This article is part of our Rebound & Rant series.
Yahoo and other commissioner sites have a "Watch List" option that makes it easier to track players. And of course RotoWire offers the MyRotoWire option which lets you quickly see news (either on our site or via emails) on all the players YOU are concerned about.
I bring this up because throughout a fantasy season, there are three kinds of players:
1.) A player on your roster
2.) A player you are thinking of adding to your roster RIGHT NOW (one example: Will Barton)
3.) A player you are keeping an eye on because you might want to add him later in the season.
It's that third category that we often forget. Never fear, we're here to help. Below is a short list of players that you may not want to add now, but you should keep an eye on as the season progresses. Let's assume a 12-team, 10-active-players league for this exercise.
Clint Capela
As you may have heard, Kevin McHale was fired Wednesday, which could mean a lineup shuffle as interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff tries to reverse the team's fortunes. Since Bickerstaff designed the team's defense that was a top-10 unit last year, it wouldn't be surprising to see him go with more defense-oriented lineups. Many see Capela as only a DFS play when Dwight Howard is sitting out the second half of back-to-backs, but maybe he will now see some time at power forward when Bickerstaff wants to go big. The 21-year-old Swiss has elite shot-blocking
Yahoo and other commissioner sites have a "Watch List" option that makes it easier to track players. And of course RotoWire offers the MyRotoWire option which lets you quickly see news (either on our site or via emails) on all the players YOU are concerned about.
I bring this up because throughout a fantasy season, there are three kinds of players:
1.) A player on your roster
2.) A player you are thinking of adding to your roster RIGHT NOW (one example: Will Barton)
3.) A player you are keeping an eye on because you might want to add him later in the season.
It's that third category that we often forget. Never fear, we're here to help. Below is a short list of players that you may not want to add now, but you should keep an eye on as the season progresses. Let's assume a 12-team, 10-active-players league for this exercise.
Clint Capela
As you may have heard, Kevin McHale was fired Wednesday, which could mean a lineup shuffle as interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff tries to reverse the team's fortunes. Since Bickerstaff designed the team's defense that was a top-10 unit last year, it wouldn't be surprising to see him go with more defense-oriented lineups. Many see Capela as only a DFS play when Dwight Howard is sitting out the second half of back-to-backs, but maybe he will now see some time at power forward when Bickerstaff wants to go big. The 21-year-old Swiss has elite shot-blocking skills, swatting 1.5 shots in only 18 minutes per game. Terrence Jones is starting to prove he can't stay healthy and Donatas Motiejunas' back problems are concerning. Capela is only 13 percent owned on Yahoo, so let's take our time and see what develops.
Hey, Capela is fun to watch, period:
Brandon Jennings
This may be too obvious a choice, but let's be safe. Jennings is out until roughly Christmas due to his Achilles injury. He's clearly fallen behind Reggie Jackson on Detroit's point guard depth chart but Jennings, a six-year veteran, is only 26 years old. He's too young to write-off. And it wasn't that long ago (the 2013-14 season) when Jennings averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Maybe SVP trades him? Maybe he gets decent minutes at shooting guard? Maybe Ersan Ilyasova hits one of his extended shooting slumps and they slide Marcus Morris to PF, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to SF and let Jennings get big minutes at SG. Crazier things have happened.
Jusuf Nurkic
There was hope Nurkic (knee) would return in November, but now his return date is murkier, which means he's too hard to stash away on your bench. But the Big Bosnian is worth tracking. Denver is merely keeping Nurkic's seat warm with Joffrey Lauvergne and J.J. Hickson. Only Nurkic's health will hold him back when he returns. 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks per game are quite possible for the second half of the season.
As Hassan Whiteside shows us, it's fun to watch blocks:
Festus Ezeli
Am I really being bold when I say Andrew Bogut will get hurt again? Festus (For The Rest Of Us) could very well be starting again. This is only the Nigerian's third year in the league – there is upside. Add him to your list, especially if you need blocks (I'm starting to see a trend).
Nik Stauskas
Let me be very clear, Sauce Castillo has some very solid games and some downright terrible ones this year. But Philadelphia is TERRIBLE. If Robert Covington has more health issues, they will be desperate for outside shooting and Stauskus will keep chucking shots. I'm not saying pick him up but put him on your watch list, especially if you need threes.
OK, I don't want to become that annoying analyst who tells you to watch everyone, so let's end things here. If your team is doing poorly, don't despair, we're only 15 percent into the season. Keep your eyes out for that next great pick-up and things will be fine.
