Fantasy Basketball Risers and Fallers: Week 10

Risers

• LaMelo Ball: The Charlotte Hornets point guard is back from an ankle injury and had a monster game on January 7, scoring 32 points with 10 rebounds, seven assists, and five 3-pointers in a win over the Phoenix Suns. Ball has proven to be one of fantasy's most valuable players when he is on the court, but the problem with Ball for the eight-win Hornets is likely just around the corner.
• Zion Williamson: The New Orleans Pelicans power forward finally returned to the court in his first game since suffering a hamstring injury in November. He looked great dropping 22 points in 28 minutes with a vicious windmill dunk that went viral Tuesday. However, he was then held out of Wednesday's contest and the Pelicans have won just seven of their 38 games this season. New Orleans is firmly in the Cooper Flagg race and has no incentive to win more games this season, while Williamson continues to have a hard time staying healthy on the court.
• Russell Westbrook: The Denver Nuggets point guard entered the starting lineup on December 16 and has been there ever since, flirting with triple-doubles in nearly every game. He has played at least 29 minutes in seven of his last eight and appears to be locked into a starting job for the rest of the season. Westbrook should provide just as much value in fantasy as he does for the Nuggets on the court and has finally found a home in Denver.
• Spencer Dinwiddie: The Dallas Mavericks point guard/ shooting guard has started in two straight games and averaged 18 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 6.5 APG since Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving went out with injuries. P.J. Washington has also stepped up his game, but Dinwiddie should be the starting point guard in Dallas until Doncic is back from his calf injury. Dinwiddie looks like a much better fantasy option than Minnesota's Mike Conley (29.8% rostered), who was benched for Donte DiVincenzo. Pick up Dinwiddie and play him until Doncic is back in action.
• Jaime Jaquez Jr.: The Miami Heat shooting guard/ small forward was finally inserted into the Heat's starting lineup on January 6 and has played very well in place of the suspended Jimmy Butler. Jaquez Jr. has played at least 29 minutes in four straight games and had a triple-double in an overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings last Monday. His numbers are popping and he could be locked into the starting five for the rest of the season. Nikola Jovic (7.4% rostered) is also worth a look, but Jaquez Jr. should be a top fantasy pickup right now.

Fallers

• Deandre Ayton: The Portland Trail Blazers center has been solid all season but played just 21 minutes with six points and six rebounds in Thursday's loss to the Mavericks. Donovan Clingan (9.3% rostered), who has been limited to fewer than 15 minutes on most nights, played 24 minutes with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in Thursday's game and could be ready to make a second-half run for fantasy managers. The Blazers are likely lottery bound and need to get Clingan more reps in preparation for next year. It doesn't seem probable that they'll continue to run Ayton out there at center every night going forward and it could be just a matter of time before they turn to Clingan full time. Now is the time to add Clingan to your roster, while managers of Ayton have to be prepared for an eventual changing of the guard.
• Payton Pritchard: The Boston Celtics point guard has been fantastic for the Celtics this season and is the front runner for Sixth Man of the Year. Maybe it's just a slump, but Pritchard has really cooled off in December, scoring just nine or fewer points in three of his past four games. He'll likely continue to try to hold off De'Andre Hunter for the Sixth Man of the Year award and should break out of his funk in the near future. If you've been thinking about making a play to acquire Pritchard, now is the time to do it, as he has scored a grand total of three points over his last two games.
• De'Andre Hunter: The Atlanta Hawks small forward/ power forward's production has suffered as a result of Bogdan Bogdanovic's return from injury. After stringing together 20-point scoring nights in six of seven games, Hunter has failed to score more than 18 points in his past four outings. Hunter has had a fantastic season and is in the hunt for Sixth Man of the Year, but the return of Bogdanovic has slowed his roll. Now is a great time to make a move for Hunter, as Bogdanovic will likely have trouble staying healthy over the rest of the season.
• Khris Middleton: The Milwaukee Bucks small forward finally made his season debut on December 6 and after a slow start, strung together seven straight double-digit scoring outings, making him a hot fantasy pickup. However, his ankles are still a problem and he has not only struggled over his past two games, but has also been demoted to a bench role in Milwaukee. The Bucks are likely going to tread carefully with him going forward in hopes of having him healthy for the playoffs and I expect Middleton's fantasy value to steadily decrease the rest of the way. It was a nice run for the 33-year-old, but it's time to shop him and get him off your squad before it's too late. He's not going to bring back much in a trade, so dropping Middleton for a hot free agent is also something managers should consider.
• Mike Conley: The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard was finally benched in favor of Donte DiVincenzo on January 6 and I don't expect him to reenter the starting unit for the Wolves again as long as DiVincenzo is healthy. Conley's fantasy arrow is pointing straight down, while DiVincenzo's value should continue to rise as he figures out his starting role for his new team. Think about dropping Conley for DiVincenzo (or Dinwiddie) and don't look back. Conley's rostership number should tumble over the next few weeks, as there are simply much better options for most managers on the waiver wire.