Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Raptors swingman Terrence Ross started a second straight game Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, and he scored a season-high 24 points (10-for-16 from the floor; 4-for-7 on three-pointers) along with five rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in the game. In three games since Rudy Gay was traded to the Sacramento Kings, Ross is averaging 16.3 points (10-for-19 from three-point range), 4.0 rebounds and one steal per game as he appears in line to step in as the starting small forward for the Raptors.
Should fantasy basketball owners have the 2012 lottery pick on their radar?
Ross won the Slam Dunk contest last season, but that was by far the highlight of an otherwise dismal rookie campaign. He averaged just 6.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and less than one assist (0.7) and a steal (0.6) per game in 73 games played (two starts). He did not play a lot (17 minutes per game) and also shot poorly, making just over 33 percent of his three-pointers and 40.7 percent of his shots from the floor overall. Those numbers have improved slightly so far this season, as Ross was averaging 6.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game entering Friday’s game, but he has played more than 28 minutes (30 or more in two straight now) in each of the last three games and his production has followed suit.
Ross’ most notable contribution for fantasy owners will be in the scoring column, and there should be plenty of shots available for him with Gay out of the picture, to say nothing of the increase in playing time he’ll see. He may also offer some rebounding production, but any notable contribution in any other category has to be considered a bonus from a fantasy perspective.
Ross is widely available right now (12 percent ownership in Yahoo! leagues), and that alone makes him a solid waiver wire addition in most fantasy leagues. His limited resume keeps him from being an absolute must-add, but those who are looking to bolster their roster depth can add him based on his elevation to the starting lineup and the upside that has a chance to yield.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
