Will Josh Green shine in Luka Doncic’s place?

The NBA’s “Rivalry Week” has featured both intense games and lopsided matchups. Some of the matchups were part of Rivalry Week, while others were just other games on the schedule. The Pistons beat the Nets despite an excellent performance from Kyrie Irving. Cleveland ran the Rockets off the floor because of the birthday boy Darius Garland’s performance. Even if Kawhi Leonard playing against his former team seemed like it may have been part of the week, it wasn’t intended to be. Thankfully it wasn’t, since Leonard and Paul George combined for 62 points and zero turnovers in a blowout win. As for the matchups that were part of the week. The not-so-obvious one was Chicago and Charlotte. Was it because of the Ball brothers? Was it because Michael Jordan’s organization was playing against his former team? Were they trying to replicate the Duke-UNC rivalry with Mark Williams and Coby White? Who knows! Charlotte used a dominant fourth quarter to secure the home win in LaMelo Ball’s return to the court. The Knicks beat the Celtics in overtime in what ended up being a very exciting game. Jaylen Brown missed two free throws at the end of the game that would’ve given Boston the lead. This was part of the week because the last time the Knicks had a legit title contender, they consistently faced off with Larry Bird’s Celtics. As for the final game, the Suns were looking for revenge after being embarrassed in Game 7 last season, and that series resulted in a lot of bad blood between these teams. It also made for an exciting game, as Deandre Ayton allowed Dwight Powell to rebound a missed free throw and secure the win. There wasn’t a ton to gain from these games, but here are the players that are widely available that are worth a roster spot for at least a few days.

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Josh Green- 2%

Just three minutes into the nationally televised matchup between the Suns and Mavericks, Luka Dončić exited with a left ankle injury, leaving one of the premier matchups of the NBA’s “Rivalry week” without the two best players, since Devin Booker is still sidelined. That allowed Green to start the second half and play 32 minutes. He hasn’t been a great fantasy asset this season, but the opportunity will be too good to pass up if Doncic remains out for Saturday’s game in Utah.

Reggie Bullock- 6%

He didn’t have his best shooting night, but Bullock played 31 minutes off the bench after Luka went down. If Doncic remains sidelined, Bullock can be streamed by managers in need of 3-point shooting.

Edmond Sumner- less than 1%

Ben Simmons exited early with soreness in his knee, which opened up minutes for Edmond Sumner. He ended up playing 19 minutes off the bench and finished with 24 points. The Nets have been cautious with Simmons’ knees, and T.J. Warren also exited this game early with a knee contusion. Sumner may have earned extra minutes with his performance, which would make him worth a roster spot in deeper leagues.

Jericho Sims- 11%

Mitchell Robinson is expected to miss at least four more weeks, which means that Sims should continue to start. He doesn’t provide anything other than rebounds, which will make him a deep league option for managers in need of boards. However, he can’t be relied on for anything else.

Pat Connaughton- 11%

Khris Middleton is still being integrated back into the rotation and has been on a strict minutes restriction. Bobby Portis is set to miss at least two weeks with an MCL sprain, so Connaughton should continue to play big minutes, even if Middleton moves back into the starting lineup. Connaughton has been a top-75 asset over the past two weeks in 9-cat leagues.

Joe Ingles- 5%

Over the past two weeks, Ingles has been a top-100 asset in 9-cat leagues. He has played an increased role off the bench, even with the team relatively healthy. With the aforementioned reasons of Middleton’s minutes restriction and the injury to Portis, the Bucks will need to rely on Ingles.

Santi Aldama- 17%

With Steven Adams set to miss over a month, Brandon Clarke moved into the starting lineup in his place. However, Aldama played 21 minutes off the bench, while Xavier Tillman (14% rostered) played 13 minutes. Clarke is the priority add, but for more competitive and deeper leagues, Aldama and Tillman are decent consolation prizes.

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