Fantasy Basketball is back and I wanted to highlight on the Raptors vs Pelicans matchup. This was the first game of the season, and it only made sense to write a quick breakdown on a few players. Now, it's too early to panic, but let's take a look at a few players who were On and Off and examine them. A one game sample size doesn't change these players outlooks too much, but there are some key components that we need to gravitate to for future games coming up.
The Raptors and Pelicans game was Very Competitive that winded up going in overtime. Unfortunately, we didn't see Zion Williamson on the court, but we still had an NBA game to watch together!
New Orleans Pelicans
Off -
Derrick Favors - 21 Mins 3-6 FG 6 PTS 7 Rebs 2 Assists and 1 BLK
Favors did not look particularly well throughout the preseason, but I wouldn't panic too early on him. It would have been nice to see him get at least 27+ minutes. In that range, he would have had much better stats, but he is a player to be watch closely on this season because a top 60 player or better is what we predicted him to be. A one-game sample size won't determine who he is, but make sure this doesn't become a trend.
On -
Josh Hart - 28 Mins 4-9 FG 15 PTS 10 Rebs 1 Assist 1 BLK
Josh Hart went undrafted in a lot of shallow leagues because of the deep rotation of the Pelicans and the NAW Echo/Hype Train. It seems like this could be a battle on who gets the minutes between Hart and NAW, but maybe this helps Hart get back to the upside player we thought he could be last year. Consistency may not be there for Hart due to the plethora of players that were involved in the rotation last night. He's worth rostering until the rotation shakes out.
Off -
Nickeil Alexander-Walker 12 Mins 1-10 FG 3 PTS 2 Assists 2 STL
NAW took several shots in 12 mins and missed about all of them. At least the one shot he made was a 3 pointer! The Preseason Darling did not do well, but if you can take any positives away from this game is that Alvin Gentry seemed OK with NAW pumping up the volume on shots. In Deep and Dynasty formats, he is a hold. In a redraft format, he's a hold if your roster size warrants it. Better days are to come for the rookie while Zion is out.
ON -
Brandon Ingram - 35 Mins 8-19 FG 22 PTS 5 Reb 5 Assists 1 STL 2 BLK
Ingram had a solid game other than his FG%. It's good to see him on the court after the Blood clots that ended his season last year. Another takeaway from this game is that he went 4-4 at the charity stripe with stock stats behind it. Expect some games from Ingram like this from time-to-time until Zion comes back. If you're an owner that is willing to sell high like Hotcakes, Ingram would be the guy.
Off -
Jrue Holiday - 41 Mins 6-15 FG 13 PTS 4 Rebs 6 Assists 2 BLK
Now is the time to Buy Low on Jrue Holiday if you can because some paid a back end 1st round or early 2nd round pick for his services. He didn't shoot well at the FT line going 0-2, but did get out of position Blocks at Guard. Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good. Jrue is the player to be the most confident on, and look for him to bounce back the next time he takes the court.
Notable Mentions that could be streaming options:
Nicolo Melli - 20 Mins 14 Points 5 Rebs with 4 3pts
Kenrich Williams - 18 Mins 6 Rebs 1 STL 2 BLKS
Toronto Raptors
ON -
Pascal Siakam - 38 Mins 34 Points 11-26 FG 18 Rebs 5 Assists 1 BLK
My heart hurts because I don't own him in any of my leagues, but I hope you do! The biggest stat line I'm gushing over is the amount of times he went to the free throw line and making 10/11. Pascal Averaged 3.8 shot attempts per game at the charity stripe and made 78% of them in 2018-2019. That's not to say that he's going to average that many shots at the foul line this year, but we can expect him to get there maybe 2-3 times more this year.
Off -
Marc Gasol - 32 Mins 6 Points 2-9 FG 4 Rebs 1 Assist
Regression is coming Gasol's way, but it would be too fast to get rid of him in any format. Age 34 is nothing but a number, but in sports, that's a different story. He won't be a world-beater by any means, but could still provide top 75 production or better due to the assists that he may provide from time to time from a Center and also good FT%. He won't provide the 4th-5th round value that he once did, but it would be nice to see better production moving forward. Let's hope he doesn't turn into a waiver drop in a shallow league this year. Boucher is a name that you need to remember if Gasol somehow doesn't pan out.
On-
Fred VanVleet - 44 Mins 34 Points 12-18 FG 5 Rebs 7 Assists 2 STL
VanVleet may have been a player you cut coupons with in your draft this year. The value was there for the taking and the return he could potentially give you this year may be massive. Toronto only used an 8 man rotation last night, so it will be interesting to see if that trend continues or if it was just a one time occurrence. VanVleet is a player that may not start every game so if your'e capable of selling him high by the end of this week for a potential top 40 player, then pounce on it.
Off-
Kyle Lowry - 45 Mins 22 Points 4-15 FG 5 Rebs 6 Assists 2 STL
If this is considered a bad game than there is more to like than dislike here. FG% did him dirty here, but better days are to come for Kyle Lowry. He and Spicy P will be anchoring most of the offense with a nice sprinkle of VanVleet in the mix. A one game sample size can get owners to overreact to a point where you might be able to trade Vanvleet for Lowry now. All in all, Kyle Lowry will be fine in all formats. If you're in Dynasty format then I hope you are in a win-now situation.
Raptors Notable mentions -
OG Anunoby - 36 Mins with Pedestrian stats
Norman Powell 29 Mins with 8 Rebs
Serge Ibaka 26 Mins with 13 Points
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M.Starks Powell
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