Kirk Hinrich's Minutes Drop With Move to Bench

Washington Wizards guard Kirk Hinrich has been moved to the bench in favor of Gilbert Arenas. In two games off the bench, Hinrich has played just 21.5 minutes.

The Breakdown
The demotion to a reserve role is a huge blow to Hinrich's fantasy value. All season, head coach Flip Saunders has been giving his starters big minutes and much of Hinrich's value came from the fact that he played 34.9 minutes per game as a starter. If his playing time continues to fall into the 20 minute range, it's hard to justify hanging on to him in standard leagues.

Also of note is that Nick Young has seen his minutes rise over the last four games, eating into Hinrich's playing time. Young has averaged 28.5 minutes during that four-game stretch, contributing 17.5 points and 2.8 three-pointers per contest. Young, though, is a highly inconsistent player who gives you scoring, threes, and little else. Owners in deep leagues needing help in those categories may want to pick up Young for as long as he's playing heavy minutes.