Week 5 Fantasy Basketball Drop Candidates: Luguentz Dort, Brandon Boston Jr., Ochai Agbaji, Goga Bitadze and Robert Williams III

With the weekend here, it’s time to go over some more fantasy basketball drops.

I got these players from the waiver trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any FantasySP basketball page.

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Luguentz Dort Fantasy Outlook

Dort is rostered in 61% of fantasy leagues, according to FantasySP data. He’s been dropped in 6.7% of leagues.

He’s averaging 11.2 points, 1.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.8 steals across 28.3 minutes this season. He’s made 59 of his 139 total shots and also turned the ball over 12 times.

Dort is still playing a healthy amount of minutes, but he’s only scored eight points on 2-of-19 shooting over the past two games. Before that, he had scored in double figures in five straight.

Like in the case of so many dropped players, I think dropping Dort is a bit premature. I get wanting to have the hottest players on your team, but Dort has solid averages for the season and plays a good amount of minutes, so dropping him after just two poor showings is not a wise move.

I’d be more inclined to bench Dort until he heats back up, which probably won’t take very long. The only reason I’d move on from Dort is if he was my worst fantasy player this season and a can’t miss waiver wire player became available.

Brandon Boston Jr. Fantasy Outlook

Boston is rostered in 56% of leagues, but has been dropped in 5.5% of leagues of late.

He’s averaging 12.2 points, 4 assists, 4.23 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.2 blocks across 29 minutes this season. Boston has made 59 of his 142 shots and turned the ball over 22 times.

Boston is also still playing a bunch of minutes for the Pelicans, and he’s performing well of late, so him being dropped in a bunch of leagues doesn’t make much sense. New Orleans has several players who are injured and nearing a return, and that’s my only guess as to why Boston is being dropped.

Boston’s fantasy outlook might drop as the Pelicans get healthier, but until it actually happens in a game, I’m not dropping Boston. He’s been one of the best surprises of the young season, and I’m holding on to him until there’s a real reason to drop him.

With the way Boston has played this season, I don’t think Boston’s fantasy value is going to dry up even when the team is healthy. He’s played too well to lose all his minutes, and Boston should at least remain a deep-league option for the season.

Ochai Agbaji Fantasy Outlook

Agbaji has been dropped in 5.4% of leagues, making his overall own percentage 72.

He’s averaging 12.4 points, 2.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks across 31.5 minutes this season. Agbaji has made 78 of his 150 total shots, while turning the ball over 18 times.

Agbaji’s fantasy performances have been a bit inconsistent this season, but he’s still playing plenty of minutes. He did have his worst fantasy showing on Thursday, so that explains a lot of why he’s being dropped.

He’s scored in double figures in 11 of the 16 games he’s played, but three of those single-digit outings have come over the past five games. Agbaji also had two games in that stretch in which he combined for 24 points, nine assists, one steal, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

I get wanting to drop him, and wouldn’t be totally opposed to it, but if you are making the move, it better be to add a player averaging better numbers this season. If Agbaji gets dropped in your league, it’s worth looking if he’s a better option than someone you currently roster, and otherwise should be watched closely in case he gets on a hot streak.

The only leagues he should be dropped in are standard ones. The deeper the league, the more appealing Agbaji should be as a fantasy asset.

Goga Bitadze Fantasy Outlook

Bitadze has been dropped in 5% of leagues, bringing his overall mark down to 53%. 

On the season, he’s averaging 7.9 points, 1.6 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 1.3 blocks across 20.8 minutes. He’s made 45 of his 65 shots.

Bitadze has been taking advantage of extra playing time with Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. banged up. After getting five or six minutes in the first three games, he’s been over 19 minutes in every other game, including a bunch of nights over 25 minutes.

He’s not a big-time scorer, but he has reached double figures in six games - Bitadze has failed to reach double figures in three of the past four games and four of the past six, however. His rebounding is what appeals to a lot of fantasy owners, along with his blocks.

Because he’s not a big scoring threat, he’s one of the few dropped players I’ve mentioned over the past couple weeks that I wouldn’t actually mind dropping. It’s hard to roster a player who doesn’t score a lot. I like Bitadze in deeper leagues, but don’t think he should be rostered in any standard leagues.

Look for a player who scores more consistently. They might not rebound as well, but if they can add a few assists, boards, steals and blocks a game, they can make up the fantasy difference and be a safer fantasy starter than Bitadze.

Robert Williams III Fantasy Outlook

Williams has been dropped in 3.9% of fantasy leagues, bringing his overall mark down to 59%.

Williams is averaging 10.8 points, 1.8 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals and blocks across 20.2 minutes this season. He’s made 23 of his 29 shots across five games played.

Williams was a big-time waiver addition over the past week, but is now trending down a bit. A lot of that probably has to do with his last game, when he had just four points, two assists and eight rebounds across 24 minutes.

Because he’s not playing more than half of most games, those kinds of fantasy dud showings are definitely possible. He’s also capable of scoring in double figures, and with close to 10 boards a game in three straight, that makes him a good fantasy performer. A lot of it depends on the game flow.

It’d be tough for me to bail on Williams after just one bad outing. I think what he did in the previous couple games and think Williams is going to be a solid fantasy performer most nights. I’m definitely holding on to him in deeper leagues, and am keeping him on my possible list of streamers for standard leagues.

As a general rule with fantasy players, exercise some patience when debating whether or not to drop a player. Moving on too quickly might mean you lose out on the chance of rostering that player for the remainder of the season. Stashing a player on your bench while they get out of a funk is a fine route to take, and one I’d urge fantasy owners to try the next time they want to drop a player.