More Week 15 Fantasy Basketball Drop Candidates: Brandin Podziemski, Cason Wallace, Buddy Hield and More

After looking at several fantasy basketball waiver wire options over the course of the week, it’s time for another drop candidate story. Here’s the last drop story we did.

These players were all taken from the most dropped waiver trends section, which can be found on any FantasySP fantasy basketball page.

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Jalen Johnson Fantasy Outlook

We’ll make things quick and simple with Johnson. He was ruled out for the season because of an injury.

In redraft leagues, Johnson should be dropped. There’s no point in holding him any longer - he’s just wasting a roster spot.

In keeper and dynasty leagues, Johnson should be held on to. He’s still got a very bright future.

Brandin Podziemski Fantasy Outlook

Podziemski is down 7.2% and sits at 51% overall now. He took a step back in his fantasy production in his most recent game, but he’s still looked very good since returning from an injury of his own.

Podz tallied 11 points, four rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes in his last game. He had 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one steal in 32 minutes the game before that, and 17 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals in 24 minutes in the game prior. I understand fantasy owners hoping for that kind of production every night, but that’s simply not going to happen on this Golden State team. 

Podziemski had 10 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 21 minutes in his first game back from injury. That game and his last one are probably where Podziemski is going to sit most nights. 

He’s going to have stronger performances here and there, and I’d suggest playing the youngster in more favorable defensive matchups if you are looking for those kinds of performances.

He’s still doing enough as a fantasy player if he can keep replicating the numbers he had in his most recent game to roster him in deeper leagues. I’d keep an eye on Podziemski throughout the season, targeting favorable stretches if you want to utilize him in more standard leagues.

There’s also a chance he gets in a good groove once he’s settled back in, so also keep him on your watch list for that reason. 

Trayce Jackson-Davis Fantasy Outlook

Jackson-Davis is the second Warrior to appear in today’s article, and he won’t be the last. He was dropped in 6% of leagues, bringing his total mark down to 42%. TJD was rostered in over 80% of leagues as recently as January 5, so it’s been a pretty steady decline over the month.

He’s seen his playing time dry up over the past four contests. Jackson-Davis played nearly 24 minutes off the bench on January 22. The next night, he started, but played under 10 minutes. Jackson-Davis started the next two games as well, but logged just 14 and six minutes. The second-year player did not play on January 29.

I completely understand, and support, dropping Jackson-Davis in all standard leagues at this point. He should also be dropped in some deeper leagues as well. I’d bench him for the time being in deep setups, or keeper/dynasty leagues though.

He’s started 37 of the 45 games he’s played in this season. Jackson-Davis has averaged 19.7 minutes in those games, along with 8.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.8 blocks.

I don’t think the Warriors are going to give up completely on Jackson-Davis. If they do, another team would likely swoop in, trade for him and give him a chance on their roster instead.

He’s not a good fantasy asset right now though, and there’s no reason to roster him unless you are in a deep league. Keep Jackson-Davis on your bench until his role and usage go back up again.

Cason Wallace Fantasy Outlook 

Wallace has dropped 5.1% and sits at 33% overall now. He’s been up around 60% the past couple weeks, so this is another big dropoff in a fairly short amount of time.

Wallace is starting most nights, and playing a healthy amount of minutes every time out. His problem is that his production has dried up.

After scoring in double figures in three of four games between January 8-14, he’s hit at least 10 points just twice in seven games since. He’s averaging 29.8 minutes in that span, but just 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2 steals and 0.3 blocks. He’s been really struggling to score of late, tallying 14 combined points over the past three games on 6-of-21 shooting.

His season averages of 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.6 blocks across 27.8 minutes look pretty similar to his recent averages, so it’s likely that Wallace was on a hot streak for a bit, but has now returned to his norm.

Wallace is still doing enough to roster in some deeper leagues, but he’s no longer a standard league option. You should keep an eye on him in case he heats back up at some point this season, but I think you’re better off treating him as a deep-league option only for the remainder of the season.

Moses Moody Fantasy Outlook

Back to the Warriors here with Moody, who is down 4.5% and sitting at 10% overall. He’s coming off a down performance, so it’s pretty easy to see why he’s been dropped.

In 17 minutes off the bench in his last appearance, Moody had five points, two rebounds and one steal. He shot 2-for-8 in that contest.

That is definitely not a great fantasy performance, but I still think fantasy owners are moving on too quickly from him. Let me show you why.

In the seven games before that five-point outing, Moody was averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.9 blocks across 26.4 minutes. Those aren’t great all-around numbers, but they are definitely enough to roster and utilize him in a bunch of deeper leagues.

I think his own percentage is too low after nearly a 10% drop off since Wednesday. At least give him another game or two before you pull the plug on him.

It’s hard to find decent fantasy talent in deeper leagues, and moving on too quickly can really hurt your team in the long run. I’d add Moody if he became available in my deep fantasy league.

Buddy Hield Fantasy Outlook

Why not one more Golden State player to wrap things up? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many players from one team be dropped on a single day, but that’s what the data is telling me.

Hield is down 3.6% and rostered in 50% of leagues now. He’s had a rough stretch of games, so him being dropped makes plenty of sense.

Hield had scored in double figures in five of seven games between January 4-15. In the seven games since, he’s topped 10 points just twice.

Even with a 17-point game mixed in, Hield has averaged just 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks across 20.9 minutes in his past seven contests. That’s simply not enough fantasy production to utilize him in any standard leagues, and really a lot of deeper leagues for that matter.

His season averages of 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks across 23.2 minutes look a bit better, but I still don’t think he’s worth a standard league spot. The only time I’d consider it is if his scoring average increased, like it did earlier this month.

So, target Hield in standard leagues when he’s in a groove as a scorer, otherwise just roster him in deeper leagues. He probably should be benched in a few deeper leagues until he gets back on track, but I’d try to hold on to him for a bit longer to see if he can right the ship soon.