Fantasy Basketball: Make room for pickups like Tre Mann and Marvin Bagley III by dropping these players
By Mike Barner, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
The trade deadline has left us with some appealing waiver wire adds. Marvin Bagley III and Tre Mann are a couple of players to target who are still available in more than half of Yahoo leagues. To make room for them and other appealing options, some difficult drop decisions might need to be made. Here are five players that it’s time to move on from in most leagues.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets (68% rostered)
After being selected in the first round of the 2022 draft, Williams had a promising rookie season. Despite logging just 19 minutes per game, he averaged 9.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. He entered this season as the Hornets’ top center and averaged 12.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over his first 19 games. Further adding to his fantasy appeal, he shot 64.9% from the field.
Williams’ season came crashing to a halt in early December when he suffered a back injury. He hasn’t played since. The Hornets said last week that Williams won’t even be re-evaluated for another four weeks. While they also said they expect him to return this season, he’s still going to be out until at least the middle of March. If he does return, he could have his minutes limited for a while. Given their poor record, if he suffers any sort of setback, he could be shut down until next season.
There isn’t enough upside that comes with rostering him right now.
Shaedon Sharpe, Portland Trail Blazers (52% rostered)
Sharpe looked to be in the midst of a breakout campaign. After logging 22 minutes per game during his rookie season, he averaged 33 minutes through 32 games this season. He took advantage of his added opportunities, putting up 15.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 three-pointers per game. While his 40.6% shooting from the field was a disappointment, he improved to 82.4 percent from the charity stripe.
Like Williams, Sharpe’s status moving forward is in doubt because of an injury. He had surgery to repair a core muscle issue last week and won’t be re-evaluated for approximately six weeks. The Trail Blazers are out of the playoff race, so don’t be surprised if Sharpe doesn’t take the floor again until next season. It’s time to drop him in all redraft leagues.
Zach Collins, San Antonio Spurs (47% rostered)
When he was a starter, Collins was a valuable fantasy option. Over 24 games as a starter, he averaged 14.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. However, over his 18 games off the bench, he has provided just 7.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists. The biggest difference is he has logged 29 minutes per game as a starter but just 19 minutes per game off the bench.
The Spurs have moved Victor Wembanyama to the starting center spot, which is the reason why Collins is now coming off the bench. Collins could get the occasional spot start if the Spurs decide to give Wembanyama time off down the stretch, but it would likely take an injury for Collins to see extended minutes regularly again. That’s not a reason to hang on to him right now, especially with some of the appealing options on waivers.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves (43% rostered)
McDaniels has been a regular in this column throughout the season. He is starting to be dropped in more leagues, but he is still too widely rostered. He hasn’t stood out in any particular category, averaging 10.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 1.2 three-pointers per game. While he is shooting 50.4% from the field, it’s on over just 8.6 shot attempts per game.
McDaniels is a very good defender and is locked into the starting lineup for the Timberwolves. However, he is averaging two fewer minutes per game this season than during their last campaign. There is very little upside that comes with rostering him, so he should not be on rosters in 12-team leagues.
Obi Toppin, Indiana Pacers (34% rostered)
The Pacers didn’t wait until the trade deadline to make a big splash, acquiring Pascal Siakam from the Raptors earlier in the season. Over 14 games since joining the team, he has averaged 21.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists. With his arrival, Toppin has been cemented in a role off the bench.
Toppin is averaging 22 minutes per game for the season, but he has averaged only 19 minutes over the last 14 games with Siakam. During that span, Toppin provided just 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds. Not only is Siakam an issue, but the Pacers have quality depth up front with Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson also in the fold. It could take multiple injuries for Toppin to become relevant in fantasy again, so for those who haven’t already, it’s time to drop him.
