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Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we pose a question to a rotating panel of ESPN fantasy basketball experts to gauge their thoughts on a hot topic. Todays contributors are ESPN Fantasys John Cregan, Kyle Soppe and Joe Kaiser.Throughout his first five NBA seasons, Ricky Rubio was all but a shoo-in for at least 10 PPG, 8 APG and 2 SPG. 11 games into his tenure with new head coach Tom Thibodeau, he is averaging career lows: 6.5 PPG, 6.4 APG, 1.5 SPG. Are his days as a viable fantasy player in standard leagues over or is this just a bump in the road?John Cregan: Even at his best, Rubio has always been a unique case. His lack of confidence in his shot has severely undermined his fantasy value. The bulk of his production comes from only two categories: steals and assists. Last season? -- his best season to date -- Rubio was able to climb into the top 40 on the Player Rater by making his outside shooting less of a liability. He posted a career high .529 TS%. He tied his career high in 3-pointers per game (0.8).Normally, a drop-off like Rubios would suggest a regression in his shooting. But his dramatic 2016-17 drop-off is across the board ... and its volume-based. Hes playing only about one minute less per game, but hes logging a career low 12.6% usage rate. Its the usage rate that concerns me, because if Rubio doesnt have possession, he cant generate assists. And without elite-level assists, he becomes waiver-wire material.Is it his early-season elbow injury? Is it a lack of familiarity with Tom Thibodeaus system? Is Rubio feeling the heat from rookie (and some would say PG of the future) Kris Dunn? Is he hurt by the trade rumors?Id wager all of the above. Rubios been hurt and slow to adjust to Thibodeau. Hes always been streaky, and now hes playing with a lack of confidence. And because the Timberwolves are struggling as a whole, Rubio is sitting a little more than he used to.I still think Rubio bounces back. Maybe not as a top-40 player, but top 70 is still within reach.Kyle Soppe: Rubios development has been underwhelming in a major way since he dazzled at the 2008 Olympics, and this season has represented even a further step backward. Im not as optimistic as I once was, but lets not go overboard and write him off as a fantasy-relevant player. First of all ... the man is 26 years old. Hes been on our radar for a while, but he still has time.OK, now on to some metrics. The Wolves are averaging 0.6 more possessions per game this season than last, so while the pace of play isnt elite, it is actually ahead of where it stood last year. As a card-holding member of the Rubio fan club, there is one trend that Im banking on regressing and allowing Rubio to produce viable fantasy numbers in 2017. His usage was never high, but it has fallen three points in the early going this season. Now, that could be intentional, but when you realize that both he and Kris Dunn are in the bottom 10 in usage among point guards this season, it seems more like a weird stat than a sustainable trend.Rubio still cant really shoot, and thats a problem, but I see no reason why he cant approach similar per-minute production this season as he has had in years past. Hes a man with a very particular set of skills, and if youre hurting for assists and steals, Rubio is a nice buy-low player at this point in the season.Joe Kaiser: Rubio is a career 36.8 percent shooter, which is remarkably bad considering how many games hes played in, but as mentioned, hes always been a viable fantasy option due to his high assist and steals numbers. What I see right now is that hes struggling shooting more than ever (33 percent) and has lost his confidence, taking a career-low 5.2 shots per game. That, more than age or minutes or anything more worrisome, is the reason why his scoring numbers are down.Thibodeau likes to play his starters big minutes, and with the rookie Dunn struggling just as badly on the offensive end, I suspect that Rubio could average 31-32 minutes a game by the time the season is over. His numbers will return to normal Rubio levels as soon as his shot starts to fall a little more often and his confidence builds back up. Freddy Galvis Jersey . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Dalton Pompey Jersey .S. 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Allrounder Glenn Maxwell has conceded that batting below wicketkeeper Matthew Wade in Victorias Sheffield Shield side this year has been a little bit painful, especially with a potential Test recall on the cards. Maxwell has his sights set on winning a place on Australias Test tour of India in February-March, and he could be a viable candidate if the selectors decide a fifth bowling option is required in the XI.Maxwells first-class batting average of 39.92 stacks up well compared to several other batting candidates, although he has spent little time batting above No.6 and even has a first-class hundred from No.8. Controversially left out of Victorias side for the first Shield round of the summer, Maxwell then found himself at No.6, behind keeper and captain Wade at No.5, and made 81 in his first innings of the campaign.Thats probably a little bit painful at times, Maxwell said on Thursday in Sydney, where he is part of Australias squad for Sundays first ODI against New Zealand. I think probably batting below the wicketkeeper is also a bit painful as well. I think the wicketkeeper should be batting at seven unless youre trying to squeeze an extra bowler into your line-up.Ive been just trying to bat wherever I can and trying to make as many runs as I can. I got a hundred from No.8 for Victoria so there is always opportunities to get runs wherever you are in the order but the way the Vics have been going youre generally coming in trying to set a total up or trying to win the game with not many runs to get.When asked why he had batted below Wade, Maxwell said: I think because hes captain and he chooses the batting order. Thats my view on it.Wade was recalled to Australias side for the Adelaide Test against South Africa and Maxwell, under the captaincy of Cameron White, moved up to No.4 in the most recent Shield game against South Australia. He had also been bumped up to No.3 in the second innings against New South Wales in a round that was effectively a Test audition, and fell for 3 trying to help Victoria gain quick runs to set a target.Everything I did in that game was trying to make sure we won the game, Maxwell said. In the second innings, going out there and getting told team up, there was no way I was going for a not out. I know theres a lot of other cricketers who probably would have poked around and tried to get the not out. Thats not the way I play.It has been an up-and-down year for Maxwell,, who in January was named Australias ODI Player of the Year at the Allan Border Medal ceremony, yet lost his place in the one-day side on the mid-year tour of West Indies and then his place in the squad for the ODI series in Sri Lanka.dddddddddddd However, he was part of the T20 squad in Sri Lanka and struck an outrageous 145 not out in the first game.Preparing for the home summer, Maxwell said he had worked on some technical and mental aspects of his game, notably in an effort to start his innings more steadily and reduce the risk of throwing it away early. He said he was disappointed not to have been picked for the Adelaide Test, where Nic Maddinson slotted in to the No.6 position on debut, but was eyeing off the India tour next year as his next Test goal.I thought I might have been a chance, Maxwell said of the Adelaide Test. I thought the way I batted in my first game back, at the MCG against the reverse-swinging ball against Queensland, I thought that was a really good sign of the improvements Ive made in my defence, in my technique, in the way I leave the ball. I thought that was a really good sign of the work that Id done over the last couple of months. I know one score probably doesnt show it enough.To not get picked was a little bit disappointing. But as I said there are plenty of Tests on the radar. Theyve made it quite clear the direction theyre going to try and go. In saying that they picked an absolute gem in Peter Handscomb and he played absolutely beautifully. Unfortunately for Maddo he came out at probably the toughest time to bat which was against Rabada bowling 145 and above, under lights and swinging the ball.Being part of the squad for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee Series means Maxwell will not be playing in the Shield for Victoria next week in a pink-ball day-night game against Tasmania in Hobart. However, Maxwell said he would have been more concerned had he been missing a Shield game on a turning wicket at the SCG.Im looking more to the India series now having missed the boat for this Australian home summer, with the way that selections have gone, he said. Whether that comes from white-ball cricket or any sort of cricket Im playing, whether they come down and watch me at Fitzroy-Doncaster and see how Im going in club cricket it doesnt matter. ' ' '