Jordan Hamilton- USA TODAY Sports
With Randy Foye struggling, Jordan Hamilton moved back into the starting lineup at shooting guard for the Denver Nuggets on Friday night and scored 12 points (2-for-6 on three-pointers) with seven rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot against the New Orleans Pelicans. He had not started a game since November 16, and he had been struggling himself (4-for-28 from the floor over his previous four games) prior to Friday night.
Should fantasy basketball owners now consider Hamilton roster-worthy?
Hamilton has had some productive games this season, but his overall per-game averages (8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 assists before Friday night’s game) don’t stand out and his field goal percentage (40 percent) serves as a bit of a drag on his value in leagues that use it as a category. He has played just under 19 minutes per game prior to Friday night, so a move to the starting five can only be good for Hamilton’s fantasy value as long as it sticks.
With the Nuggets losing decisively to the Pelicans, and Foye only playing seven minutes in the game, coach Brian Shaw may continue to re-shuffle his lineup in an effort to find a mix that works. So the imbalance in playing time, with Hamilton playing 32 minutes, may even out some going forward and deplete the fantasy upside of both players.
Hamilton is only owned in two percent of Yahoo! leagues right now, but he is worth a look in deeper leagues on the potential he keeps a starting role and can produce at a solid, or more importantly consistent, level from here on out.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
