The ESPN Fantasy basketball writers were asked this week to discuss their favorite low-rostered player (30% and under) and, even though I have discussed Utah Jazz C Walker Kessler so much over the past month, I couldn't help myself.
As I checked through roster percentages in ESPN standard leagues, however, I realized he wasn't the only readily available option I was relying on. I participate in several deep leagues and, while it is loads of fun to rely on Joel Embiid and Donovan Mitchell, we can glean special satisfaction when a player we pull off free agency helps in his own small (or, not so small) way as well.
So, here are 10 other players available in myriad ESPN leagues (more than 70%) that I have relied upon somewhere this season, and my thoughts on whether I will be able to keep doing so.
This is hardly a listing of all the valuable players that so few seem interested to roster, but the ones that have found their way onto my team(s). Use this information however you like.
We all have favorites in the fantasy world -- players, teams, etc. -- whether we admit it or not. Here are some of mine (other than Kessler) just waiting to be chosen.
Tyus Jones, PG, Memphis Grizzlies: It's not always about starting. I originally rostered him because I was skeptical superstar Ja Morant would play more than 60 games. Perhaps he will. Still, Jones plays so well when he starts (20.6 PPG, 8.4 APG, 2 SPG) that my team can weather his average work as a reserve (8.5 PPG, 4.1 APG). As a third/fourth active point guard, especially in a league in which points per minute is a category, he's worth it. Phoenix Suns PG Cameron Payne is similar, and yes, he is worth it even if Chris Paul plays in every game from here on out, which we know he will not.
Moritz Wagner, PF/C, Orlando Magic: I could have done without the three-game suspension levied upon him for the recent dustup in Detroit (it is a weekly league), but Wagner has taken a rather large step in production in this, his fifth NBA season. No, he's not as good as his younger brother, but there is nothing wrong with 12.4 PPG, 6.6 RPG and solid shooting for a final active player.
Deni Avdija, SF/PF, Washington Wizards: Here is another way we all allow our own personal biases to mesh with our fantasy tastes. I paid closer attention to Avdija on his draft day (in 2020) because he came from Israel, and I invested this year. There's nobody like him in the current NBA and I cannot imagine what he must deal with on regular basis from social media, so we should root for players like this. Avdija's numbers seem only average, but 9.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG and more than a steal per contest over the past 30 days must intrigue us a little.
Kevon Looney, PF/C, Golden State Warriors: He is the opposite of Tyus Jones to me, because he starts but doesn't play big minutes (actually, fewer than Jones!) and doesn't score much, but the career-high 8.2 RPG (it's 9.8 RPG over the past 30 days) and field goal percentage are deep league gold.
Bruce Brown, SG, Denver Nuggets: Like everyone else shuffling between starting and, well, relieving, he's better when he starts. As with Jones, though, he does well enough when he starts (13.4 PPG, 4.2 APG) and gets enough chances (can Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray really stay healthy?) that I stick with him. It's working for the dimes alone.
Trey Murphy III, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans: I sense a bias/theme that I invest in players in deep leagues when I think that team's starters cannot stay healthy. With the Pelicans, it's Zion Williamson, and this week, unfortunately, we got another reminder of his durability woes. Murphy starts anyway, and he has more than doubled his rookie season production, and the 3-pointers keep on coming. Look at these percentages (48.2 FG%, 91.4 FT%)!
Marcus Morris Sr., SF/PF, LA Clippers: It's nice to know what you're getting, even if it's only modest production. Morris averages 13.4 PPG, and he hits double-digit points pretty much every game. He's consistent. I look at box scores every night and I sigh when a player scores like five points. Morris doesn't do this! He also rebounds enough to matter, hits a few 3-pointers and, in a league with turnovers, I appreciate that he rarely commits them.
Alec Burks, SG, Detroit Pistons: No, Burks does not rebound or pass much, but watch him come into a game off the bench and he's wasting no time getting his shot off. Lots of them! He's the current microwave, like old-time Piston Vinnie Johnson (ask your grandparents). Burks averages 14.2 PPG in his 21.7 MPG, and 23.9 fantasy points over the past 30 days. I love it. By the way, Nuggets PG Bones Hyland and Kings SG/SF Malik Monk are the Western Conference versions of Burks, and there isn't a thing wrong with it. Wish I had rostered them, too!
Isaiah Stewart, PF/C, Detroit Pistons: Would I have preferred investing in his colleague Jalen Duren? Yes, in retrospect, of course I would have preferred that, but I rarely rely on rookies because more often than not, they disappoint. I thought Stewart would make great strides in his third season. Well, he's scoring more and became a modest 3-point threat, but he also seems to become less interested in rebounding each coming week. That's not good. Still, one of these weeks, a consistent 16-PPG, 9-RPG player will emerge.
Torrey Craig, SF/PF, Phoenix Suns: Again, these are not superstars. I would prefer to roster other Suns who provide better numbers, but in a deep league, 8.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG and a consistent, starting role with strong minutes has value. And if things change, like all the players on this list, there are others to get!