Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 22! In this post, I identify under-rostered players who can help your team as streamers or long-term adds. The ravages of tanking, phantom injuries, and real injuries are undoubtedly taking their toll on your squad. I commend anyone with the intestinal fortitude to play fantasy hoops into late-March or April. That being said, there are a lot of opportunities out there as we head down the stretch.
In the “late news breaking” category, Ja Morant was just listed as out for tonight’s game against Indiana. This SHOULD boost the value of De’Anthony Melton and Tyus Jones, so look to them for those elusive assists.
The Pelicans and Wizards play three more games this week, so you can potentially lean on relatively low-volume producers like Raul Neto and Jose Alvarado as an alternative source of dimes. On the flip side, the Hawks, Celtics, Clippers, Lakers, Thunder, Magic, Kings, and Spurs have only one remaining contest. Against that backdrop, these are the other players I would be watching and adding to close out the matchup, if I still had a matchup to play (single tear).
Four Category Contributor
- Davion Mitchell (Points, Threes, Assists, Steals): 2021-22 taught us that Mitchell can be a fantasy dynamo when given the opportunity. He logged 47 minutes on Sunday, turning in a 28-point, 9-assist, and 4 three pointer performance. As usual, the Kings have nothing to play for in March/April, so we may see De’Aaron Fox sit more games, which would keep the good times rollin’ for Mitchell (Plays Sat).
Three Category Contributor
- Damian Jones (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): Unlike Mitchell and Tre Mann, Jones doesn’t necessarily have the nightly upside to warrant an add if you need more than one game out of a player. At the same time, he is capable of helping as a streamer on Saturday, and the extended absences of Domantas Sabonis and Richaun Holmes are paving the way for solid production heading into next week. If you are brave enough to play into April, Jones is primed for an enhanced role (Plays Sat).
- Isaiah Roby (Rebounds, Steals, Blocks): After a four-game dip, Roby is back to putting up solid numbers. In three consecutive starts this week, he averaged eight rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks (Plays Sat).
Two Category Contributors
- Goga Bitadze (FG%, Blocks): Upon first glance, I thought that Goga’s production would be highly correlated to Isaiah Jackson’s status. It turns out this is not necessarily the case, as Bitadze’s minutes were relatively stable in the low-20s before Jackson went out. All that to say, his 16.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 72% shooting over the last 6 games are a byproduct of starting in place of Jackson, but he’s not dead weight when he plays off the bench (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Oshae Brissett (Threes, Rebounds): Fairly consistent playing time (27.8 MPG) across his past six outings has resulted in averages of 1.8 threes and 7 rebounds per game (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Otto Porter Jr. (Threes, Steals): OPJ is performing his best Dennis Rodman impression, averaging 11.3 rebounds over a 3 game span. While that’s likely unsustainable, he should continue to see elevated minutes with Steph Curry out. On the downside, there is a risk in adding him for Sunday, since he is typically rests one end of back-to-back sets (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Obi Toppin (Rebounds, FG%): If Obi can draw another start on Friday in place of Julius Randle, he’s a solid add. He put up a solid line of 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and a 1/1/1 on 73% shooting on Wednesday against the Hornets (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Tre Mann (Points, Threes): The most encouraging aspect of Mann’s hot-streak is that he’s producing big numbers with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the lineup. He matched SGA’s minutes on Monday, scoring 35 points in that effort. The 31 MGP he’s put in over his last 7 contests do not appear to be an aberration (Plays Sat).
- Dwight Powell (Rebounds, FG%): It brings me no joy to admit that one of this post’s favorites, Maxi Kleber, has been decisively overtaken by Dwight Powell. True to form for a Mavs big, he’s prone to inconsistent play, but he’s the best thing going in the Dallas frontcourt right now (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Nicolas Claxton (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): Even with Andre Drummond in the lineup, Claxton’s minutes have settled into the mid-20s, giving him enough time to put up 10.4 points, 6.9 boards, and 1.3 blocks on 68% shooting over his last 7 games. The weekend back-to-back set gives his streaming value a boost (Plays Sat, Sun).
- Killian Hayes (Assists, Steals): It’s lean times out there for assist providers, so you might have to obliterate your FG% to find dimes (Plays Fri, Sun).
One Category Contributors
- Reggie Bullock (Threes): After a solid six-game run in January/February, Reggie became a boom/bust candidate. The one thing he does consistently is knock down threes, however, so add him with relative confidence if you’re in a dead heat for that category (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Cody Martin (Steals): Ill-timed no-show performances are the risk with Martin, but he’s a reliable thief who will chip in a block every so often. In 23.9 minutes over his last 7 games, he averaged 1.1 steals (Plays Fri, Sun).
Hit me up in the comments with any questions or feedback. Best of luck!
