Come Sail Away with Stix

Noah Eagle will be calling the Texas A&M-Ohio State basketball game on Friday night before broadcasting Michigan State-Ohio State on the weekend while Big Ten football and basketball occur concurrently. Simultaneously, in the third week of the NBA season, we have a lot to celebrate! The NBA’s first In-Season Tournament action was a hit, with five out of seven games being determined by five points or less on the inaugural night. We’ve seen some early struggles from the revamped Suns due to injuries to Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. But with Beal’s return and Booker getting healthy, Phoenix’s Big 3 might soon be at full strength.

LeBron James is continuing his streak of excellence in his 21st year in the league while Steph Curry is once again in contention for MVP. Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic have also been leading the charge for their teams. The Pacers are currently the top offense in basketball, the Hawks have been on fire thanks to a breakout season by Jalen Johnson, and Cam Thomas has been electric as a primary scoring threat for the Nets. There have been some surprises, like Houston looking competent with its new roster, Minnesota excelling on defense, and the Clippers struggling to find their rhythm with James Harden in the lineup.

Despite the fantastic storylines, injuries are also a concern. However, they present new opportunities for other players. We can now start to distinguish between players on unsustainable streaks and those who are in it for the long haul. In this article, we’ll highlight players who are “tired” and those who are “wired” with their Yahoo roster percentages listed for reference.

The top priority pickups are as follows:

1. Kyle Lowry
2. Jalen Smith
3. Jordan Hawkins
4. Lonnie Walker
5. Tari Eason
6. Dorian Finney-Smith
7. Keyonte George
8. Jalen Suggs
9. Dyson Daniels
10. Bogdan Bogdanovic
11. Royce O’Neale
12. Rui Hachimura

Meanwhile, players who are “tired” include Bruce Brown at 71% and “wired” includes Jalen Smith at 20%. Brown had exceeded expectations last season, but this year, he’s struggled to deliver significant fantasy production due to the depth of talent within the Pacers. Despite his consistent starting role and solid minutes, his numbers are not impressive, and it might be time to consider more promising options. On the other hand, Smith, known as “Stix,” has been shooting lights out and boasting a top-100 ranking. Despite dealing with a back injury, he holds great potential for the rest of the season

Moving on to more players worth monitoring, we’re looking at Al Horford at 43% and Kyle Lowry at 28%. Horford’s decline in production is apparent after seeing his minutes drop this season. With his numbers not making him a viable option for 12-team leagues, it might be best to consider letting him go for a more promising pickup. Meanwhile, Lowry has started to find his rhythm and could benefit from increased playing time and usage following an injury to Tyler Herro. With Herro expected to be out for an extended duration, Lowry’s fantasy stock is on the rise.

Lastly, while Andrew Wiggins at 75% is not living up to expectations, Jordan Hawkins at 46% has been making the most out of his opportunities in light of CJ McCollum’s injury. Wiggins has seen a dramatic decrease in his playing time and offensive output compared to previous seasons, making him a questionable asset for fantasy teams. On the other hand, Hawkins has flourished in McCollum’s absence, delivering impressive performances over the past two games, showing he may be a valuable addition to fantasy rosters moving forward. The future of these players in terms of fantasy potential is definitely something to keep an eye on!