This article is part of our In-Season Strategy series.
It's been just over a month since I last checked in on this season's rookies. We've gotten meaningful developments since then, with players shifting up and down the fantasy rankings. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are still dominating, but things behind them continue to be fluid.
Rookies inside the Top 200 over the past 30 days
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 18
Not quite a month ago, coach Gregg Popovich decided to bench Zach Collins, allowing Wembanyama to play center rather than power forward. Wembanyama's stats since then are a little skewed downward because he's been limited in his past two appearances due to an ankle injury. But in his first five healthy appearances at center, the rookie averaged 19.2 points on 45/35/67 shooting, 15.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 4.2 blocks and 1.4 steals in 31.9 minutes. He'll sit out one half of the Spurs' upcoming back-to-back against the Trail Blazers to rest the ankle, but the hope is that Wembanyama will be back to full speed after that.
Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 45
Holmgren continues to be great, and his last month of counting stats are 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.2 blocks in 29.8 minutes. However, his shooting has started to regress, with the rookie slashing 49/30/78 during this stretch compared to 56/44/88 during his prior 16 games. Still, fantasy managers should be satisfied, especially since the Gonzaga product has yet to miss
It's been just over a month since I last checked in on this season's rookies. We've gotten meaningful developments since then, with players shifting up and down the fantasy rankings. Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are still dominating, but things behind them continue to be fluid.
Rookies inside the Top 200 over the past 30 days
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 18
Not quite a month ago, coach Gregg Popovich decided to bench Zach Collins, allowing Wembanyama to play center rather than power forward. Wembanyama's stats since then are a little skewed downward because he's been limited in his past two appearances due to an ankle injury. But in his first five healthy appearances at center, the rookie averaged 19.2 points on 45/35/67 shooting, 15.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 4.2 blocks and 1.4 steals in 31.9 minutes. He'll sit out one half of the Spurs' upcoming back-to-back against the Trail Blazers to rest the ankle, but the hope is that Wembanyama will be back to full speed after that.
Chet Holmgren, Thunder
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 45
Holmgren continues to be great, and his last month of counting stats are 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.2 blocks in 29.8 minutes. However, his shooting has started to regress, with the rookie slashing 49/30/78 during this stretch compared to 56/44/88 during his prior 16 games. Still, fantasy managers should be satisfied, especially since the Gonzaga product has yet to miss a game.
Dereck Lively, Mavericks
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 78
Lively's stats this month are muted due to a six-minute performance on Dec. 16, where he suffered a sprained left ankle. After a four-game absence, he returned Christmas Day to torch Phoenix for 20 points and 10 rebounds. Despite the low-minute effort, Lively has averaged 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 80.0 FG% over the past 30 days. His chemistry with Luka Doncic continues to grow. It appears the Duke product will be a walking double-double with two blocks sooner than later. If that's not enough, he has the second-best on-off (+10.6) rating on the team, only behind Dante Exum (+16.4).
Brandin Podziemski, Warriors
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 83
The combination of Andrew Wiggins being pushed to the bench and Draymond Green being suspended has led to Podziemski starting and playing well. Podz has started seven of 12 games over the past 30 days, averaging 11.3 points on 48/40/64 shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 29.3 minutes. He also has the second-best on-off (+13.4) on the team, only behind fellow rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis (+13.9) – someone we'll talk about soon. Golden State may continue to sputter, but it's clear Podziemski is part of the solution and not the problem.
Jaime Jaquez, Heat
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 93
Jaquez is coming off a career night, posting highs in points (31) and rebounds (10) during the Christmas Day win over the 76ers. Coach Erik Spoelstra just can't keep Jaquez off the court. The past month has seen the UCLA product average 17.0 points on 53/34/87 shooting, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.0 minutes. It helps that Miami is seemingly never at full health, but it would be shocking for Jaquez to dip below 24 minutes consistently even when the team is at full strength. He's scored in single digits just twice in his past 23 contests.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Warriors
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 151
Jackson-Davis' minutes were wildly inconsistent to start the year, but things have stabilized with Draymond Green sidelined. He's seen at least 15 minutes in each of the past five games, averaging 11.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks in 20.8 minutes. Notably, he had two double-doubles in a row with four total blocks against Boston and Washington. He's not necessarily a must-roster player in standard leagues, but his advanced numbers are strong – notably posting a 55% free-throw rate (number of FT attempts per FG attempt), which is higher than Joel Embiid (53.1%). TJD also has a 14.2% offensive rebounding rate (higher than Rudy Gobert) and a 5.4% block rate (the same as Kristaps Porzingis). That's resulting in 1.2 fantasy points per minute – another strong mark. Fantasy managers in keeper leagues should certainly take note.
