No team is undefeated or winless heading into Week 4 and the injuries haven’t really let up. Fantasy basketball managers who patiently waited for Kon Knueppel’s debut were quickly disappointed after he lasted less than 10 minutes before aggravating his hamstring injury. Then, Keyonte George left Sunday’s contest after suffering an ankle injury.
There’s tons of players questionable to start the week, so let’s get to the players I’m focusing on who are under 50% rostered on Yahoo.
🎧 Who’s in My Rotation
Shallow leagues (30%-50% rostered)
Kris Dunn – PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers – (46% rostered)
Dunn will eventually be traded, but until then, make sure he’s not on waivers. He is chipping in across the board, averaging 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in 30.4 minutes. He’s recorded multiple steals in six of eight games. The Clippers’ backcourt has underwhelmed outside of Dunn, so the minutes will continue to be there. He’s posting 31 FPPG in High Score and will be worth streaming (at minimum) on Tuesday at Phoenix. I’d still grab and hold regardless of schedule.
Aaron Wiggins – SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks – (42% rostered)
Atlanta’s newest weapon is off to a hot start, averaging 14.9 points and nearly 3 3s in 26 minutes per game. On Saturday, Wiggins went for 20 points with 5 3s, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal in a win over Brooklyn, tying his season high in points and setting one in assists. He’s been a top-100 player in 9-cat through four weeks and is a strong source of points, 3s and steals with a low turnover rate.
Brayden Burries – SG, Milwaukee Bucks – (35% rostered)
The rookie has started three straight games over Ryan Rollins, making him a must-add. He put up a career-high 21 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and a block in 38 minutes in Friday’s loss to Toronto. As a starter, he’s averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. His shooting has been rough (42.6% from the field), so his production comes from his ability to generate counting stats in the core categories. Milwaukee plays four times, with the first two being a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back. Add him before it’s too late.
Tari Eason – SF/PF, Houston Rockets – (36% rostered)
Eason is a stocks specialist who can provide at least six boards a night. He continues to struggle with his shot for the second straight season; however, he’s getting to the line at a higher rate this year, knocking down 93% of his attempts. He’ll be a top-100 player in 9-cat as soon as he starts hitting more shots. He’s rosterable in most leagues and any injury would boost him into must-roster status.
Aday Mara – C, Oklahoma City Thunder – (45% rostered)
Mara has started in two of the last four games and is trending up as one of the league’s top rim protectors. He had his most productive offensive game in a win over Washington on Saturday, putting up 18 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting, with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Mara has already established himself as an elite shot-blocker: opponents are shooting only 53.8% against him in the restricted area, the lowest mark among all players who have contested at least 80 shots down low. He should be well over 50% rostered by now, so grab him for what he brings in rebounds, blocks and the occasional 3.
Grayson Allen – SG, Charlotte Hornets – (34% rostered)
Getting Allen is all about the injury wave hitting Charlotte. With Knueppel out at least four weeks, and Brandon Miller and Dennis Schroder ruled out for Monday’s clash against the Cavs, Allen will see more shot volume and usage to start the week. The latter two may not be back by Thursday, so it could be a busy week for the nine-year vet. Charlotte plays on Monday, Thursday at Phoenix and Sunday at the Clippers. Allen is better for 9-cat and should help fantasy managers in points and 3s.
Deeper leagues (under 30% rostered)
Morez Johnson Jr. – PF/C, Dallas Mavericks – (25% rostered)
The rookie forward had his first career double-double Friday, with 13 points, 17 rebounds (10 offensive), 2 assists, a steal and a block in 24 minutes against Utah. That was Johnson’s coming-out party. Sunday’s performance wasn’t nearly as impactful: he scored 4 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but he was a plus-7. Dallas plays on Monday, then closes the week playing three games in four nights, including a Saturday-Sunday back-to-back. If Santi Aldama sits, Johnson could be even more productive.
Kingston Flemings – PG, Atlanta Hawks – (21% rostered)
Flemings has started at point guard for the Hawks in the past three games, passing CJ McCollum on the depth chart. As a starter, his minutes are up to 24 per game—four more than when he came off the bench—and he’s getting a couple more shot attempts while maintaining efficiency. He’s connecting on 61% of his field goals and hitting two 3s a game at a 50% clip. That level of shooting isn’t sustainable, but it’s a promising start for the rookie PG. He’s also posting around a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Despite being in a timeshare with McCollum, Flemings should just be streamed; he’s a hold.
