Keep, cut or add? What to do with George, Markkanen and six other trending players

Knowing which players are on the rise each week, or going the opposite way, is an important step to making sure you’re starting the best lineups every day. Every Friday, we’ll take stock of the league to find the players to keep, cut or add.

We’re looking for value any way we can find it, whether it’s a points or category-based league.

Naji Marshall and Brandin Podziemski are heating up in fantasy as we enter the final week of January, while Paul George and Draymond Green are heading in the wrong direction. Meanwhile, Kel’el Ware has hit rock bottom and is impossible to figure out going forward, but has an incredible skill set. So what should we make of all this?

Here’s what you should do with each of these players, and other risers and fallers.

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Risers

Naji Marshall, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks (39.1% rostered in ESPN leagues)

The Dallas Mavericks are a bit of a mess and need an offensive savior not named Cooper Flagg, and Marshall has stepped up in a big way recently. I already had Marshall queued up for this column before he exploded to tie his season high with 30 points on 10-of-12 shooting Thursday night, adding seven rebounds, nine assists and two 3-pointers in a win over Golden State.

Coming into Thursday’s game, Marshall was averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 3-pointers while shooting a stellar 55% from the field. Most of those numbers went up with Thursday’s performance, although he didn’t have a steal or a block. He’s hit 12-of-12 free throws over his last two games and has helped the surging Mavericks win five of their last six games.

Anthony Davis isn’t likely to play another game in Dallas before the trade deadline, Daniel Gafford is banged up with bad ankles and Marshall appears to be locked and loaded into 31 minutes a night for the foreseeable future. A trade of Davis could throw a wrench in those plans if the Mavericks bring back a similar player, but my guess is that Marshall continues to roll until the end of the season as they make a push for a playoff berth. Right now, they’re less than a game behind the Memphis Grizzlies and the LA Clippers for a shot at a play-in spot.

He’s a must-roster player at this point.

Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (35.4% rostered)

Jimmy Butler III‘s season is over after he tore his ACL earlier this week and there are several candidates who stand to benefit from his loss, including Podziemski, Moses Moody, Buddy Hield and De’Anthony Melton. Hield and Moody were a bit quiet on Thursday, while Podziemski and Melton both played well. Regardless of Thursday’s stats, Podziemski and Melton are the two players I like in Butler’s absence.

Podziemski has been playing well and had nine points, four rebounds, 10 assists and two steals on Thursday, but didn’t hit a 3-pointer and made just 4-of-13 shots. Prior to that game, he had scored in double figures in five straight games, had hit a 3-pointer in six straight, and has now recorded at least one steal in 10 straight games.

Podziemski’s minutes have been up over his last five games and he’s played at least 30 minutes in three of his last four. His shooting comes and goes like the wind but he should be set up to score, rebound, assist, steal and hit 3s for the Warriors until the end of the season. He was frustrating to roster when Butler was healthy, but now that Butler’s out, the Warriors simply need Podziemski to play big minutes and produce.

Pick him up.

Kelly Oubre Jr., SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers (42.4% rostered)

Oubre returned from a knee injury on Jan. 7 and struggled for his first four games after not playing since mid-November. However, he has gotten hot over his last three games and peaked on Thursday when he hit 10-of-14 shots (including four 3-pointers) for 26 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block in 41 minutes in an overtime win against Houston.

Oubre has averaged 21.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 3.7 3-pointers over his last three games and has played a whopping 37 minutes per game in them. Paul George has been in and out of the lineup all season and Oubre has a skill set custom built for fantasy, as he can do a little bit of everything. He’s feeling it right now and back in game shape and figures to play a big role the rest of the way for the Sixers, who are currently the No. 5 seed in the East.

Oubre should be rostered everywhere.

Jusuf Nurkic, C, Utah Jazz (46.7% rostered)

Nurkic had another triple-double on Thursday, his second straight, and he became the first Jazz player to triple-double in two straight games since «Pistol» Pete Maravich did it in 1975. Nurkic had 17 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 14 assists to go with a steal, a block and a 3-pointer on Thursday, and racked up 16 points, a season-high 18 rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block in Tuesday’s win over Minnesota.

Many of us were hoping Kyle Filipowski would step up and take over the center duties in Utah this season, but Nurkic has had other ideas. Following Thursday’s triple-double, Nurkic is averaging 16.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 6.8 dimes, 1.7 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.0 3-pointers in January.

