Fantasy Basketball Drop Candidates: If you're in a late-season roster crunch, say goodbye to these 5 players
By Mike Barner, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
The end of the NBA regular season is rapidly approaching. That means fantasy basketball titles are on the line. With so many injuries building up across the league, there are some appealing players to stream who could help a fantasy squad get over the hump. To add them, a difficult drop decision might need to be made.
Here are five players it’s time to move on from in most Yahoo leagues.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets (78% rostered)
Sengun likely helped carry many fantasy managers into their playoffs. He had a true breakout campaign, putting up 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He also was efficient, shooting 53.7% from the field. The only real downsides to his game were that he averaged only 0.7 blocks per game and shot 69.3% from the charity stripe.
Things came crashing down for Sengun when he injured his ankle and knee just over a week ago against the Kings. It has already been reported that he will likely be out for the remainder of the regular season, and with the Rockets on the outside of the playoff picture, it makes no sense to rush him back onto the floor. For those who play in redraft leagues, there’s no reason to roster him anymore. It’s surprising to still see him on so many rosters.
Malcolm Brogdon, Portland Trail Blazers (57% rostered)
Brogdon went down with an elbow injury shortly before the trade deadline. It might have been part of the reason why the Trail Blazers ultimately did not move him to a contender. Before suffering his injury, he had been a valuable fantasy option with averages of 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 3-pointers per game.
Not only has Brogdon not played in a game since Feb. 2, but there hasn’t been any timetable given for his return. The Trail Blazers are playing for nothing but a high draft pick at this point, so we may have seen the last of Brogdon for the season. Even if he does return, it might be too late for him to still be able to help fantasy managers who are already well into their fantasy playoffs.
Bojan Bogdanovic, New York Knicks (51% rostered)
Bogdanovic usually doesn’t provide much in terms of rebounds, assists or defensive stats. He’s reliant on his offensive game to provide value in fantasy. Last season was one of the most productive of his career, averaging 21.6 points and 2.5 3-pointers per game. He was also productive to begin this season, averaging 20.2 points and 3.1 3-pointers over his first 28 games with the Pistons.
A trade from the Pistons to the Knicks has decimated Bogdanovic’s fantasy upside. Over 15 games with his new team, he has averaged only 11.1 points and 1.7 3-pointers. The difference is that he has averaged just 22 minutes per game with the Knicks, compared to 33 minutes per game with the Pistons. He’s locked into a limited role off the bench right now, which makes it difficult to justify rostering him in 12-team leagues.
De’Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers (42% rostered)
Melton saw his playing time increase significantly last season, which was his first as a member of the 76ers. He parlayed that into averages of 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers over 77 games. That also marked the second straight season in which he appeared in at least 73 games. He saw similar success to begin this season, putting up 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 3-pointers over his first 36 games. That put him on pace to average at least 1.4 steals and 1.9 3-pointers for the third straight season.
Since the calendar turned to 2024, Melton has appeared in a total of just five games. He is currently dealing with a back injury that has held him out for all of March. Head coach Nick Nurse said Monday that he didn’t have any status updates for Melton, so it’s safe to say that his return isn’t likely to be right around the corner. With days ticking off the calendar quickly, there’s no reason to continue to hold onto Melton.
Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic (34% rostered)
After averaging 30 minutes per game for the Magic last season, Fultz has logged just 22 minutes per game this season. He has been playing even fewer minutes lately, logging 19 or fewer minutes in 11 of his last 12 games. During that span, he put up just 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
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Not only has Fultz played fewer minutes this season, but he has also shot an ugly 63.0% from the charity stripe. The Magic are making a push for a top-six seed in the East right now, so they aren’t likely to shake up their rotations anytime soon. Fultz just isn’t spending enough time on the floor right now to warrant rostering in 12-team leagues.
