Welcome to your midweek guidance for week 12! The trajectory of your matchup should be starting to take shape in terms of your team’s category strengths and weaknesses. It’s time to grab the win! To help get you over the top, I’ve identified some players who are excelling in common punt strategies.
If you see a player listed across multiple formats below, he’s worth a closer look. Keep in mind that these suggestions are primarily for streaming towards the end of close matchups. If there is a player that I believe is a long-term option for 12-team leagues, I will specify that in the write up. Otherwise, I only recommend adding these players if you have an obvious drop candidate.
The players listed below have two or more games remaining in the current week and are rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues.
Strategy 1: Punt Threes, Assists, FT%
– Kelly Olynyk (ESPN 42%, Yahoo 53%): Fifth-ranked player overall in his last five games. The staying power of this guy… The role will decrease with Bam Adebayo back in action, but if Kelly is available, pick him up and ride out the hot streak. He won’t hurt you in any categories (Plays Fri & Sun).
– Dwight Howard (ESPN 22%, Yahoo 34%): If you’re reading this portion of the post, you’re likely in a hopeless FT% situation. Dwight provides the consummate big man stats: boards, blocks, and a boost in FG%. He’s a low-end 12-team add for the duration of Joel Embiid’s absence (Plays Sat & Sun).
– Moses Brown (ESPN 9%, Yahoo 26%): If you can afford to jettison someone from your roster and are in need of boards and blocks, Brown is a worthy pickup through the trade deadline. With trade rumors swirling around Al Horford, Brown looks poised to benefit the most if more minutes become available in the Thunder frontcourt (Plays Thurs & Sun).
– Nerlens Noel (ESPN 17%, Yahoo 51%): If I’ve learned one thing about Noel from his extended time in the starting lineup, it’s that his floor is a lot higher than his ceiling. I suppose it doesn’t help when Tom Thibodeau occasionally plays the husk of Taj Gibson more minutes than Noel at center. Nevertheless, he hovers around the top 100 even when he averages 20 minutes per contest, so there’s very little risk in adding him if you need rebounds, steals, and blocks (Plays Thurs & Sun).
– Kenyon Martin Jr. (ESPN 26%, Yahoo 42%): The Rockets are currently riddled with injuries and rest requirements, so it is difficult to figure out what is real and what is fleeting in terms of player production. Martin looks to be trustworthy in the short term after playing more than 28 minutes in each of his games since returning from injury. Points, rebounds, and blocks are his strengths (Plays Fri & Sun).
– Isaiah Stewart (ESPN 6%, Yahoo 12%): For now, Stewart is strictly a deep league add, as you can only count on him to move the needle in blocks, rebounds, and low volume FG%. He seems to have carved out a 20 minute per game role, which increases in blowouts… and there are many blowouts (Plays Fri & Sun).
Strategy 2: Punt Rebounds, Steals, Assists
– Nathan Knight (ESPN 1%, Yahoo 1%): Pay attention to Clint Capela’s status for Atlanta’s remaining games this week. Over the past two games, Knight soaked up minutes at center and averaged 15.5 points, 1 three, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on excellent efficiency (Plays Thurs & Sat).
– Rudy Gay (ESPN 14%, Yahoo 21%): Dwight Howard… Rudy Gay… Yes, it’s 2021, but you can run back a portion of the 2011 fantasy all-star squad if you find yourself in a position to grab them both (Plays Fri & Sat).
– Jaylen Nowell (ESPN 7%, Yahoo 11%): Nowell emerged as a scoring and three-point shooting threat over the past four games. Time will tell if the 60% shooting from the field is sustainable, but he has a streaming-friendly schedule if you need a points boost (Plays Thurs & Fri).
– Nerlens Noel
– Moses Brown
Strategy 3: Punt Rebounds, Blocks, FG%
– De’Anthony Melton (ESPN 17%, Yahoo 24%): Melton is locked in for twenty minutes per game, which gives him enough run to provide D stats and a three or two on excellent efficiency. If there’s an injury in the Grizzly backcourt, he’s the one to pick up (Plays Fri & Sun).
– Cameron Payne (ESPN 1%, Yahoo 2%): Buyer beware: Payne is shooting 66% over his past four games. Though he’s dramatically increased his shooting accuracy this year, that number is bound to come back to earth. Even so, he is a good source of threes and assists in addition to being the only player on this list with three remaining games this week (Plays Thurs, Fri, & Sun).
– Tomas Satoransky (ESPN 12%, Yahoo 18%): Welp, Coby White appears to be destined for a microwave role off the bench. This is good news for Satoransky, who provides under-the-radar value whenever he starts. You should expect threes, assists, steals, and solid percentages when you add him (Plays Fri & Sun).
– Jordan Poole (ESPN 3%, Yahoo 8%): Stephen Curry exited Wednesday’s game early with an injury, so there might be more minutes available for Golden State’s guard cadre when they take the floor on Friday & Saturday. Poole is currently not a punt FG% guy, as he’s hitting 54% of his shots from the field over the past five games in addition to averaging 19 points and 3.4 threes (Plays Fri & Sat).
Strategy 4: Punt Points, Assists, Rebounds
– Matisse Thybulle (ESPN 5%, Yahoo 12%): Likely a fixture in this strategy from week to week, Thybulle is a master of helping your team win ugly. His recent numbers are skewed higher by a Ben Simmons absence, but he appears safe at 20 minutes per game. It’s difficult to find fringe 1/1/1 production anywhere else on the waiver wire, and the Sixers’ schedule is perfect for end-of-matchup streaming (Plays Sat & Sun).
– De’Anthony Melton
Strategy 5: Punt Points, Assists, Steals
– Maxi Kleber (ESPN 5%, Yahoo 19%): While the output volume can be frustratingly low for the amount of minutes he receives, Kleber is on the floor to hit threes, rebound, and guard the rim. You can expect his fantasy lines to reflect this reality (Plays Fri & Sun).
– Moses Brown
– Nerlens Noel
If you’re simply looking to pick up additional games and none of the above players are available or helpful, take a look at players on teams with three remaining games this week: Lakers, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers.
There are hundreds of matchup scenarios, so hit me up in the comments section if you want more feedback on your team’s direction for the week. Best of luck!
