With the NBA season well under way now, players are starting to assert themselves and show their worth as contributors. Be it as a sixth man or a starter, there are players who are on the rise in terms of fantasy value. I gave you four players from the Eastern Conference to keep your eye on, now we move to the West.
These four Western Conference players have shown that their early season contributions may just be a glimpse into their potential. Here are four players who were likely passed over on initial fantasy drafts that are now making some noise for their respective teams.
Fantasy GM’s can take advantage of these up and comers as their fantasy values are all going up. Even if you decide not to hold onto any of them for too long, take them now with the intention of selling or trading them when their value has capped out.
Remember that by increasing your salary cap value early in the season you will have the flexibility to acquire more expensive and more stat-stuffing players closer to the end.
Randy Foye - Utah Jazz
Foye is adjusting to his role as a bench player with the Utah Jazz. He is currently behind both Mo Williams and Gordon Hayward on the depth chart. Despite this, Foye has been getting around 25 minutes of action a night, during which time he has produced some decent scoring numbers.
Randy Foye’s fantasy worth is tied directly to his ability to come off the bench and knock down the three-ball. If he has got it going then he could put up 20 points in very short order; if he’s off then it makes for an ugly stat line. Case in point the 0-7 shooting performance against Phoenix where he posted 0 points, 3 personal fouls and 2 turnovers…ugly! Take the good with the bad here as when he has it going it can look like a 20 point night, like he threw up against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Danny Green - San Antonio Spurs
Danny Green has started all seven of the Spurs games this season and lodged an average of 29 minutes per contest. Given his starting role, albeit could be temporary once Manu Ginobili is at full strength; Green is getting a chance to contribute on a nightly basis.
Green isn’t going to get or take a lot of shots in the offense; however, when he is shooting he does so for a solid percentage. Currently sitting with a .534 field goal percentage to go along with a .483 3 point percentage makes for a strong case to keep him in the lineup. Green’s season stat line averages so far are 11.7 ppg, 1.4 apg, 2.7 rpg 0.7 blocks per and 0.9 steals per game.
DeAndre Jordan - Los Angeles Clippers
The big man in the middle for the Clippers is off to a terrific start. Seven games into the season and Jordan has one double double and three consecutive games in double digit scoring. This is the explosive player the Clippers thought they had, the one who could score and rebound. It’s no wonder why the Clippers didn’t keep Kenyon Martin around; they saw the potential here.
Jordan is cementing his place in ‘Lob City’, he is making a living off of shots close to the rim; of course it helps greatly to be 6’10” in height with a 7’6” wingspan. Through 7 games DeAndre Jordan has almost doubled his career scoring average to 11.3 ppg, while rebounding at 7.1 rpg and adding 2.1 blocks per game. This while shooting a ridiculous .720 from the field and a moderately embarrassing .467 from the charity stripe. The center position is a tough position to find value in; look no further as there is great value here in DeAndre Jordan
Kenneth Faried – Denver Nuggets
Nicknamed the ‘Manimal’, this second year standout, all-hustle player is catapulting himself into must draft status with the Denver Nuggets. After the Nuggets last game, a loss to Phoenix, Faried has now registered four consecutive double doubles and five double doubles in eight games. He has earned a start in each of the Nugget games thus far and I’d look for him to be a staple in the starting lineup throughout the season.
Faried is averaging 13.9 ppg, 10.7 rpg as well as a block and steal per contest. The field goal percentage is solid at .560 while the free throw shooting could use some improvement as .481 from the line detracts from overall value. Nonetheless, Faried is a fantastic pickup for your fantasy team; buy low on a player like him and you won’t be sorry.