Risers and fallers: Fiebich trending up, Griner struggling

Change is the 1 happening you tin ever number on, some successful sports and successful life. While consistency is what phantasy managers strive for, the world is that subordinate show tin plaything wildly implicit a agelong season.

Trying to support up with each the highs and lows crossed 44 games and 4 months tin consciousness overwhelming. That's wherefore breaking things down week by week makes it easier to enactment grounded and focused connected what matters close now.

That's the extremity of my Risers and Fallers column. It helps you way momentum shifts arsenic they happen, utilizing insights pulled straight from ESPN's phantasy metrics.

Risers

Leonie Fiebich, F, New York Liberty (64.2% rostered, +13.3)

Fiebich has been a mainstay successful the Liberty's starting lineup this season, scoring 20 oregon much phantasy points successful 5 of her past 8 games. She's besides played 30-plus minutes successful 7 of those. With New York dealing with aggregate injuries, Fiebich's phantasy ceiling has risen considerably, and her caller roster surge reflects that. If she's inactive disposable successful your league, don't hesitate to adhd her, particularly if you request assistance astatine guardant oregon center.

Janelle Salaun, F, Golden State Valkyries (29.1% rostered, +10.2)

With All-Star Kayla Thornton retired for the play owed to a genu injury, phantasy managers should look to the rookie Salaün. Thornton was having a vocation year, starring the Valkyries successful points (14.0), rebounds (7.0), and steals (1.3). While Salaun won't lucifer that accumulation connected her own, the minutes volition beryllium determination and that makes her phantasy relevant. She's had an uneven rookie play but brings scoring upside, decent rebounding and immoderate antiaircraft value. Shot instauration is constricted connected this roster, and Salaun is 1 of the fewer who tin enactment the shot successful the basket. She'll person a greenish airy connected a Valkyries squad hopeless for offense. Even if her ratio is shaky, the usage complaint should transportation her. Salaun has averaged 18.1 phantasy points per crippled this season, and that fig could ascent quickly.

Fallers

Brittney Griner, C, Atlanta Dream (91.3%, +0.6)

Griner hasn't had the champion agelong implicit the past mates of days. She was ejected against the Wings connected Wednesday aft confronting a referee. The adjacent day, things got worse erstwhile the 10-time All-Star appeared connected the Dream's wounded study with a cervix issue. Griner has been a cardinal contributor, averaging 10.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and a team-high 1.1 BPG portion starting each 25 games she's played. Her lack would beryllium a large stroke to Atlanta, particularly connected the antiaircraft end, arsenic the squad is already without Rhyne Howard. For phantasy managers, it's besides been a frustrating play arsenic Griner has averaged vocation lows successful points, rebounds, and blocks, falling abbreviated of her draft-day expectations.

Breanna Stewart, F, New York Liberty (100.0%, +0.0)

Stewart has averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 1.4 BPG -- respectable numbers, but little than what we've travel to expect from her, particularly implicit the past 4 seasons. Stewart has besides averaged 34.9 phantasy points per game, which isn't bad, but considering she was drafted 3rd wide successful galore leagues, it's inactive underwhelming. Players similar Kelsey Plum (35.0), Angel Reese (34.8), Paige Bueckers (34.0), and Allisha Gray (33.3) are putting up akin numbers, each with much favorable ADPs.