Mario Hezonja – SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers – (19% rostered)
The journeyman has stepped up as a key piece of the Cavs’ rotation, providing the high-IQ connection off the bench they’ve needed. In four games in November, his minutes (24), points (9.8), and rebounds (7.8) are all up as he’s established himself as a core member of the rotation. Before Saturday’s clunker, he had a three-game stretch where he put up at least 12 points and 8 rebounds in Week 3. The Cavs play four times this week—Hezonja could find his way into lineups in at least three of those games.
Jamal Shead – PG, Toronto Raptors – (14% rostered)
Shead started Friday with Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) out and had 10 points, a career-high 16 assists and 2 steals in a win over Milwaukee. It was his sixth straight game with at least 6 assists, and he’s averaging 6.6 per game while playing 25 minutes or less in all but one of his nine games. Quickley is questionable Monday, which is the thing to watch. Toronto plays four times, including Thursday in Philly. Add Shead for the assists and more should IQ or Scottie Barnes miss additional time.
Walter Clayton Jr. – PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks – (6% rostered)
Clayton was one of the most-added players on Yahoo last week. Dallas plays Thursday at Minnesota and Saturday at Cleveland, so he’s a way to get volume on lighter slates. The former first-round pick has been far more productive with the Mavs than at any point in his brief Grizzlies’ tenure. In his last three games, he’s put up decent numbers, averaging 13-4-3 with 50/47/88 shooting splits. Playing three games in four nights to close out the week makes it likely Kyrie Irving will rest in at least one of those contests.
Oso Ighodaro – C, Phoenix Suns – (10% rostered)
Ighodaro started the past two games for the Suns over Khaman Maluach. The numbers haven’t translated to starter-level, but given the Suns’ favorable schedule, he’s worth a stream if you need assists and boards at center. Oso’s usage, block and rebounding rates are on pace toward career bests, but it’s been just six games. Either way, playing 20 minutes on two lighter slates on Tuesday and Thursday should net some counting stats for fantasy managers in deep leagues.
Watching and Considering
Isaiah Collier, PG/SG, Utah Jazz (6% rostered)
Meleek Thomas, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (5% rostered)
Naji Marshall, SG/SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks (30% rostered)
Jared McCain, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder (39% rostered)
Jaxson Hayes, C, Utah Jazz (19% rostered)
Max Strus, SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers (15% rostered)
Malik Monk, PG/SG, Sacramento Kings (10% rostered)
Week 4 Schedule
We’re back to a normal week, with 51 games and only one double-digit slate, Wednesday with 10. Thursday (4), Saturday (5) and Tuesday (6) are the lightest nights, so that’s where streaming works best.
Day
Games
Monday
8
Tuesday
6
Wednesday
10
Thursday
4
Friday
9
Saturday
5
Sunday
9
Teams to target
Four games (14): Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Indiana, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah and Washington.
Best streaming spots:
Tuesday and Thursday – Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns
Options: Collin Gillespie, Anfernee Simons
Tuesday and Saturday: Miami Heat.
Options: Pelle Larsson, Klay Thompson
Thursday and Saturday: Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves
Options: Zaccarie Risacher, Morez Johnson Jr., Walter Clayton Jr., Naji Marshall
Three games in four nights (Mon-Thu): Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards
Three games in four nights (Thu-Sun): Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks
Back-to-backs and rest risks
Six teams play Tuesday and Wednesday (Milwaukee, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland and Utah). Toronto and Washington play Wednesday and Thursday, Cleveland, Memphis, Miami and New Orleans play Friday and Saturday, Dallas plays Saturday and Sunday and Phoenix plays Monday and Tuesday.
Rest is a risk on the second night for older or banged-up stars, with Kyrie Irving (Dallas, Saturday and Sunday), Anthony Davis (Washington, Wednesday and Thursday) and James Harden (Cleveland, Friday and Saturday) the main ones to watch. Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard have no back-to-backs this week, so rest isn’t a concern for them from the schedule alone.
Teams to avoid for streaming (barring notable injuries)
Three games, two of them on the heavy Wednesday, Friday and Sunday slates: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Golden State, the Clippers, the Lakers, Orlando, Portland and Sacramento.
Two games: Brooklyn and Minnesota. The Nets play on Wednesday and Saturday — too much of a gap in games played. The Timberwolves, while playing only two games, happen to fall on two of the lighter slates on Thursday and Saturday. I wouldn’t hold any fringe Wolves players since their first game isn’t until midweek.
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