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NBA look ahead: The Fantasy Five

NBA look ahead: The Fantasy Five

This column will concentrate on borderline fantasy options who should get strong consideration to start/bench during the upcoming week based on schedules.

Jarrett Jack: He’s averaged 24.5 points, 13.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 3pt over the past two games, also making all 10 of his free throws. His AST:TO ratio over this span was 26:3. The backup point guard playing for a Brooklyn team that ranks in the bottom-seven in the NBA in both PACE and Offensive Efficiency has been a top-40 player over the past two weeks and should continue to see good minutes as Deron Williams deals with a rib injury. Jack is available in more than 40 percent of Yahoo leagues yet plays four games in Week 15, with three of them coming against teams ranking in the bottom half of the league in Defensive Efficiency.

Jared Dudley: He’s averaged 13.5 points on 66.1 percent shooting from the floor over the past six games. Dudley has quietly been a top-75 fantasy player over the past two months, yet he’s owned in fewer than 10 percent of Yahoo leagues. John Henson is another Bucks member performing well lately (he’s gotten 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks over the last two contests) who’s widely available (he’s owned in 27 percent of Yahoo leagues) and plays for a Milwaukee team that plays an NBA-high four games in Week 15.

Donatas Motiejunas: He’s played well of late, averaging 23.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 3pt while shooting a ridiculous 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the field over the last two games. While Motiejunas has to deal with the return of Terrence Jones, Dwight Howard is going to miss serious time with a knee injury, so he looks like a strong start this week. Motiejunas has been a top-70 player over the past month and should be looking at 30+ minutes per game while Howard is sidelined, and while Houston plays three games in Week 15, all of them are at home.

Patrick Patterson: Over the last six games, he’s averaged 12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.7 3pt while recording a 55.1 FG percentage. Patterson has been a top-75 player this year despite seeing just 26:09 mpg (he’s also been the No. 38 ranked player over the past two weeks). Patterson is owned in just 26 percent of Yahoo leagues despite playing for a Toronto team that sports the fourth-best Offensive Efficiency in the NBA that has four games scheduled for Week 15, all of which are at home.

Tony Parker: A seemingly now healthy Parker has shot 33.3 percent (12-of-36) over the past three games and is averaging the lowest apg (4.7) since his rookie campaign. His Usage Rate is the lowest since 2003/04, but his TO Rate (11.7) is the second highest of his career, while Parker’s PER (15.29) is the worst of his career. Parker was a top-10 fantasy player on a per-36 minute basis as recently as the 2012/13 season, but Basketball Monster projects him to be outside the top-150 on a per-game basis moving forward this season. Parker is owned in 89 percent of Yahoo leagues, and the Spurs play just three games in Week 15.

Follow Dalton Del Don on Twitter.