Earl Boykins

Boykins remains unsigned after opting out of his contract with Milwaukee. He’ll land somewhere before the season starts, so his value will be unknown until we get to see the situation on team with which he eventually signs. Boykins has developed into a nice scorer, but can also deliver the ball if needed.

Boykins will begin the year as the primary back-up behind starter Andre Miller at point guard. He'll likely see 20-25 minutes a night depending on match-ups but with the arrival of J.R. Smith and a much more healthy and talented front-court his statistics could suffer this season. Boykins has always been a fringe fantasy player and unless Miller goes down for an extended period projected averages of 7-9 ppg, 3-4 apg, 1 spg, and 1 3-pointer a night aren't going to be worth your time.

Although his size, 5’5” 133 lbs, can sometimes be a liability, Boykins is usually the one that is a tough match-up for opposing defenses. Earl is an excellent shooter, distributes the ball in a respectable manner, and has provided the Nuggets team with a huge spark off the bench for the last two seasons. However, the arrival of Earl Watson could have a drastic affect on Boykins statistics as they’ll both compete for the back-up role. If Boykins should win that battle hands down then you can expect much the same numbers you saw last year, namely 10-12 points, 3-5 assists, 1-2 steals, solid FT and 3-point FG%’s and only one turnover a night. If Watson beats out Boykins, or if Karl uses both at irregular intervals based on match-ups, then expect all of those statistics to be halved leaving Boykins as a fantasy non-factor.

From a fantasy standpoint Boykins was clearly right on the bubble last year where he was able to help owners in deep leagues with his 10 points and four assists a night. We don’t see that changing this season as he’ll still be Miller’s back-up occasionally getting 30 minutes on nights the team is getting beaten badly or administering said beating. Expect 8-10 points, 3-4 assists, one steal, solid FT and FG%’s and only one turnover a night.

Although Boykins has gotten some serious playing time in the preseason and has put up decent numbers, don't get over-excited. Chances are this season he'll be used strictly as Andre Miller's back-up getting 10-15 minutes a night while posting around five points, three assists, and a steal or two on average.