Forum: blurb
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Subject: Daily Blurb - December 21, 2016


  Posted by: Guru - [330592710] Wed, Dec 21, 2016, 11:31

Contributed by Adam Hayes, reproduced from DailyHoopsData.com

Fantasy sports are always going to be unpredictable no matter how much studying you do before the season starts. Some superstar players are going to disappoint and other players are going to come out of nowhere to deliver great value to their potential fantasy owners. Making adjustments to the way you value each player during the season is the only way you will be able to compete with the other teams in your league. These are the biggest underachievers and surprise breakout stars in fantasy basketball this year.

Disappointing Stars Worth Dropping

Nikola Mirotic
Nikola Mirotic was expected to have a big year after a performing well in the final two months of last season. These high expectations got Mirotic drafted around the 7th round of most fantasy basketball drafts. While he started the season off fine, Mirotic's biggest problem this season has been a lack of playing time. New coach Fred Hoiberg simply does not trust Nikola Mirotic on the court right now. This has caused his playing time and scoring to drop every month of the season. You may have spent a high draft pick on him, but it is time to find someone delivering more playing time and production than Nikola Mirotic.

Aaron Gordon
It may seem odd to recommend dropping Aaron Gordon after he just had a huge game with 33 points and seven rebounds, but that performance was an anomaly for Gordon this season. Gordon actually only had 32 points in his previous four games before his huge performance against the Clippers a few days ago. Aaron Gordon is one of the most talented young players in the NBA, but he is far too inconsistent to help fantasy owners on a consistent basis. His playing time issues were also supposed to end when head coach Scott Skiles quit in the off-season, but he is still struggling to get consistent playing time under new coach Frank Vogel.

Must-Add Surprise Players

Maurice Harkless
No player has surprised more than Maurice Harkless this season, but he is still available in most fantasy leagues. Harkless has been a great source of production from the small forward position because he is averaging more than 31 minutes of playing time per game. He may not be one of the most talented players in the league, but the extensive playing time is allowing Harkless to average more than 12 points, five rebounds and one steal a game. He may not be known by everyone right now, but it will not be long before Harkless is owned in every league if he continues his great season.

Thabo Sefolosha
Thabo Sefolosha has always been one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA, and his balanced game is finally rewarding fantasy owners this season. Sefolosha received limited playing time during his first two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, but that has recently changed thanks to the poor play of Kent Bazemore and Kyle Korver. Sefolosha is getting ignored by most fantasy owners because of he only averages just under 8 points a game, but his ability to help in every stat category is the main reason you want him on your team.

Adam Hayes hails from New York City where he is a marketing associate by day and blogger by night. He is a self proclaimed fantasy guru that spends too much time perfecting his lineup. One summer Adam visited 21 of 30 MLB stadiums (and only caught one foul ball).