Fantasy Basketball Starting Lineup Changes - Week 8

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

Herbert Jones - SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans

ESPN: 27% rostered

Week 6: 27:48 Minutes per Game

I'll start things off this week with Herbert Jones. Jones is just coming back from injury so he may be available on your waivers, assuming someone in your league dropped him while he missed time.

Jones had relatively lackluster production in his first game since returning from injury in Utah, logging just six points and two assists across 20 minutes. As he gets back into the swing of things and his minutes rise, he should be a solid filler in your lineup at the forward positions until Brandon Ingram returns from injury in the coming weeks.

Juancho Hernangomez - PF, Toronto Raptors

ESPN: 0.2% rostered

Week 6: 17 Minutes per Game

I mentioned Chris Boucher from the Raptors last week, and I'll take a look at his teammate Juancho Hernangomez this week. As of now, OG Anunoby is looking to be out until at least next week and Otto Porter Jr. looks to be out until late January, which opens up some minutes for Hernangomez to give Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam a rest.

Hernangomez played 24 minutes last night, and while he didn't do much with those minutes (logging five points, five rebounds, and one assist), he could be a useful addition to your lineup until OG and Porter return to the lineup.

Jalen Williams - SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

ESPN: 2.9% rostered

Week 6: 26:18 Minutes per Game

Last but not least, I'll take a look at Jalen Williams. It's a bit strange that Williams is listed as a shooting guard on the ESPN app, as he typically plays more of a forward role for the Thunder.

Nevertheless, Williams is seeing a massive uptick in minutes over the last few games. He played 38 minutes on Monday night against the Mavericks and 31 minutes last night against the Heat. With Jeremiah Robinson-Earl sidelined for at least the next week, now is the time to jump on the opportunity to land Williams in your squads and get some added production from a guy who was already a pretty solid player in deep leagues of all formats.

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