF. Tony Parker is unlikely to top 30 minutes, and Marco Belinelli is still out, so there is plenty of playing time at the PG and SG spots for Patty Mills to continue to see the 23 to 24 minutes he has recently been given. The Nuggets play at a high tempo and are not good defensively, so it’s a very nice situation for the San Antonio offense.
Mario Chalmers and Shabazz Napier both check in high on the list. However, that is primarily due to the absence of Dwayne Wade. Wade is currently listed as questionable, and if he plays, Chalmers and Shabazz become much less attractive. However, if Wade sits out another game, the duo should continue to see extra minutes and are fine value options on a short slate.
Shooting Guard: Dion Waiters, Oklahoma City Thunder
For shooting guards, let’s take a look at who has seen a recent boost in fantasy points per game.
Dion Waiters checks in high on the list, as he is averaging 8.30 FD points over his season average and is still cheap at 5.4K. His recent boost in production has directly coincided with his trade to the Thunder. I wasn’t sure how Waiters would fit in OKC, as I questioned his ability to play alongside Westbrook and Durant. However, the Thunder have done a great job of integrating him into the offense, and he is getting healthy minutes, shot attempts, and has been very productive overall. Waiters is coming off the bench, but has carved out a significant role and now has at least 15 real life points in four straight games.
Small Forward: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
For small forward, let’s take a look at both “MIN” and “FPTS”. First let’s look at minutes:
Now let’s look at “FPTS”:
If you had any question about Kevin Durant’s production, here’s your answer. He checks in on both lists and is finally rounding into peak form after missing the early portion of the season. KD is averaging almost 47 FD points over the last week, which is what we have come to expect, and he appears to have no minutes restriction.
The matchup appears tough on paper with Luol Deng and the Miami Heat. However, Deng may not even play since he is dealing with the flu. If Deng sits, the Heat don’t have any capable bodies at SF who can deal with KD. On a short slate and at a thin position, KD is your building block for tonight’s games.
Power Forward: J.J. Hickson, Denver Nuggets
Hickson is listed as a center in our database, but is a PF on FD. He checks in high on the list for both “MIN” and “FPTS”.
First the minutes:
Now the “FPTS”:
Everyone expected Jusuf Nurkic to be the primary beneficiary of the Timofey Mozgov trade. However, as evidenced by the above, J.J. Hickson has been the early winner. He’s averaging nearly four FD points and four minutes above his season average, and he is still very cheap, so he’s a great option to allow you to squeeze in Durant and another expensive player. Hickson picked up two early fouls in his last game and was awful, along with the entire Denver team. However, in each of his previous six games before that letdown, he had posted at least 23 FD points.
Center: Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat or Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs
Again, let’s take a look at recent minutes:
Now let’s take a quick glance at recent fantasy points:
Hassan Whiteside checks in at the top of both lists, as he had been on quite a roll up until his last game. He’s still fairly cheap at 5.5K, and he has shown tremendous upside when given minutes. The Thunder have been very good against centers, but OKC does play at a quick pace, so there could be a few more possessions in this game. Whiteside got into quick trouble in his last game with Boogie Cousins, and foul trouble has been a concern for Whiteside in the past. With the way Russell Westbrook attacks the rim, there is some cause for concern for more foul trouble today, but Whiteside still looks like your top option at center.
If you are worried about foul trouble and also want to save a little money for your cash games, Tiago Splitter looks like a solid option, as his minutes and fantasy production are on the rise. The Spurs are gradually increasing his minutes as he works his way back from injury, and he draws a terrific matchup with the Denver Nuggets, who struggle to contain opposing big men.