How to Approach Hot Fantasy Basketball Players: DeMar DeRozan, Donte DiVincenzo, Cam Thomas and More

The NBA season is a long one, with plenty of time for ups and downs along the way. Today, I wanted to focus on some of the hottest players at various stats over the past 10 games.

To find such numbers, I used the NBA.com stats page. Let’s talk about a few players who have surging of late and then discuss what to do with them in your fantasy leagues.

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DeMar DeRozan Fantasy Outlook

DeRozan has been great for the Chicago Bulls of late, averaging 26 points per game over the past 10 outings. He averages 22.7 points for the season, so this recent surge is definitely worth noting.

This season hasn’t gone as expected for Chicago, with injuries to Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine hurting the team. Without those two guys around, Derozan has gotten to be a bit more involved offensively. Those two guys are out for the season, and with the Bulls fighting for a playoff spot, Derozan should continue to lead the way.

Derozan’s other averages are about on par with his total season averages, so he’s really just improved his scoring of late. He’s scoring closer to what he has the past two seasons with the Bulls, so there’s no reason to believe this can’t continue the rest of the season.

Decision: When a player the caliber of Derozan gets on a hot streak, it means a little more than some random player getting hot for a couple weeks. A veteran like Derozan can turn a couple-week stretch of strong play into something that continues the rest of the season, and for that reason, I like the idea of acquiring Derozan (if you don’t already have him). If I rostered Derozan, I’d do my best to hold on to him. His surge might help you on your quest for a fantasy title.

Donte DiVincenzo Fantasy Outlook

New York’s DiVincenzo has been red hot of late. He’s shown flashes of great play over his five-year career, but not for extended periods like this.

DiVincenzo is 19th in the league in points per game (24.8) over the past 10 games. He averages 13.6 points per game for the season, so that’s nearly a double in his scoring production.

Some of the extra scoring can be traced back to making starts and playing more minutes than earlier in the season. Some of it can be linked to several of the injuries the Knicks are dealing with. DiVincenzo is a must-start fantasy player right now, but will that be the case a couple weeks from now?

Decision: When the Knicks are at full health, they are now a pretty loaded roster (after what they did at the trade deadline). DiVincenzo is still going to play a big role, and likely retains his starting role, but I just can’t see him averaging nearly 25 points a game for an extended stretch. 

The problem with trying to move DiVincenzo now is that he was a waiver wire guy before this hot stretch, so fantasy owners might not be willing to give up a good fantasy asset for him, especially if they agree with me and think his production eventually falls off. So with that in mind, I’d try to include DiVincenzo as part of a larger deal. Package him with another player from a position of strength and go after one of the better fantasy assets in the game. I’d try to make the move now instead of waiting for the Knicks to get healthy, as that might really hurt DiVincenzo’s fantasy value.

Cam Thomas Fantasy Outlook

Brooklyn’s Thomas has been a tough fantasy asset to figure out this season. He had good value in the early portion of the season, before being dropped in a bunch of leagues for a little stretch. Thomas is hot again on the offensive end, and he’s back to nearly being owned in every league again.

Thomas is 27th in the league over the past 10 games after averaging 23.4 points per game. He averages 21.2 points for the season, so while the two averages don’t look that different, his game logs look a whole lot different than they did for a stretch in late December/early January.

Surprisingly to me, Thomas actually averages the second-most points on the Nets - only 0.5 points per game behind Mikal Bridges - and with Spencer Dinwiddie no longer around, there’s no reason Thomas couldn’t be this kind of scorer for the remainder of the season.

He’ll have some games where he struggles a bit, like his 1-for-9 performance in the last game before the All-Star break, but more often than not, he’s hitting somewhere between 6-10 shots, and sometimes several more. He’s been better as a passer of late, while also rebounding a bit too.

Decision: All those numbers add up to a player I want on my fantasy team. I like him best on a pretty solid fantasy team, which could mask some of his fantasy shortcomings here and there - so his strong scoring games would almost be a bonus for your team. He probably won’t cost too much to acquire in a trade, but also don’t expect him to just be handed over. Use the FantasySP Trade Analyzer to come up with a strong offer.

Jalen Duren Fantasy Outlook

Duren slips under the radar a bit because he plays on a terrible Detroit Pistons team. He’s a top-50 fantasy player on our Trade Value Chart. 

Over the past 10 games, Duren is second in the league with 13.8 rebounds per game. He’s also averaging 14 points, 2.6 assists and 0.5 steals and blocks over that span. For the season, the big man averages 14 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.4 steals per game.

You can see that most of those numbers are similar to what he’s done over the past 10 games, with the big difference coming as a rebounder. He’s a great option for those in roto leagues and lacking rebounds on a nightly basis. In points leagues, he’s a solid player on his points and rebounds alone, with anything else he provides being a bonus.

Decision: Duren is another player I’d prefer to have on my team, in any format too as he’s only 20 years old. He’s going to get plenty of playing time the rest of the season, which should make him a good fantasy asset from here on out. You might be able to package a couple of your bench guys together to acquire Duren, or you might trade from a position of strength to upgrade at center.

Daniel Gafford Fantasy Outlook

Gafford is the last player I want to discuss. He too is a bit of an unknown after playing on a bad Wizards’ team most of the season. He’s now with the Dallas Mavericks, which will help a lot more people become familiar with his game.

Over the past 10 games, Gafford is averaging 13.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.2 blocks. In his three games with Dallas, he’s averaging 15 points, 12 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 0.7 steals. And for the season, Gafford is at 11.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1 steal per game.

That’s a lot of numbers to digest, but he’s been a bit better fantasy asset of late (and with the Mavs despite playing less minutes). As he becomes more familiar with the team, there’s a chance Gafford really shines.

Decision: You can probably already guess that I’d prefer to keep Gafford instead of sending him away. I think he’s got a chance to really shine as a fantasy asset in Dallas, simply because there’s so much more talent around him. It should open some extra scoring opportunities, and he’s already the team’s best rebounder. Acquire him now before his value really goes up.