This article is part of our Category Strategy series.
The Bulls and Trail Blazers are the only teams playing twice this week. Every other team competes three or four times.
There are no NBA games scheduled on Thursday (Thanksgiving).
Arbitrary Suggestion Thresholds:
ESPN - less than 44 percent owned
Yahoo - less than 37 percent owned
POINTS
Jeremy Lamb (SG)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 31; ESPN - 25.1)
Lamb has scored at least 10 points in nine of 12 games, averaging 12.6 per game off the bench. He's thriving in the second unit, not by bombing three-pointers, but by converting on 64 percent of his two-point field-goal attempts. Lamb is getting to the rim and avoiding blocks with his length, but an aversion to drawing contact is limiting his scoring potential at the free-throw line. The efficiency is clearly unsustainable, but as long as Lamb is converting at a high rate near the basket, the Hornets' four-game week should suffice if you're point hunting.
REBOUNDS
JaMychal Green (PF)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 1; ESPN - 1.1)
The Grizzlies play the Mavericks, Rockets, Sixers and Hawks this week. The first three are in the bottom-six in rebounds allowed over the last 10 games at more than 46 per contest. Green started the last two games because Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are dealing with knee injuries, and he's averaging 4.9 rebounds per game, third most on the team. Randolph was a game-time decision in the previous game, and Wright lacks a firm return timetable after missing the last six. Green
The Bulls and Trail Blazers are the only teams playing twice this week. Every other team competes three or four times.
There are no NBA games scheduled on Thursday (Thanksgiving).
Arbitrary Suggestion Thresholds:
ESPN - less than 44 percent owned
Yahoo - less than 37 percent owned
POINTS
Jeremy Lamb (SG)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 31; ESPN - 25.1)
Lamb has scored at least 10 points in nine of 12 games, averaging 12.6 per game off the bench. He's thriving in the second unit, not by bombing three-pointers, but by converting on 64 percent of his two-point field-goal attempts. Lamb is getting to the rim and avoiding blocks with his length, but an aversion to drawing contact is limiting his scoring potential at the free-throw line. The efficiency is clearly unsustainable, but as long as Lamb is converting at a high rate near the basket, the Hornets' four-game week should suffice if you're point hunting.
REBOUNDS
JaMychal Green (PF)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 1; ESPN - 1.1)
The Grizzlies play the Mavericks, Rockets, Sixers and Hawks this week. The first three are in the bottom-six in rebounds allowed over the last 10 games at more than 46 per contest. Green started the last two games because Zach Randolph and Brandan Wright are dealing with knee injuries, and he's averaging 4.9 rebounds per game, third most on the team. Randolph was a game-time decision in the previous game, and Wright lacks a firm return timetable after missing the last six. Green has been hit-or-miss in an increased role, but the foundation is there for a solid rebounding week.
ASSISTS
Manu Ginobili (SG)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 30; ESPN - 23.9)
Ginobili averaged at least 4.0 assists per game in each of the last six seasons, though he's a shade below at 3.5 per game this season. He recently returned from a two-game hiatus to rest a sore hip, and he's yielded top-50 nine-category value in 20.7 minutes per game. With four games in Week 5, Ginobili is one of the best low-owned players to target.
STEALS
Thabo Sefolosha (SG)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 4; ESPN - 2.5)
Sefolosha, who is averaging 1.6 steals in 22.2 minutes per game this season, is on track to reclaim the starting small forward role from Kent Bazemore (ankle). The Hawks play four games in five days this week, and even though Sefolosha played both ends of the previous back-to-back set, I wouldn't be surprised to see him miss at least one game this week as a precaution. Bazemore is without a recovery timetable, and coach Mike Budenholzer is hesitant to remove Tim Hardaway from his hermetically sealed packaging. Sefolosha's never been an appealing fantasy option, but under the circumstances, he should be on track for a sizable role this week as the Hawks increase his workload.
BLOCKS
Jerami Grant (SF)
(Ownership percentages: Yahoo - 9; ESPN - 9.4)
Grant leads the Sixers with 1.6 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. The Sixers' rotation and starting lineup are currently in flux, and coach Brett Brown is trying to push the right buttons to ensure a win. The return of Robert Covington sullies the wing rotation, and even if Grant, who started the previous 11 games, comes off the bench, his defensive versatility earns him valuable playing time, especially with Brown staggering Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor at center when possible. Grant is an athletic marvel who needs to reign in his fouling tendencies. He's been whistled for a ton of fouls recently, which is a byproduct of his overzealous defensive mindset.
THREE-POINTERS
C.J. Miles (SF)
(Ownership percentage: Yahoo - 30; ESPN - 17.5)
George Hill (illness) has missed the last three games, coinciding with Miles' hot streak. He's connected on 12 three-pointers without Hill and is averaging 2.6 threes per game on the season. Hill was available in an emergency capacity Saturday, and he should be ready for Tuesday's game, cutting into Miles' attempts. Miles is a streaky shooter, but he's not a one-trick pony, averaging 1.7 steals per game, good for 20th in the league. However, Miles is a perpetual injury risk, and when he does succumb to injury he's better left on the waiver wire. Until then, he's worth the roster spot.
