Chase

Budinger

Budinger will play out next season for $942,000 and then become an unrestricted free agent. His stock took a hit this season as he fell behind Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons on the depth chart for long stretches. Budinger ended up averaging 9.6 points while playing a meager 22.4 minutes per game.

This makes two consecutive strong games for Budinger, but we’re not sold that his role will be stable enough for fantasy value. Kevin Martin only logged 16 minutes tonight, which isn’t likely to continue very long, and Budinger has been unusually efficient during his hot streak (12-of-18 from the field). Just keep an eye on him, in case he somehow does carve out a 30-minute role.

Budinger had gotten between 30 and 42 minutes in his previous three games, but Courtney Lee got hot and took over, along with Goran Dragic, tonight. Once Kevin Martin comes back from his shoulder injury, Budinger will likely take a hit and be a tough start in fantasy leagues.

Martin’s missed five straight games and Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger are doing a nice job of filling the gap. Martin was unreliable when he was healthy, and with no timetable on a return, owners are going to have to think about possibly finding a replacement player with the playoffs on the horizon. Hanging onto Martin and picking up Lee looks like the best scenario as of now.

Budinger is averaging 12 points, two threes, and 1.5 steals in his last four games, and is worth a look if you need help in those categories.

Budinger hasn’t been on the fantasy radar with his 8.4 points per game and 36 percent field goal shooting over the past two weeks. If Kevin Martin (shoulder) stays out, though, he could be worth a look if you’re trolling for threes and he gets hot.

Budinger seems like a reasonable pickup in leagues where players are streamed, but he’ll go right back to the bench once Parsons is healthy. The shorthanded Rockets only have nine active players on Saturday.

Budinger made 8-of-14 FGs in one of his best performances of the season. This line may inspire some owners to scoop him off the free agent heap, but he’ll revert to an inconsistent bench player as soon as Parsons returns to health.

Budinger had to foul to get out of the game after taking a shot to the gut, but we haven’t heard anything about a potential absence. He needs a few more nights like this before owners should pay him much attention in standard leagues.

Budinger got some extra run with Chandler Parsons (two points, 0-for-7 FGs) going ice cold, and he is averaging just over 10 points with two threes and a steal per game over his last seven contests. If those numbers work for you give him a look, but things are only going to get harder with Kyle Lowry and (potentially) Kevin Martin returning down the road.