The Feb. 5 trade deadline is looming so it’s possible Nurkic is moved in a deal, which would likely snuff out his fantasy value. But if he stays in Utah, it looks like he’s got a stranglehold on the starting center position the rest of the way, although it’s important to note that the Jazz are five games back for a potential playoff berth. I have no idea if Nurkic will do this after the trade deadline or All-Star break, but for now, he’s one of the hottest centers in fantasy.

Make sure he’s not available on your waiver wire.

Fallers

Kel’el Ware, C, Miami Heat (60.1% rostered)

Ware has a ton of talent and I’m convinced he’ll one day be a fantasy darling. But he’s a very rough fantasy ride right now, given his low minutes, nonexistent role and new injury. He was fine early in the season when he was sharing the court with Bam Adebayo and posting solid fantasy lines on most nights, but the minutes have dried up and he’s starting to show up on waiver wires in some leagues. This is especially the case after he sat out on Thursday night with a hamstring injury and is back in Miami, making him doubtful for Saturday at Utah and Sunday in Phoenix, adding insult to injury.

Before the hamstring issue, Ware hadn’t played more than 18 minutes in six straight games, killing his production and fantasy value in the process. I’ve been telling managers to be patient and wait for the Feb. 5 trade deadline to pass, but the hamstring injury has made that an even more difficult proposition than it already was.

At this point, if you need to make a move to save your season, I’m fine with dropping Ware, but I’d much rather pop him into an injured reserve spot and wait to see what happens. That said, if the Heat don’t make a move before the deadline, it could simply be a lost season for Ware. He has an incredible fantasy skill set with his ability to score, rebound, assist, steal, block and hit 3-pointers, but he just doesn’t seem to fit in Miami.

He’s likely to eventually become a fantasy force, but it doesn’t look like this is the season it will happen. Drop him if you must, but hang onto him if you can, at least until after the All-Star break.

Lauri Markkanen, SF/PF, Utah Jazz (96.1% rostered)

Markkanen has been a top-10 player this season and has dominated for the lowly Jazz, averaging a career-high 27.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.9 3-pointers while shooting 48% from the field and 88% from the line.

However, he hasn’t played in the last six games due to an illness and has failed to play in more than 55 games in five of his eight seasons. He also historically doesn’t finish out seasons, often being shut down around the All-Star break.

Many fantasy managers (me included) don’t mess with Markkanen due to his inability to finish out seasons and this one feels like it’s heading in the same direction. Especially since the 15-30 Jazz currently sit a full five games out of a playoff berth in the West.

I’d recommend trading Markkanen at this point. If he stays in Utah, he won’t have much incentive to play during the fantasy playoffs, and if he’s moved, his role certainly won’t be what it is with the Jazz. Buzzkill.

Paul George, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers (75.1% rostered)

Fantasy managers can’t depend on George to suit up every night, and even when he has been in the Sixers’ lineup on any given night, the numbers haven’t been great.

George has scored at least 20 points just once in his last 14 games. Read that again if you want to, but after scoring 35 points against the Hawks on Dec. 14, he had a 23-point game on Jan. 7. Every other game has been 19 points or less, which is mind-blowing for a player of George’s caliber. Then again, he’s 35 years old and it appears the end of his career could be near.

Add in the fact that Oubre is back from his knee injury and playing very well, and things just don’t look good for George. If the Sixers weren’t in a playoff battle, there would be almost no hope for George. But even with them having a solid season, he still seems like the odd man out on a team featuring Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe and Oubre.

Trade George based on his big name, get what you can, and move on. His next missed game is likely just around the corner.

Draymond Green, PF/C, Golden State Warriors (57.5% rostered)

Green’s fantasy prospects should be up based on Butler’s injury, but I’m just not feeling it. He had just four points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block on 1-of-5 shooting on Thursday night and his January averages are not impressive: 9.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers.

I struggle to roll with guys who can’t score and if Green is not stealing and blocking the ball, his fantasy value is seriously compromised. There’s a very good chance there are better players than Green on your waiver wire. Even without Butler available for the Warriors, it might be time to move on from Green.

Scour your league’s waiver wire and find a more productive player. Some players I’d rather roster than Green include Marshall, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Jay Huff, Moussa Cisse, Ausar Thompson, Grayson Allen, Max Christie, Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson and Jaylon Tyson.