October 31 Fantasy Basketball Drop Candidates: Kon Knueppel, Jaime Jaquez, Khris Middleton and More
Identifying some of the most-dropped fantasy basketball players late in the second week of the season.
We just looked at fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups, so let's turn around and tell you some players who could possibly be dropped.
Here is the last drop candidate story we did. More drops can be found daily on the FantasySP waiver trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy basketball page on the site.
We might as well call this the reverse story of waiver wire stories from earlier in the week, because just about all of these guys I discussed at some point this week. Let's dive in!
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Should You Drop Kon Knueppel?
Knueppel is down 10.3% today and sits at 69% overall now.
After scoring in double figures in each of his first four games as a pro, Knueppel only tallied five points on Thursday. He added three rebounds and one assist, while committing four turnovers and two fouls.
He played 27 minutes in that contest, which was the same amount he played the previous game. The difference was that he posted 19 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal in that one, while having just one turnover and one foul.
Up-and-down fantasy showings are certainly common for rookies, and Knueppel finally had his down outing in his fifth ever regular season game.
I tend to think fantasy owners are a bit too quick to jump to conclusions about players, and think too many people moved off Knueppel after one down game. He's going to serve a big role for the Hornets after they spent the No. 4 pick on him.
After the Brandon Miller injury, it makes more sense to roster Knueppel than it does let him go after one down performance. I expect Knueppel to bounce back in the games to come, but to be an up-and-down performer as the season moves along.
I'd be happy to scoop him up if he was dropped in my league. I think he's a better fantasy asset than a lot of players near the end of standard league owner's benches. He definitely needs to be rostered in all deeper leagues.
Again, don't overreact too much to a single game, especially from a rookie, or you could regret it down the road.
Should You Drop Aaron Wiggins?
Wiggins is rostered in 52% of leagues after being let go in 8.3% of leagues.
Wiggins had been trending up, but only produced eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in his last game - he played 24 minutes in that contest.
OKC has been dealing with a bunch of injuries, affording guys like Wiggins some extra playing time and usage. He had been delivering good numbers most of the season, but took a step back on Thursday.
I thought he was always a better deep-league asset, but had some standard league streaming value until the Thunder got healthier. I still believe that, but his last performance also shows some volatility, and why I like him better in deeper leagues.
Only add and stream him in standard leagues in a pinch, and be ready to move him in deeper leagues if his role and production drops off consistently.
Should You Drop Jaime Jaquez Jr.?
Jaquez was dropped in 7.2% of leagues and now sits at 86% overall.
Jaquez has seen his own percentage rise notably since the start of the season. He is now trending down after only tallying six points and assists and eight rebounds in his last contest across 34 minutes.
That still wasn't that bad of a fantasy showing, but it was his first time under 13 points since the opening game of the season. He still played a bunch and stuffed the stat sheet, but his overall fantasy production was lower than it had been.
Across five games, he's averaging 16.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1 steal over 29.2 minutes. There's plenty of good in those numbers, so I wouldn't bail on him after one down showing. I'd maybe hold at his own percentage until Jaquez bounces back, or starts delivering more though.
Should You Drop Tre Johnson?
Johnson is owned in 42% of leagues after being dropped in 7.1% of leagues. I'm not really seeing a great reason why he should be dropped.
Bilal Coulibaly returned for the Wizards on Thursday, but Johnson still had 10 points, three rebounds and two assists over 27 minutes off the bench. He's averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.2 steals over 26.8 minutes a game so far.
There's enough in those averages to keep utilizing him in deeper leagues. If Coulibaly starts taking away some of his minutes in time, that's when I'd start dropping Johnson. For now though, he's a pretty good deep-league asset, so I'd hold him and utilize him until his production starts dropping.
Should You Drop Bub Carrington?
Carrington is down 7% and is now rostered in 36% of leagues overall.
Carrington saw a more notable drop in his role with Coulibaly back. Carrington came off the bench for the first time this season, and logged a season-low 22 minutes. He had three points, four rebounds and one assist.
Carrington is still worth rostering in some deeper leagues, but definitely not all of them now. If his numbers and usage from Thursday continue, then he'll be dropped in more and more leagues.
Really, if the Wizards stay healthy now, there could be a fantasy nightmare developing at the guard spots.
Should You Drop Khris Middleton?
Middleton is down to 54% rostered after being dropped in 6.6% of leagues. One more Washington droppable player for you.
He still started with Coulibaly back, but he only played 20 minutes and had six points, two assists and one rebound. Middleton also played 20 minutes in the team's third game of the season, so this looks more like a team limiting a veteran's minutes to keep him active and healthy throughout the season.
Over five games, he's averaging 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals over 25.8 minutes a night. He scored 23 points in the opener, so he's dropped off significantly since then.
At this stage of his career, Middleton is more of a role player than a lead scorer, so his fantasy outlook is definitely down compared to his past. He's looking more like a deep-league asset, and unless he gets a change of scenery, I'm not sure if that will change this season.
I'm fine dropping him in standard leagues, and I'd probably be looking to sell him in deeper leagues to the highest bidder. There's better fantasy players out there, so I'd be looking to move off Middleton if I could.
Should You Drop Aaron Nesmith?
Nesmith is down 6.3% and is rostered in 43% of leagues overall.
He only recorded five points and seven rebounds across 26 minutes in the last Pacers' game. Nesmith also scored five points in the team's first game, so he has two dud performances and two good ones so far.
That inconsistency isn't what fantasy owners want, so they are moving off him. I'm surprised at his showings, because Indiana is really banged up right now. Nesmith simply isn't rising and delivering in a golden opportunity.
He's averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.5 blocks across 32.5 minutes so far. His shooting percentages are bad, and so he's being dropped despite playing a good amount of minutes and having solid usage most nights.
I too would be fine dropping him in some deeper leagues, but I'd like to keep rostering him in most deeper leagues. I think he'll turn things on soon, and he could quickly become not only a deep-league asset, but a possible standard league threat. Don't write him off for good, and keep him on your watch lists.