Fantasy Basketball Drop Candidates: Is It Time to Move On From Jalen Green and Others?

We just went over some fantasy basketball waiver wire options, and are back to go over some possible drop candidates now!

We have covered drops in articles from Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. We've also discussed teams to stream against and avoid, so check that article out too!

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Jalen Green and Khaman Maluach - Phoenix Suns

Green is sitting at about 79% rostered at the moment. He was very close to 100% owned to kick off the season, so he's underwhelmed so far. Maluach is owned in about 33% of leagues right now, after being closer to 50% at the start of the season.

Green is starting and playing 27.1 minutes a night, which is enough time to be a fantasy asset. His numbers are down pretty much across the board from previous seasons though. He's averaging 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

Better days could be ahead, but for now, Green is probably a better deep-league asset. If you want to drop him today, I wouldn't be against that move.

Just be ready to add him back if his production ever picks up down the road. You might be able to trade him away too, so consider that move if you do not want to drop him.

Maluach has started six of the team's 11 games, but has come off the bench for each of the past five contests. He's averaging 7.7 points, 6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.4 assists over 19.5 minutes a night.

His numbers have improved since his rookie year, but that's not surprising as he's averaging over 10 minutes more per game. Off the bench, his production has been inconsistent, which is part of the reason why he's being dropped today.

There's just not enough production in his numbers to own in all deeper leagues, so that's why we are seeing him fall. Again, he's a player to keep tabs on, but for now, he's a better option the deeper a league gets.

Daniel Gafford - Dallas Mavericks

Gafford is rostered in 74% of fantasy leagues. He's risen as a fantasy asset since the start of the season, but is starting to dip after getting to 80%.

He is starting for Dallas, but he's averaging just 21.5 minutes a night, which isn't enough to consistently produce big fantasy totals. Gafford is also averaging 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and 0.7 steals a game.

There are some solid numbers in there, but still plenty left to be desired. I don't think he should be owned in nearly as many leagues as he is right now.

You could look to trade him away to see if you could get a better return than you'll find on the waiver wire. Gafford should be a better deep-league asset all season though, so don't hold on to him too long in standard leagues.

Duncan Robinson and John Collins - Detroit Pistons

Robinson is at about 94% owned at the moment, which is just below his season-high mark. Collins is at 83% right now. He was close to 100% owned early in the season, then fell to about 66% owned before rising to a bit higher than he is currently at.

Robinson has enjoyed a career year to this point, tallying 18.1 points per game so far. His career-high mark previously was 13.5.

He's played 31.7 minutes a night, also averaging 2.2 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.2 blocks per game. So really, his scoring is carrying his fantasy value in the early going.

He's likely being added and dropped because fantasy owners are treating him as a standard league streaming option. That's fair in my eyes, but he's also scoring at a pretty good clip right now, so I'd do my best to hold him and ride the wave until his production fades. 

Collins is starting every game, but his minutes are all over the place, and his production has been inconsistent as a result. He's played anywhere between 19-32 minutes over his past five games, and scored between 4-24 points.

Over 26.4 minutes a contest, he's averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1 block, 0.7 assists and 0.5 steals per game. The scoring and rebounding is solid, but if it's not coming consistently, he's not the best fantasy asset.

He's one to own in all deeper leagues, but not all standard leagues. Collins is replaceable in standard leagues, and really is a better standard league streamer when he's in a better groove. 

Keep tabs on him, but don't feel like you need to keep holding him if there's more appealing waiver wire pieces available. You could look to trade Collins away instead of dropping him, but the return won't be anything too special.