Brandon Miller, Hornets
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 168
Miller has been solid over the past month, averaging 16.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals in 10 healthy appearances while shooting 40/41/81. He's found a rhythm and role in Charlotte's offense, taking between 13-18 field-goal attempts in each of those 10 games. When the Hornets are healthy, he could start taking more of a backseat again, but Charlotte seems to have some of the worst injury luck in the NBA. I don't believe he absolutely needs to be rostered in 12-team leagues, but I understand hanging onto him.
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards
Per-game 8-cat rank over past 30 days: 177
Fantasy analysts everywhere are constantly being asked about Coulibaly and if he's worth stashing. I think he should be rostered in 16-team leagues, but anything less than that isn't necessary. He's shot well from three all year (41.8%), but that was a weakness of his coming out of France, and he's shooting only 63.8% from the free-throw line. I expect regression from distance. Coulibaly's defense is his calling card. He's averaging 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per 36 minutes. Those are really good numbers, but it's not so elite that you worry about him suddenly seeing 36 minutes and being a league-winner. A rough comparison to Coulibaly is Matisse Thybulle, but he's averaging 2.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per 36 and projects as a better per-minute asset.
Notable rookies ranked outside the Top 20 over the past 30 days
Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers
Rank: 206
Solid three-and-D prospect who is active on the offensive glass. Probably a better real-life player than fantasy asset right now. Fantasy managers in extremely deep redraft leagues should take a look, as should managers in semi-deep keeper formats.
Anthony Black, Magic
Rank: 208
Coming off a career performance (against the Wizards, of course), where he provided 23 points, six rebounds, four steals and one assist (though five turnovers). His role is murky when/if Markelle Fultz ever actually returns.
Ausar Thompson, Pistons
Rank: 232
I'm starting a petition to get Thompson traded to the Pacers to be their starting power forward. He played just nine minutes in Jalen Duren's return (the record-setting loss to Brooklyn). We should all still believe in the talent, and he's a buy low in deep formats, but I can't blame anyone for dropping him in standard leagues.
Scoot Henderson, Trail Blazers
Rank: 234
It says a lot about how much Henderson is struggling that his best skill right now is his passing, and he's averaging just 5.7 dimes per 36 minutes. He's better in points leagues where his inefficiency won't kill you, but even then, he's still more of a 14-team asset.
Cason Wallace, Thunder
Rank: 248
Wallace is proving to be a better real-life player than fantasy player. He has a bizarre stat profile as a three-and-block guard who doesn't turn the ball over.
Keyonte George, Jazz
Rank: 258
George's recent injury is bringing his averages down. In his seven healthy games this month, he's averaged 16.0 points and 5.1 assists. The 38/32/74 percent shooting remains awful, but managers in points leagues should be more than happy with what he's doing.
Craig Porter, Cavaliers
Rank: 262
With Darius Garland out for an extended period and Donovan Mitchell missing the past three games, Porter has drawn a trio of starts, averaging 10.7 points, 8.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 31.0 minutes. His role will cut back when Mitchell is available, but we've seen encouraging stuff from CPJ all year when given extra minutes. Notably, he's averaging 1.1 fantasy points per minute and is averaging 16.1 points, 7.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per 36 minutes. Managers in dynasty leagues should try to find a way to acquire him for the long haul.
Taylor Hendricks, Jazz
Rank: 264
After catching a ton of DNPs at the start of the year, Hendricks saw double-digit minutes in seven straight games as a result of Utah's extensive injury report. However, he averaged a fairly modest 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.0 minutes. There's late-season stash potential for when/if the Jazz tank, but I think that's more of a 16-team move.
Amen Thompson, Rockets
Rank: 323
Thompson has shown flashes but there's nowhere for him to play meaningful minutes in Houston's rotation. I understand wanting to wait and see, but Houston projects to be competitive all year, so I don't know if he has the upside of someone like Hendricks for this season.
Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans
Rank: 368
Hawkins balled out when needed but is now catching DNPs with the Pelicans nearing full health. He should be dropped everywhere.
