Don’t be surprised if … Cooper Flagg finishes as a top-25 fantasy option, Jalen Green averages 20 PPG

Each week in the NBA has its own story – filled with surprises, both positive and negative – and fantasy basketball To move forward, managers must decide who to trust and who not. Maybe we can help. Don’t be surprised if any of these ideas come true…

Don’t be surprised if… dallas mavericks SF/PG/PF cooper flag Finished as a top-25 fantasy option this season

Flagg averaged 23.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.8 apg and more than one steal, block and 3-pointer in December, while shooting 51.6% from the field and 80.8% from the line. Those are top-20 fantasy numbers, easily. No one is averaging all those numbers for a season. There are 25 players averaging 23.5 ppg per game. Most of them are relevant in rebounds, 3-pointers and steals, but they don’t do all of these things consistently, including hitting half of their field goal attempts. They are all much older than Flagg, who recently turned 19.

We may see inconsistency and passivity on a game-by-game basis, and it can be frustrating for fantasy managers, and at times it appears as if Flagg is more comfortable mixing in the offense. He is not always vocal. These stats will change in the second half of this season as these Mavericks are not winning championships, and they will not have a C/PF anthony davis on the court. Flagg, who recently missed two games due to a sprained left ankle, scored an easy 18 points (in a win!) at Madison Square Garden on Monday. His January stats (primarily scoring) don’t match his December stats, but we know what he can achieve, and it’s remarkable.

I fully admit that I was normally flagging on draft day at an ESPN ADP of 25 because, well, he was 18 years old, and it was asking a lot of him to become a top-25 statistical player so quickly. The Mavericks had a squad of big men to handle roughing and rebounding in the paint (Davis, Daniel Gafford, Derek Lively II), and someone speculated that someone with the size and skill level of a typical NBA point guard would take over that role (D’Angelo Russell, brandon williams, Ryan Nembhard) Until kyrie irving (Knee) Returned to play. Today, Flagg is a big man and, at times, the mastermind behind the crime.

Flagg leads the 18-26 Mavericks in total points, rebounds, assists and steals, and he can do the same in blocks. It’s pretty safe to say that Flagg is outperforming even the loftiest expectations, even as a teenager, and he’s clearly a fantasy building block for not only future seasons, but this season as well.

Fantasy managers haven’t exactly forgotten about Green, but they could have. Green scored 2,600 fantasy points Houston Rockets Last season, the figure was a top-50 figure, and fantasy managers expected similar production for Phoenix after a heavy offseason. Kevin Durant Business. Instead, Green suffered a right hamstring strain in early October, missing the first few weeks of the season, eventually making his debut and in his second game, he suffered an even worse injury. Green appeared in his third game of the season on Tuesday and won off the bench philadelphia 76ers. He scored 15 fantasy points while dealing with a minutes restriction.

game

Jalen Green knocked down a 3-pointer

Jalen Green hits a triple against the Philadelphia 76ers

Green won’t be coming off the bench for long, and it will be interesting to see how this changes fantasy value for other Suns. Green is going to play at least 30 minutes per night as a starter, he’ll see ample shots, and he’ll be valuable to fantasy managers. As of Wednesday morning, Green remained available in 23% of ESPN standard leagues. That’s not PG/SG Devin BookerSure, but there’s no way he’ll overachieve if Brooks (who made 2 of 13 shots on Tuesday) continues to earn 17 field goal attempts per game, or that he scores 20 PPG. surprise pg Colin Gillespie Can’t even average 32 fantasy points. He is anticipated to move into a reserve role.

While Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft, ultimately underachieved for fantasy during his Rockets days because what he primarily did was hit 3-pointers and score, he’ll be the No. 2 Suns player from here on out. It’s not like Brooks is doing much rebounding or passing. In fact, these players are quite similar in this regard. There are 42 players averaging 20 PPG; Only Brooks gives us less than 3.5 rpg and 2.0 apg. Green will certainly perform better than that.

Other Thoughts

• I understand why fantasy managers are adding Golden State Warriors pf Jonathan KumingaBecause he is offensively efficient, one would think the team should play him after SF/SG/PF’s season-ending injuries. Jimmy Butler III (Knee). In fact, coach Steve Kerr played Kuminga for 21 minutes in Tuesday’s home loss Toronto Raptors. It was Kuminga’s first game in over a month and he scored 31 fantasy points. Still, I don’t think the Warriors want Kuminga on the team. I’d bet he’ll be on another team within two weeks, and it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll provide fantasy numbers there. I am making this situation fade away.

  I’m more concerned about the Warriors losing Butler and any semblance of strong defense, as was evident on Tuesday – what happens with PG. Stephen Curry in March/April, as the team is holding on to a Western Conference play-in spot but may view a spot in the lottery as more attractive. Curry, who will turn 38 in mid-March, may miss the game because it is in the best interest of the team (like Washington’s). trey youngwhich may not play at all), and the same applies for PF/C draymond greenHowever for fantasy purposes he has never been less valuable. Curry is averaging 44.2 fantasy points, a top 20 figure. In a season when a lot of post-season injuries affect the next season (jayson tatum, Tyrese HaliburtonEtc.), would the Warriors want Curry to be a regular in the final weeks?

• Desperate for a rebound in super deep Dynasty Roto League (thanks, injured zack eddy and sporadically andre drummond), I turned to Mavericks Rookie C uncle sissy And Sacramento Kings newbie c dylan cardwell. It’s hardly ideal, but the energetic Cisse has looked great, with 48 rebounds and 10 blocks in five games, and Cardwell is having some moments, too. This is a league with a FAB budget, so there’s little risk in throwing down a dollar every Sunday night for a young player who can make good, efficient use of minutes and be worth relying on. I did this with Drummond in recent seasons and last year too charlotte hornets C mousa diabetesAnd it worked. Diabate averaged 8.4 rpg. Perhaps the Mavericks could bury Cisse once Gafford (ankle) gets back to health, but they shouldn’t.

• orlando magic PG/SG anthony black I wasn’t too interested when he came off the bench for the first six weeks of the season. He averaged 12.8 ppg and 3.1 apg in that role, shooting 45.8% from the field and 68.4% from the line. Eh. Now everything has changed, and it is surprising that he is available in 35% of ESPN leagues. Black, now in his third NBA season after being the No. 6 pick in 2023, is averaging 18.7 ppg and 5.0 apg as a starter. He also shoots better. Maybe he didn’t like being reserved? The 6-foot-7 Black has the most astonishing numbers, averaging 6.4 APG in January while also making 49.5% of field goals and 82.1% of free throws. This is the top 30 fantasy creators in the last 30 days.