Toronto

Raptors

Pascal Siakam was expected by many to take a leap this season. So far, managers who drafted him have been underwhelmed. In Wednesday’s contest against the Suns, Siakam had a respectable game and played a pivotal role in the Toronto victory. Scottie Barnes had a productive night with 23 points and seven rebounds. Siakam may be able to increase his per-game value. If he can find a way to improve his free throw percentage, he might be able to finally crack the
top 100.

Siakam didn’t shoot the ball very well but the same can be said for his teammates, as the Raptors shot 38.6% from the field. The good news for managers who have Siakam rostered is that he hit double figures in rebounds for the second time in his last four games. Siakam’s still ranked well outside the top 100 in 9-cat per-game value, with free throws (72.5%) being the biggest issue. Getting that number into the mid-70s, if not higher, would go a long way toward getting Siakam’s value closer to where fantasy managers expect it to be.

As far as the points are concerned, Trent’s in the midst of a solid run, as he’s hit double figures in three straight games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t offered much production in the other scoring categories, thus limiting his fantasy value. Ranked safely within the top 100 in 9-cat formats last season, Trent hasn’t even cracked the top 250 this season. Other than Pascal Siakam, it can be argued that no Raptors player has taken a bigger hit to his fantasy value in the aftermath of the coaching change than Trent, who opted into the final season of his contract when he could have been a free agent this past summer. Hopefully, he begins to turn things around soon.

While Barnes shot a poor overall percentage on Tuesday, he was 3-of-7 from deep. The improvement made in that aspect of his game is why his fantasy value has skyrocketed, with Barnes holding steady as a top 20 player in 9-cat formats. Averaging 1.9 3-pointers per game, he entered Tuesday shooting 37.6% from three, more than nine percentage points higher than last season (28.1). Whether or not Barnes can maintain that percentage remains to be seen, but becoming a more willing (and accurate) perimeter shooter has done wonders for his overall game. Toronto is back in action on Wednesday, as they’ll host the streaking Suns.

Schroder had to deal with some foul trouble on Sunday, but he still managed to produce a solid stat line. While he’s been an 11th-round player in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks, he continues to hold onto his place within the top 100 in season-long value. At this point in the season, fantasy managers who have Schroder rostered should hold onto him, unless they can fetch a return that matches his current value as opposed to the expected (Yahoo ADP: 132). Gary Trent Jr., who’s underwhelmed in fantasy through the season’s first month, shot 5-of-13 from the field and finished Sunday’s loss with 13 points, one rebound, one steal, and one 3-pointer in 26 minutes.

One of the questions asked of Siakam recently was how the return of OG Anunoby from a finger injury would impact his fantasy value. After getting off to a slow start, Spicy P appeared to begin his turnaround when his usage increased with Anunoby sidelined. Siakam’s scored 18 points or more in five of Toronto’s last six games, and he’s provided top 100 per-game value in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. He may still be ranked outside the top 100 in season-long value, but things are headed in the right direction. As for Anunoby, he finished Sunday’s defeat with 11 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block, and two 3-pointers in 34 minutes, and is ranked outside the top 150 over the last two weeks.

Poeltl held his own against the Cavaliers’ tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, leading the Raptors in scoring (tied with Pascal Siakam) and rebounding while missing just one shot on the night. Providing 8th-round per-game value in 8- and 9-cat formats for the season, the 7-foot-1 pivot from Austria has been two rounds better over the last two weeks according to Basketball Monster, despite shooting 47.1% from the foul line. While he isn’t on par with the elite fantasy centers, Poeltl has been a solid secondary option for managers punting free throw percentage for a few years. The Raptors play three games in Week 6, which begins with a back-to-back against the Nets (Tuesday; road) and Suns (Wednesday; home).

Poeltl did have his typical free throw struggles, but managers drafted him with the understanding that he is one of the worst free throw shooters in the league. However, he makes up for it with well-rounded production, as he displayed in this game. With a free throw percentage and 3-pointers punt, Poeltl has been in the top-30 in 9-cat value this season. His field goal percentage is among the best in the league, and he has improved it even more as of late. He has just three missed shots over his last five games, which is fewer than his four missed free throws on Friday. The good news is that he doesn’t get to the line often enough to make a massive impact, as his five free throw attempts on Friday were a season-high, and he hadn’t shot any over his previous two games.

Anunoby led a balanced attack for the Raptors in this game, as he was one of six players to score in double figures. It was an excellent game for him, but the season overall has been a bit disappointing. The Nick Nurse effect seems very real, as his minutes and numbers have both dropped this season. His steals, which have been his best category in recent years, are down to 1.1 this year. He isn’t the only player that is struggling now that they aren’t playing for Nick Nurse. Both Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet’s steal numbers are way down, which has hurt their value. Anunoby is still a really good player and defender, but it’s hard to imagine him repeating his success from the past few seasons.

For the most part, it has been a down season for GTJ, though he has had a few games where he was able to provide Toronto with some solid value. That was the case in this game, as he led the bench in scoring and snapped a two-game streak of scoring in double figures. Unfortunately, Trent Jr.'s steals have been down this season, which could be a direct result of Nick Nurse’s departure. He can still contribute decent production from time to time, but his days of elite fantasy value are behind him.