Risers and fallers: Trade for Trae Young, trade away Austin Reaves

We're only a couple of weeks into the new NBA season, but there are already plenty of players rising and falling in the fantasy basketball box score to talk about. Some of them are rostered in many leagues, while others continue to fly under the radar. Here are this week's players to know about.

Risers

Austin Reaves, PG/SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers (61% rostered)

LeBron James (sciatica) has yet to make an appearance this season and Luka Doncic has been on the shelf for three games with finger and leg issues, leading to a Reaves explosion as the last man standing for the Lakers. After two solid outings alongside a healthy Doncic, Reaves has been amazing over his past three, with 51 points and a near triple-double in one, a 41-point explosion against the Portland Trail Blazers and then going for 28 points and a career-high tying 16 assists in Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Reaves is going to produce with or without his superstar teammates on the court, but if there was ever a time to trade him, it's now.

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Stephen A.: 'I like Austin Reaves a lot. He can play'

Stephen A. Smith heaps praise on Austin Reaves for stepping up for the Lakers after his game-winning shot vs. the Timberwolves.

Matas Buzelis, SF/PF, Chicago Bulls, (53% rostered)

The Bulls are 4-0 and Buzelis is emerging as a fantasy favorite thanks to a well-rounded stat line that includes points, rebounds, steals, blocks and 3-pointers. He's had three nice games and one dud through four outings and is coming off his best one, racking up a season-high 27 points, two steals, a block and a season-high four 3-pointers in Wednesday's win over the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls are attempting to make Buzelis the face of their franchise, and I expect his rostership to continue to rise. I predict he'll end the season as one of fantasy's most pleasant surprises, and I'd recommend picking him up in every league you can.

Ajay Mitchell, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder, (37% rostered)

Despite coming off the bench for one of the best teams in the NBA, Mitchell has been incredibly steady and consistent. Through five games, he has scored between 14 and 26 in each of them and boasts an average stat line of 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 3-pointers. The eventual return of Jalen Williams (wrist) might negatively impact Mitchell, but there's also a chance it doesn't impact him much at all. Mitchell is a great pick up for managers looking for efficiency and across-the-board production.

Ryan Rollins, SG, Milwaukee Bucks, (29% rostered)

Kevin Porter Jr. is out with an ankle injury, and there is currently no timeline for his return, but Doc Rivers doesn't appear to love the thought of starting Cole Anthony in his place. Enter Rollins, who has taken the starting point guard job and ran with it for Milwaukee. He has averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 assists over his last two games and is at 30 minutes, 15.3 points, 3.0 steals and 1.8 3-pointers with a very efficient 47.6% field-goal percentage on the season. And with the recent news that Porter's return date is a mystery, it's time to get Rollins on more fantasy rosters. He should be one of the hottest pickups in fantasy this weekend.

Collin Gillespie, PG, Phoenix Suns, (7% rostered)

Gillespie is in his fourth year out of Villanova, and while he's far from a household name, he's playing at a high level for the Suns. He had 14 points, six boards, five dimes, two steals, a block and three triples in a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday and had a 15-point, 13-assist double-double in his previous game. His shooting percentages (42% FG and 67% FT) have been a bit of a problem, but the rest of his game has been a fun ride for those of us who picked him up off the waiver wire this season. Also, he's a career 78% shooter from the free throw line, so that number should start to rise sooner than later. He's playing 25 minutes off the bench and is heating up, so it makes sense for managers in need of a solid guard to give him a look off the waiver wire in their leagues.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., SG/SF, Miami Heat, (7% rostered)

I was high on Jaquez coming into the season and he's starting to cook for the Heat, increasing his scoring in each game this season (13, 17, 17, 28). He's currently boosted by the absence of Norman Powell (groin), who missed his second game on Thursday night, but even when he's healthy, Jaquez should continue to perform as the team's sixth man. Through four games, he's racking up nearly 19 points, 6.3 boards, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 minutes. He's not much of a shot blocker or 3-point shooter, but the rest of his stat line is solid. He should be rostered in a lot more leagues.

Jarace Walker, PF, Indiana Pacers, (2.2% rostered)

The Pacers are reeling from injuries, and Bennedict Mathurin (toe) is the latest casualty, while Obi Toppin is expected to also miss time with a foot injury. Walker stepped up with his best game of the season in Wednesday's loss to Dallas when he had a season-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists, three steals, a block and four 3-pointers, but his field-goal percentage has been a bit of a disaster thus far. He has hit just 15-of-51 shots (29.4%) on the season and was just 5-for-19 shooting in his big game on Wednesday. Still, he's an excellent free throw shooter and he shot 40% from the field in his first two seasons. While he's not likely to ever become a high-percentage shooter, he should be better than he has been going forward. He's worth a look in all leagues right now and will get 30 minutes per game this season, regardless of whether his teammates are healthy.

