Fantasy Basketball Starting Lineup Changes - Week 3

Welcome to Rotation Watch, Rotoballers! Each week, this article will highlight the players gaining minutes in their team's rotation. Fantasy managers want to roster the players that accumulate stats and rack up the playing time. They want to avoid the players falling out of favor and watching the action from the sidelines.

With the new season here, Rotation Watch is well... back in the rotation. With new rotations and players bouncing around from season to season, it's important to take note of who's "in" and who's "out". I've been consistently updating my data model to account for minutes over the 2022-2023 regular season, as well as each player's last four games, and their stats based on who's on and who's off the floor (accounting for injury, etc.).

So without further ado, let's start searching those box scores and look for those hidden gems that grabbed minutes to help your fantasy basketball team achieve the ultimate prize: a championship. Of course, these suggestions are the cream of the crop, and if you ever need an extra slice of advice, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @LucidMediaDFS.

NBA Playing Time Changes

Isaiah Hartenstein - C/PF, New York Knicks

ESPN: 14.7% rostered

Week 1: 25:30 Minutes per Game

I'll start off this week's column with a guy that I've bounced back and forth with for a few weeks now, and I'm hoping to "buy the dip" here. Hartenstein's playing 25.5 minutes per game this season, but that number has dipped down to just 18 minutes per game over his last two. To be fair though, he did play 38 minutes against Boston on Saturday, while just playing 15 minutes in the blowout against Brooklyn last night.

Hartenstein seems to be the "big" coming off the bench, as Jericho Sims has entered the starting lineup in Mitchell Robinson's absence. Hartenstein has provided solid returns for fantasy owners this season, averaging 8.0 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game. His peripherals are solid as well, making him a streaming option in all formats, particularly in deeper leagues.

Jevon Carter - PG, Milwaukee Bucks

ESPN: 0.5% rostered

Week 1: 24.06 Minutes per Game

I originally wrote up Jevon Carter as a potential streamer, picking him up and dropping him off in a matter of a few days, but that might not be the case. As I'm typing this, Carter is finishing up a career game, with 36 points, four rebounds, and 12 assists. He played 45 minutes in the double-overtime bout against the Thunder, as Jrue Holiday sat out with an injury.

I dug a bit deeper on this, and Carter is actually averaging 27.33 minutes per game over his last six. As it stands, Jrue Holiday will likely sit out of Friday's matchup as well, so it seems likely that Carter will find himself in the starting lineup for at least one more contest. Beyond that, I'd imagine he'll return to the bench, but I'd keep an eye on the 27-year-old guard as he could be a solid option for deeper teams in all formats.

Cam Thomas - SG, Brooklyn Nets

ESPN: 6% rostered

Week 9: 17:42 Minutes per Game

I'll finish things off with Cam Thomas. Thomas had only played 15 minutes all season before the Kyrie suspension, and boy is he making the most out of his minutes. He's played 28.25 minutes in the last four games, including multiple games of 30+ minutes.

He's been doing a lot with his playing time as well, averaging 15.75 points per game, 2.75 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game, with his only "clunker" coming last night against the Knicks, which I'd throw out as an outlier given the blowout. Even when (if?) Kyrie returns to the Nets, it's hard-pressed to think Thomas has earned himself some solid playing time, especially considering Ben Simmons will likely be in and out of the lineup for injury management over the coming weeks.

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