Fantasy Basketball Week 20 Start/Sit: Do We Believe in Ty Jerome?

For some, the fantasy playoffs are upon us. While this means there could be less activity when it comes to the waiver wire, nailing your pickups becomes even more important. Week 20 brings with it a favorable schedule for many, with 18 teams suiting up for four games, while the remaining 12 teams will take to the court three times. Sitting players who only go three times has its advantages, but fantasy managers still have to make smart decisions when figuring out whom to play, regardless of game count. Being aware of back-to-back sets is also a key factor, especially with so many teams now sitting players during the home stretch.

Four Games: ATL, CHA, CLE, DAL, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, OKC, PHI, POR, SAC, UTA

Three Games: BKN, BOS, CHI, DEN, IND, LAL, NYK, ORL, PHO, SAS, TOR, WAS

Here are four potential starts and four potential sits entering the 20th week of the NBA season. Just keep in mind that this is based on games played for the week. If you play in a rotisserie league, the number of games played each week may not matter in your format. 

Guards

Consider starting: Ty Jerome, CLE

Opponents: @CHI, MIA, @CHA, @MIL

In what has been easily the best season of his career, Jerome continues to serve up tasty numbers despite coming off the bench. Over the past month, he has been a top-75 asset, averaging 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 three-pointers in just 22.4 minutes per game. He has scored at least 20 points in three of the past five games, capping it all off with a career-high six steals during Sunday's win over the Trail Blazers. Although the Cavaliers have remained largely healthy, their position atop the standings could afford them some flexibility when it comes to assigning nights off. Jerome is typically the beneficiary whenever they are short-handed, making him a sneaky starting candidate this week.

Consider starting: Quentin Grimes, PHI

Opponents: POR, @MIN, @BOS, UTA

Fresh off a career-high 44 points against the Warriors on Saturday, Grimes has certainly been able to establish himself as a key piece for his new team. Philadelphia is staring down the barrel of a losing season, meaning Grimes should continue to play a ton of minutes moving forward. While there has been some inconsistency when it comes to his production, the minutes have remained constant. He has played nine games since being traded, logging at least 30 minutes in six of those. Over the past two weeks, he sits just outside the top 100 in nine-category leagues, averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.8 three-pointers. While he doesn't have the defensive upside of someone like Jerome, Grimes should still be doing enough when on the floor to warrant a starting spot in standard formats.

Consider sitting: Jordan Poole, WAS

Opponents: @MIA, UTA, @TOR

Poole has been able to stay on the floor this season, having missed only seven games up until Saturday. He was ruled out of that game with an elbow injury, something that will also force him to miss at least one more game. The Wizards are well positioned to land a high draft pick in the upcoming draft, meaning minor injuries could turn into multi-game absences. With two of their three games this week coming against teams also positioned towards the bottom of the standings, we could very well see Poole riding the pine a little longer. Despite having a career-best season, Poole's numbers have started to slowly regress, especially on the defensive end of the floor. With so much uncertainty, managers are well within their rights to sit him out this week.

Forwards

Consider starting: Santi Aldama, MEM

Opponents: ATL, OKC, @DAL, @NOP

After putting together what some might call a minor breakout during the 2023-24 season, Aldama has quietly been able to not only repeat but surpass that effort. Despite the Grizzlies being much healthier this season, Aldama has managed to consistently find a way to put up top-100 value in only 25.1 minutes per game. During that time, he has averaged 12.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 three-pointers and 1.4 combined steals and blocks. He has scored double-digits in seven of his past nine games, playing a number of roles depending on the matchup and availability of those around him. He is certainly not the most striking player going around, but his knack for doing enough on a nightly basis makes him a worthy starting candidate.

Consider sitting: Cameron Johnson, BKN

Opponents: @SAS, GSW, @CHA

Much like Poole, Johnson has been able to cobble together arguably the best season of his career. Despite rumors prior to the trade deadline, Johnson was not moved on, instead remaining with the Nets. While this is a good thing in terms of his on-court opportunities, it doesn't necessarily bode well for his rest-of-season value. Over the past two weeks, he has put up averages of 17.3 points and 2.0 three-pointers in 30.7 minutes per game. While these are certainly nothing to turn your nose up at, they are below what he was able to do earlier in the season. He has scored more than 20 points only once in his past 12 games, a feat that he was achieving on a nightly basis previously. The return of Cam Thomas is also going to limit what Johnson can do, making him a risky play for those needing assuredness moving forward.

Consider sitting: Cam Thomas, BKN

Opponents: @SAS, GSW, @CHA

Thomas returned from a lengthy absence against the Trail Blazers earlier in the week and subsequently missed the following game as part of his injury management plan. This is likely what we are going to see moving forward, making him a tough player to trust on a nightly basis. It's been a disappointing campaign for Thomas, playing just 20 games as a result of a significant hamstring injury. When healthy, he has been a borderline elite source of points, averaging 24.3 points to go with 2.7 three-pointers. However, his season average of 31.8 minutes per game seems like a pipe dream at this point. Brooklyn is going nowhere fast and have no incentive to play him sizeable minutes. Couple that with the fact he will likely continue to miss games, and we have a situation where Thomas could and should spend a lot of time on the bench across most fantasy leagues.

Centers

Consider starting: Jonas Valanciunas, SAC

Opponents: @DAL, @DEN, SAS, @LAC

Valanciunas has basically been a non-factor all season, playing as a backup in Washington before being traded to Sacramento, where he has served as the backup to Domantas Sabonis. However, all of that changed Saturday after Sabonis was forced to exit their game against the Rockets due to a hamstring injury. While there has been no word on what sort of an absence Sabonis might be looking at, it's relatively safe to assume he will miss at least a handful of games. In Saturday's game, Valanciunas played 30 minutes, recording 15 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. While the defensive contributions should be considered a fluke, his points and rebounds are what we might expect to see until Sabonis is back on the court. Valanciunas is a proven fantasy asset who could be positioned to end the season as a real difference-maker, not only in reality but also in fantasy. 

Consider sitting: Alex Sarr, WAS

Opponents: @MIA, UTA, @TOR

After a serviceable start to his career, Sarr has spent a lot of time on the sideline over the past month, having played in just three games. Much like Poole, Sarr is someone who could continue to see random absences moving forward, making him a tough player to trust. Over the season, he is averaging 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 three-pointers. However, his efficiency continues to be a real issue, shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor and 62.1 percent from the line. At this point, he provides value in one category only, that being blocks. Given there are a number of shot-blocking options available off the waiver wire, handing Sarr a starting spot could be a recipe for disaster.