Fallers

Trae Young, PG, Atlanta Hawks (100% rostered rostered)

"Ice Trae" was having a rough season even before suffering a right knee sprain Wednesday night, and we'll now have to await MRI results to find out how much time he'll miss. The good news is that he appears to have avoided a serious injury, and poor shooting has made him a solid buy-low target in fantasy. Young's points and assists have been fine this season, but he is just 5-of-26 shooting from beyond the arc and is a woeful 37.1% from the field. He also hasn't had a steal in three straight games, but Young will bounce back once he's healthy. HIs fantasy value won't be lower than it is right now, so making a low-ball offer to his manager could end up paying off before the season is over.

Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, Boston Celtics (100% rostered)

Brown figures to carry a heavy load this season with Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out indefinitely, although Tatum does expect to return some time after the All-Star break. Brown's core stats have been fine, as he's at 26.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 3-pointers per game. Still, a lack of steals (0.4), blocks (0.4) and assists (3.8) have hurt his value, along with his 76% free throw shooting. He's currently returning 15th-round fantasy value due to his struggles and can only go up from here. Now is a good time to target Brown in a trade, especially if your team is lacking in points and triples. But don't expect him to produce much in the other categories, and keep in mind that his career free throw percentage is just 72.6%.

Josh Hart, New York Knicks, SG/SF, 89% rostered

Hart clearly misses coach Tom Thibodeau and has been a rough fantasy ride thus far, scoring a grand total of 11 points through three games while knocking down just 4-of-18 shots and 1-of-9 3-pointers. He's coming off the bench and could bounce back if one of his teammates suffers an injury, but the reserve role is not working for him at all. Hart's averages of 24.7 minutes, 3.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists are incredibly disappointing, and his shooting percentages have been detrimental to his fantasy value. If Hart doesn't get it going in the next week -- and I doubt he will -- he's going to start showing up on fantasy waiver wires everywhere.

Dyson Daniels, PG/SG, Hawks (88% rostered)

Much like Hart, Daniels has been a disappointment this season after being consistently drafted in Round 3 of most fantasy drafts. Through five games, his season high in scoring is just eight points, and he's not doing much to help his managers outside of racking up 2.2 steals per game. He's getting 30 minutes a night but is having trouble making shots, resulting in paltry averages of 5.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. However, unlike Hart, I expect Daniels to eventually start playing better and trying to match last season's stellar production of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.0 steals and 0.7 blocks on 49% shooting. He's the ultimate trade-for candidate in fantasy right now.

Trey Murphy III, SG/SF, New Orleans Pelicans (87.2% rostered)

I was as high on Murphy as anyone coming into the season, but it has been a rough start, thanks mostly to poor shooting for a team that has yet to win its first game. Murphy had a nice game against the Spurs on Oct. 24, with 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three 3-pointers, but his other three games have been a hot mess. He hit just 5-of-15 shots for 13 points in the season opener and then bottomed out in his past two games, hitting just 4-of-19 shots for 14 points. He's another player I'd target in a trade right now, as he simply can't shoot it this poorly and play this way for much longer. Expect a scoring explosion from Murphy any day now and look for the Pelicans to finally get into the win column when it happens.

Rudy Gobert, C, Timberwolves (80% rostered)

Gobert is still a serviceable option at center, but I'm afraid his name is bigger than his game these days. Despite getting nearly 32 minutes per game, Gobert sits at just 8.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks on the season. He's also struggling at the line, hitting 9-of-17 shots (53%). Gobert's field-goal percentage is still elite (68%) and there's a chance he'll start doing more scoring, rebounding and shot blocking, but he's 33 years old and off to one of the slowest starts of his career. Wait for him to have a big game and then try to trade him if you have other options at center.

Brook Lopez, C, LA Clippers (19% rostered)

Lopez is backing up Ivica Zubac in Los Angeles, and while he's not doing much to help fantasy managers, he's playing enough minutes to negatively impact Zubac's playing time. Zubac played a career-high 32.8 minutes per game last season but is down to 27.8 minutes this year, thanks to Lopez. As for Lopez, he's at just 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 2.0 3-pointers per game, playing just 17 minutes per contest. He scored 15 points in the opener, but he hasn't scored more than six points since and has actually seen his scoring drop in every game this season. Unless you're in a two-center league, Lopez probably belongs on waivers.