Minutes to Win It - Monitoring NBA Rotations 4-1-15

In this segment, I'll be breaking down players who are seeing a significant increase or decrease in minutes due to new (or overlooked) circumstances. I'll also be looking at how injuries and/or trades have affected these players. Each player's situation is unique, and I'll help you find the matchups and scenarios to exploit or avoid due to each player's change in court time. Each player will have be tagged with “TARGET", “MONITOR", or “AVOID". For today's article, I'll be focusing on DraftKings scoring.

Kemba Walker – (PG) Charlotte Hornets - TARGET

Walker has been tremendous since his return to a full compliment of minutes, and his presence has been a welcome sight for the Hornets. In his last 5 games, he has averaged 35.4 MPG and 38.75 FPPG, which equates to an impressive 1.09 FPPM. Comparing that to his previous 5 game averages of 28.4 MPG, 29.2 FPPG, and 1.03 FPPM, and he is picking up right where he left off prior to his injury. He is a tremendous play at just $7,500 tonight against Detroit.

Deron Williams– (PG) Brooklyn Nets – TARGET

Williams has thrived since returning to the starting lineup, averaging 30.2 MPG and 33.9 FPPG over his last 5 games. His 1.12 FPPM average is significantly higher than the 0.96 FPPM he posted in the previous 5 games, during which time he averaged just 24.4 MPG and 23.4 FPPG. He is trending upward, and his price hasn't quite caught up to his recent production, sitting at a measly $5,800 tonight. Continue to target him until his price rises significantly.

Jason Terry– (SG) Houston Rockets – AVOID

Terry has been the benefactor of bigger minutes since Patrick Beverley's injury, but he has struggled to take advantage of the opportunity, posting just 18.25 FP in 44 minutes of court time over the past 2 games. He will likely continue to start, but aside from a 31.25 FP performance against Minnesota, he has averaged an embarrassing .31 FPPM in his last 80 minutes of play. He can be safely avoided in nearly every format.

Kenneth Faried – (PF) Denver Nuggets – MONITOR

“The Manimal" exploded after the departure of Brian Shaw, but his recent trend in minutes has been very concerning. The Nuggets have already rested players recently, and have made an effort to cut the minutes of their star players as well. Over Faried's last 4 games, he is averaging just 23.75 MPG, 20.3 FPPG, and 0.85 FPPM. Comparing that to his previous 4 games at 35.5 MPG, 42 FPPG, and 1.18 FPPM, and he is trending the wrong way fast. I will be monitoring his status moving forward, but he is nearly unplayable with lesser minutes and a price tag that has steadily risen up to $7,100.