Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 14! There are still a few players in protocols, but we’re firmly on the back end of the recent spike in illness. While this is generally good news for all, it means I can no longer blame COVID for my faulty predictions and recommendations. On the other hand, I am enjoying the return to a time when my recommendations survived for more than two hours before being extinguished by the latest round of mass testing. I’m not ready to declare “ops normal” just yet, as the situation is still fluid, but things are headed in the right direction. Regardless of what’s going on in the background, my goal is to provide you with the best widely available streaming options in hopes of giving you an edge in your head-to-head category matchups.
After extended absences, Kelly Olynyk and Alex Caruso returned last night and played well. Unless their respective skill sets don’t jive with your build or you need immediate production, I’d look to add them ahead of the guys profiled below. Caruso was playing at a top 70 level before he went out on the strength of his steal and assist numbers, and Olynyk is capable of achieving that level, especially while Jerami Grant is out. Both are still available in a large percentage of leagues after falling off the radar.
This week’s schedule poses some challenges for streaming. If you’re in a competitive league, there’s likely already been a run on Suns, Pacers, and Warriors players due to those teams playing on Thursday and/or Saturday. As you’ll see below, injuries are creating some opportunities for guys on all three squads. Though the Warriors are the only team with three remaining games, the Cavs, Timberwolves, Pelicans, and Kings play only one more game.
Here are the players I’m watching and adding to close out the week.
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Three Category Contributors
- Onyeka Okongwu (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): Okongwu continues to perform his best Clint Capela impression while the Hawks’ starter is sidelined with an ankle issue. The expectation is that Capela will return this weekend, but a firm return date remains elusive. As long as Okongwu is the starter, we can expect similar lines to Wednesday’s big outing, when he put up 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 5 blocks on 63% shooting (Plays Fri, Sun).
- JaVale McGee / Bismack Biyombo (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): If you’re picking up one of these guys before the Suns announce Deandre Ayton’s status today, I recommend playing it safe and grabbing McGee. However, if you can afford to wait and Ayton is in fact ruled out, then either center has value. Although McGee started on Tuesday in Ayton’s absence, he split the center minutes with Biyombo, who finished the game with the bigger line (17/14 with a block on 80% shooting) (Play Thurs, Sat).
- Terence Davis (Points, Threes, Steals): Despite only playing one more game to close out the week, Davis deserves mention here due to his performance as a starter. In the two games since Tyrese Haliburton entered COVID-19 protocols, he posted 17 and 35 points with 9 total threes and 5 total steals. Historically, he’s demonstrated the ability to collected steals even in limited playing time, so don’t hesitate to stream him as a one-off for Saturday’s low-volume slate, especially if it becomes evident that Haliburton’s absence will stretch into next week (Plays Sat).
- Ayo Dosunmu (Points, Assists, Steals): It looks like we’ll see at least three more high usage games for Ayo. Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball both have sketchy return timelines even beyond this current road trip, so pick Dosunmu up if he’s still available and enjoy the ride! (Plays Fri, Sun).
Two Category Contributors
- Kessler Edwards (Threes, Blocks): He is garnering big minutes as a starter in the wake of Kevin Durant’s knee injury, but this week’s production will be impacted by the presence of Kyrie Irving. I expect Kessler’s scoring to tick up when Irving returns to the bench for the Nets’ home games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Even with the current constraints on his usage, Edwards is averaging 1.8 threes, 1.2 steals, and 0.8 blocks in his previous 5 starts (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Darius Bazley (Rebounds, Blocks): The production remains limited, but the Thunder play on Saturday, which automatically increases Bazley’s value as a streamer. If you can absorb the hit to your percentages, Bazley is a solid option as someone who can knock down a three or two in addition to providing six rebounds and a block per game (Plays Fri, Sat).
- Goga Bitadze (Rebounds, Blocks): After a disappointing outing on Wednesday in which Goga played just three minutes, he gets another opportunity to step up tonight with Myles Turner already out and Domantas Sabonis now doubtful to play. In 24 minutes on Monday, Bitadze poured in 17 points, 1 three, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. In spot starts last season, he posted excellent rebounding and block numbers while consistently knocking down threes (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Chris Duarte (Threes, Steals): Malcolm Brogdon’s long-awaited return didn’t dent Duarte’s playing time last night, though Brogdon was limited to 26 minutes in the win. I imagine Duarte will be one of the losers as Brogdon climbs back up to his season average of 34 MPG, but in the meantime, Duarte is a reliable three and D provider (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Jonathan Kuminga (Rebounds): In 25 minutes per game over his past four games, Kuminga averaged 17.8 points, 1.5 threes, and 6.8 rebounds. It appears that Draymond Green’s starting job is his to lose going forward, and Otto Porter’s day-to-day status may free up even more minutes at forward (Plays Thurs, Fri, Sun).
- Kevon Looney (Rebounds, Blocks): The unheralded aspect of Looney’s game is his ability to get assists as a low-usage big. This is becoming increasingly easy to do after the reunification of the Splash Brothers, but credit where credit’s due. In his last eight games, Looney collected 10 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 0.8 blocks per contest (Plays Thurs, Fri, Sun).
One Category Contributors
- Cameron Payne (Assists): Anyone else remember when Chris Paul never made it through a season without missing a month’s worth of games? Somewhere along the way, he replaced his glass jaw with an iron one, and is now impervious to both injury and illness! Despite the restrictions associated with being CP3’s backup, Cam Payne is still averaging close to four assists per game. He plays and produces more in blowouts, and Saturday’s game against the Pacers may present such an opportunity (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Cory Joseph (Assists): Killian Hayes’ injury is unlikely to be a long-term issue, but Joseph is a target if Killian sits Friday’s game out. Joseph played 37 minutes on Wednesday, pitching in 19 points, 2 threes, and 9 dimes. The scoring is shaky and his recent high three point production is uncharacteristic, but you can count on the assists (Plays Fri, Sun).
Hit me up in the comments with any questions or feedback. Best of luck!
