Fantasy Basketball Tank Watch: 5 Players Dan Titus is worried about the second half of the season
The second half is when NBA front offices start making “business decisions.” Here are five players I’m worried about in fantasy basketball as their teams race to the bottom of the 2026 draft.
Trae Young, Washington Wizards
Young won’t be re-evaluated until after the All-Star break. The Wizards are at 10 wins and are getting more reps for second-year PG Bub Carrington while Trae is out. At this point, prioritizing the development of the young core of Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson and Alex Sarr is key. But equally vital is securing that protected top-eight pick. To do that, they need to finish with at least the fourth-worst record at the end of the season. As of Wednesday, they are on track, which reduces the need to bring Young back.
Announcement
Before the trade, Trae averaged 19.3 and 8.9: decent, but nothing like Trae’s peak. Even if he comes back, you watch the rest matches every two weeks and the mysterious “soreness” every time they clash back to back. Washington has no reason to play him all the way into the season. I love the ceiling, but I hate everything else about this situation. I would try to sell him every time he comes back on the pitch.
Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are also stuck at 10 wins through Wednesday. Without Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam put up 23.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In his last 10 games, though, he’s given fantasy managers a reason to sell high, boosting those numbers to 25/8/5. The unfortunate news is that Siakam is 31 years old and playing for a team firmly aiming for more lottery balls.
Benedict Mathurin is probably getting emotional; the Pacers lost Turner over the summer, so Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard are the main guys left to make this team remotely competitive. Playing Siakam heavy minutes in late March does nothing for Indiana except risk injury to one of their building blocks in a lost year. I’d get out of the Siakam business before the official unofficial injury antics begin.
Announcement
Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets
MPJ developed into a legitimate All-Star, with 25.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.8 3s and 1.1 steals per game, all career highs. Brooklyn says he wants it long term. Cold. It is also close to the basement and tries to leak. Porter is one of the most sought-after sharpshooters heading into the February trade deadline, and Brooklyn would be foolish not to consider trading him at his maximum value.
A trade with a potential competitor would likely hurt its volume and production. On the other hand, staying in Brooklyn until the end of this year also runs the risk of it being closed as April approaches. Don’t be surprised when random days off start appearing. As good as MPJ has been, there are valid reasons to be wary of his prospects for the rest of the season.
Announcement
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
The last thing New Orleans should do is tank. He will lose his first-round pick to Atlanta in the Derik Queen trade unless he makes the playoffs. Well, with 10 wins as of January 22, that won’t happen. The Pelicans shut down Zion last March, so what makes you think they won’t do it again? Zion is averaging a respectable 21/6/3 on 58% shooting. A good fantasy player in point leagues and solid in 9 cat with the right build. But between his soft tissue injuries, illnesses, off-court distractions and the Pelicans’ dismal record, no fantasy manager can trust him to play meaningful fantasy playoff basketball if he stays in New Orleans.
It is what it is, and after leaving Wednesday’s game with an illness, I’d use his next blowout game to send out trade offers.
Announcement
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz
The strangest situation on this list. And when it comes to Jazz, I most likely thought I would conduct with Lauri Markkanen. But no, it’s Nurk. He’s been surprisingly good this year: double-double, elite passing to a big man; the whole deal. But these random DNPs, however, are not exceptional. Utah is sitting at 15-29, and according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN, his expiring $19 million contract likely won’t be moved, potentially putting him in the buyout market. That means either riding the pine somewhere else or watching Utah play with its young guys on him. Choose your poison.
There has been no indication that Utah wants to move any of their core, so expecting them to play their 31-year-old veteran free agent-to-be deep into the season seems like wishful thinking.