Fantasy Basketball Mailbag: Draymond, Tari Eason, Ja Morant's Return + Much More

Draymond Green's suspension, Tari Eason, Kelly Oubre, Ja Morant and Marcus Smart all make this week's Mailbag column, along with several other topics. Please send your questions for future mailbags to me on Twitter at @Docktora so we can keep this column fun and packed with Q&A.   

What's going on with Tari Eason? 14 boards now in back-to-back games? - Michael Rocco (@MichaelRoc51821) 

It's true! Eason has 14 rebounds in each of his last two games and had either seven or eight of them in each of his previous three games, as well. He's also scoring, racking up 25 points and 18 points in each of his last two games and the Rockets have rattled off four straight wins, which is probably not a coincidence.

I have no idea how long it will last but if you play in a league with a thin waiver wire and have someone you want to drop, grabbing Eason right now makes a lot of sense. I'd think about dropping guys like Eric Gordon, Zach Collins, Obi Toppin, Derrick Jones Jr. and the like for him and see what happens. 

Thoughts on Julian Strawther? - Bodhisattva (@yourlas)

You can probably guess the word I'm going to use, as it's my go to for guys like Strawther - I'm intrigued. He went off for 22 points, five steals and six three-pointers on Monday and then had 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, a steal and two triples on Tuesday. He played 28 and 23 minutes in each of those games, marking the first time he eclipsed 20 minutes this season.

To say that Thursday night's game against Brooklyn will be a crucial factor in whether or not to pick him up is an understatement, but I plan on keeping an eye on him in the first half and acting accordingly. If he plays well, it's time to get him. And if you're in a league deeper than 12, he should probably already be rostered after those two big games. 

Is it time to pick up Kelly Oubre Jr.? He is back. - Bay Goal Icardi (@baygoalicardi)

Oubre hit 7-of-9 shots and two three-pointers for 17 points, three rebounds, an assist and two steals in 23 minutes on Wednesday night against the Pistons. He played 18, 24 and 19 minutes in his previous three games and it will be interesting to see if he's on the verge of breaking out soon. 

I don't love that he has to fight with Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington for minutes but if Oubre continues to get 23-26 minutes per game going forward, he's probably going to be worth picking up. So, in short, I'd say yes, it's probably time to pick Oubre up if you've got a player you're anxious to drop on your roster. 

Who will benefit more with Draymond Green out? Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski or Dario Saric. - Lester Chu (@LesterChu218)

This is a great question and, unfortunately (or fortunately) the answer is all of the above. When Green got tossed after 17 minutes on Tuesday night, Kuminga and Podziemski each played 29 minutes and both of them went off, while Saric played 20 minutes and also played well. 

Kuminga: 6-of-10, one three-pointer, 16 points, six rebounds, one steal

Podz: 9-of-14, two threes, 20 points, 11 rebounds, five dimes and a steal

Saric: 5-of-9, two threes, 15 points, four rebounds, one assist

It's also worth noting that Andrew Wiggins played just 15 minutes and hit 1-of-7 shots in that game and was benched for much of the second half. I'd rank the pickup priority as Podz, Kuminga then Saric and I think Podz should be picked up everywhere if you have someone to drop.  

Thoughts on Bojan Bogdanovic vs Cole Anthony? How much of a hit would Cole's value take when Markelle Fultz is back? Is Bojan's value inflated because the Pistons are showcasing him (how would a trade affect his value?), and which one would you keep for the second half of the fantasy season? - Mark Hernandez (@markhernz)

I don't feel like Bogdanovic has a long shelf life in Detroit and his future value likely lies on where he's traded to. Anthony will likely take a big hit when Fultz is back. Anthony only played 18 minutes in his last game and Fultz didn't play in that one.

Meanwhile, Bogdanovic played 33 minutes and hit 11-of-19 shots and five triples for 33 points, one rebound, two assists and a steal on Wednesday against the Sixers. Bogdanovic is the guy to roster right now, while most of the players I've discussed in other questions above also make sense to prioritize over Anthony. I think his run is coming to an end. 

Thought on Jalen Green? Think he gets it together? - G Money (@gobayas123)

Green struggled again on Wednesday, hitting just 2-of-12 shots and missing all five of his three-pointers, finishing with just eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Eason is coming on and the Rockets are playing a deep rotation. Green has been hit-or-miss all season and appears to be getting lost in the shuffle in Houston. I think he's still worth rostering in most cases, but he's slumping, hitting just 4-of-22 shots and averaging 7.5 points in his last two games.

Green might be droppable for a hot free agent, especially in smaller leagues, but I still generally feel like he's worth hanging onto in 12-team leagues and larger. But the bottom line is that he's returning 19th-round fantasy value and inconsistency has been his middle name this season. If you think dropping him will help your team, do it. His name has been bigger than his game all season thus far. 

Will Wendell Carter Jr. get back to the same form from last year? - Bball2022 (@Bball202223)

Carter was not great in his five games before suffering the finger injury and guys like Moe Wagner, Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac have all stepped up in his absence. Paolo Banchero is also much better this season and I think it may be tough for WCJ to return to form this year. There are enough up-and-coming players on waiver wires to pick over WCJ at this point so he looks like nothing more than a deep-league stash to me at this point. 

Can Keegan Murray take the next step this season? Is he a hold in 12-team leagues? - Illgobbo (@Illgobbo)

Murray has played well in four straight games and is averaging 15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.2 triples over his last five. The lack of rebounds, assists and blocks are all kind of rough but he still has time to turn it on. He's a borderline add in 12-team leagues but there should be plenty of interesting guys to take a look at. The lack of peripheral stats is his biggest problem. 

Who won this trade? Cade Cunningham, Darius Garland and Alperen Sengun for Jaren Jackson Jr., Anfernee Simons and Walker Kessler? - Ihatehedo (@ihatehedoo)

Because Cunningham's fantasy value is deceptively low I'm going to go with the JJJ, Simons, Kessler side of this one. We need for Kessler to step up but I like what JJJ and Simons are doing, enough that I think that side of the deal wins, even if Kessler is quiet. But we won't truly know until the end of the season. 

What is the rest of season outlook for Marcus Smart returning from injury and how much Ja Morant will impact him? - Dave O (@MartyFunkhawser)

I don't love it. Smart's going to be a defensive specialist with Morant back in action and it may take him some time to work back into game shape from his foot injury. I'd rather grab one of the Warriors, Eason or one of the other players I've talked about rather than wait and see what happens with Smart. But I don't think it's going to go well for him with Ja due back in seven days. 

Drop Andrew Wiggins or wait and see what happens with Draymond Green? - Wilexander Go (@WilexG)

Wiggins has been an absolute disaster and the fact he didn't play much (or play well) when Draymond got ejected on Tuesday is another big red flag. Drop him for Podziemski and don't look back.