ESPN.com staff 6y

Wiggins, George among the most overhyped players in fantasy hoops

Fantasy NBA, Fantasy, NBA

Who do you think is the most overhyped player in fantasy basketball right now?

Andre Snellings: Wow, this is an open-ended question that could go several ways, depending on the definition of "right now" and the way it's interpreted. I'll look at it from a practical angle -- players that I would not like to depend on down the stretch of the season league and/or players I'd avoid in DFS.

If my fantasy basketball playoff team depends on James Harden right now, I'm very nervous, because with the Rockets all-but-clinched into the top seed the expectation is that he'll rest often down the stretch ... beginning with Tuesday's game, which he's sitting. I'm avoiding him in DFS moving forward as well, even if it's announced that he'll play in a given game, because there's no guarantee that he'll get full minutes or that he'll be going all out from here on in. Outside of the injured players, star veterans on the Rockets are likely to be the most unreliable fantasy producers with the biggest names down the stretch.

Joe Kaiser: To me, it's Otto Porter Jr. He has picked up his scoring some in the absence of John Wall but overall he just isn't contributing much aside from 3-pointers and steals. Porter's energy and impact seem to ebb and flow in games and this is the time of the season where you need players on your fantasy roster who are not only consistent but also capable of a huge game. That just isn't Porter. To me, Porter is a slightly better version of Harrison Barnes in fantasy due to his ability to get steals. Everything is very similar from a statistical standpoint, and his scoring is actually considerably less than Barnes (14.8 PPG vs. 18.8 PPG).

Jim McCormick: Considering he's 159th by averages on the Player Rater and went 39th overall on average in ESPN drafts this season, I've soured on the Minnesota Timberwolves' Andrew Wiggins. The same can be said of the Oklahoma City Thunder's Carmelo Anthony. I still believe that Wiggins has the talent to reclaim lost luster in future seasons (not so for Melo), but wonder what such an ascension might look like in a space-driven NBA. It's encouraging that Wiggins is shooting a career-best 70.8 percent from within three feet of the rim this season, but is comparably disconcerting that he's shooting below 35 percent from beyond 10 feet. With more turnovers than assists and only 4.3 RPG this season -- another red flag for an athletic forward -- I'm not sure Wiggins be able to pay off what his ADP is this next fall.

Kyle Soppe: For me, Paul George carries more name value than he does actual fantasy value. That's not to say he is a bad option in fantasy, but I don't like the direction things are headed for PG as a member of the Thunder. Despite playing more minutes per game this season than in either of his last two in Indiana, George's field goal attempts are down. On the surface, this wouldn't worry me, but that fact that his usage rate from 24-plus feet is at a career-high 45.2 percent and his rebounding numbers are down makes me think that his best fantasy days could well be behind him.

At the age of 27, Carmelo Anthony saw his 3-point attempts spike and ever since his scoring and scoring efficiency have been trending in the wrong direction, This is George's age 27 season ... the similarity is strong here. By no means am I saying that he is finished or even close to it, but I always have enjoyed rostering PG for his versatility and I fear that while with the Thunder, his best days as a well-rounded and consistent option may be in the past. I expect him to be taken in the middle of Round 2 in 2018 ... I'll pass.

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