Michael

Porter

Porter’s three-point production matched his turnover count on Tuesday, as he missed all nine of his attempts. Simply put, this was a “burn the tape” game for MPJ, and he’ll look to do better in Thursday’s rematch. And with the Nets visiting the Pistons on Saturday, this has the potential to be a rough week for the Nets’ leading scorer.

Porter and the Nets were in the game until the final minute, losing to the Cavaliers 106-102. This is always a positive development for Porter’s fantasy value as he ended up playing 30 minutes in the contest. The 27-year-old small forward has had at least 25 points in three of his last four games. The Nets have two games in the upcoming week, starting with a matchup against the Heat on Tuesday.

At this point in the season, there are two concerns for Porter managers: the Nets shut him down, or the team gets blown out. The latter scenario occurred on Friday, limiting MPJ to 26 minutes. He finished a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line but put up solid percentages. And things won’t get easier for Porter and the Nets, as they end Week 18 at home against the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Porter recorded his tenth double-double of the season on Thursday, with the 14 rebounds being the most in a game for him since grabbing 17 in a November 2 loss to the 76ers. MPJ didn’t record any defensive stats, but fantasy managers should not be surprised by that. With the Nets visiting the Celtics on Friday, there’s a chance that Porter gets the night off, although he played both games of Brooklyn’s most recent back-to-back.

One thing fantasy managers know they’re going to get from Porter, when he’s on the floor, is scoring. While the production has been a bit inconsistent recently, he’s scored at least 22 points in three of his last five games. There were no defensive stats to speak of on Tuesday, so managers hoping to get a more robust line from Porter were disappointed. With the Nets’ final three games of Week 18 including a back-to-back, MPJ likely plays just two of those games.

Porter wasn’t efficient while handling lead scorer duties for the Nets. The 27-year-old small forward’s shot from long distance was off as he went just 1-of-8 from behind the three-point line. Porter is a better shooter than that, but he still was able to salvage his line with seven rebounds and six assists. The Nets have four games upcoming in Week 18, starting with a matchup against the Mavericks on Tuesday.

While it wasn’t his best shooting performance, MPJ volumed his way past the 20-point mark and used the free-throw line for help along the way. His inefficient three-point shooting was what specifically held him back, but Porter still contributed on the glass and led Brooklyn in assists on Friday before subbing out for the final time. He’ll remain the Nets’ go-to guy the remainder of the season, barring anything unforeseen. Fantasy managers should feel good about his production the rest of the way.

Back in the Nets’ lineup after a two-game absence, Porter played 21 minutes in Thursday’s blowout defeat. That’s one of the concerns for fantasy managers as the season approaches its conclusion. In addition to potential injury-management games, there’s also the concern that Porter’s minutes will be limited at times when games get out of hand. That was certainly the case on Thursday.

Porter and Clowney are back after sitting out the Nets’ final game before the All-Star break. The return of those two means that Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams will come off the bench, eliminating most of their streaming value. Danny Wolf’s playing time will also take a hit, but he offers a higher fantasy upside than Mann or Williams.

Both players sat out Brooklyn’s last game before the All-Star break, and both will be back against Cleveland. Expect MPJ and Clowney to handle their usual workloads, which means less playing time for Danny Wolf, Terance Mann and Ziaire Williams.