Fantasy Forum: Week 5
Two guards breaking out; another breaking down
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Mapping Career Trajectories
Sometimes a player’s individual season signals an inflection point between phases. We turn to descriptions that put their performance, unfolding in the now, into the context of the past and future: having a breakout year; playing in their prime; entering the twilight of the career. There may be ups and downs night to night, but the big picture is clear. This week we look at a pair of guards reaching a new echelon, and a longtime veteran who may be writing her last chapter.
Stock Up: Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum
The Aces starting lineup has been so good across the board (3 of the top 6 per-game, and all 5 in the top 30) that we’ve been reluctant to cite any individual’s stock in this column. Plum’s masterful 51-point fantasy performance in playing all 40 minutes of Sunday’s win over Dallas demanded it. And Jackie Young, whose absence fueled her running mate’s offensive outburst, has been just as good if not better. They’re 3rd and 6th respectively in per-game production, so we can’t pick just one. Let’s just marvel at the fact that the two former first overall picks fell to the 26th (Plum) and 34th (Young) average draft position.
Stock Down: Allie Quigley
While Quigley’s 2021 performance fell short of her 2017-2019 All-Star years, she still averaged 21.8 fantasy points per game. For comparison, that was right on par with Young’s 22.6 and not far behind Plum’s 24.7. She also shot 45% from deep and won a third three-point contest, so it was worth spending a late round pick this year. But father time is undefeated and the 35-year old is outside the top-75. Even if her 22% from beyond the arc is likely to improve, it’s time for the 65% of managers who still have her rostered to pull the plug outside of deep leagues.
Week 5 Free Agent Report
Once again we have a week with two empty days, as the baffling league schedule sets up zero games on Monday and Thursday. This seems especially bad for business given those are both off nights for the MNBA Finals. Alas, we’re not here to tell Cathy Engelbert how to do her job so let’s just get to thoughts on how to stream the free agent pool in her world!
Friday and Sunday are full schedules and we don’t really love any free agents in the lone Sparks/Aces matchup on Saturday, especially with that being the Sparks only game of the week. That leaves our focus on options for Tuesday/Wednesday, where we offer some options that are rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues.
Tuesday Toss-Ups
If you need a guard, ignore the dud that Bec Allen (65% available) put up last time and give her a shot in the Liberty’s rematch against a Lynx squad that is very friendly to opposing backcourts. After that it’s a toss-up between Rachel Banham (98%), Aari McDonald (83%) and Kristy Wallace (92%). Banham should draw another start in Moriah Jefferson’s absence, while the Dream duo have been more consistent but face a tougher fantasy matchup and a long road trip at Seattle. At forward we’ll bang the drum again for Han Xu (84%), although Stef Dolson (81%) could just as easily be the play.
Wednesday Wild Cards
Natisha Hiedeman (82%) also put up a clunker last game and it wouldn’t shock us if she moved back to the bench for Courtney Williams, but the Fever present a favorable matchup that could get her back on track. The Sky have struggled to limit scoring from bigs, making Shakira Austin (66%) appealing as a center capable of putting up points. And although the Mystics are tough on guards, Rebekah Gardner (96%) has produced value on the defensive end with 6 stocks (steals + blocks) in 2 previous games against DC. We called out Emily Engstler (59%) last week and she deserves consideration for both streaming and holding even in a brutal matchup at the Sun.