Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 21! The playoffs are in full swing across the fantasy hoops landscape, meaning it’s time to cut injured players who are acting as proverbial millstones around your team’s neck and go streaming! This post will help you do just that, with recommendations for widely available players who can backfill those injured drops and contribute to your victory. If you’re in the enviable position of having a fully-healthy team, two things: 1) I hate you 2) You can still benefit from these suggestions, because you should be using at least one roster spot to cycle through players and maximize your games played for the week.
Last week, I whiffed on Trendon Watford, who broke out in a big way. Hopefully you were able to benefit from the roll he’s on. It remains to be seen if he can sustain that level of production, given the return of Justise Winslow. One thing is certain: the Blazers continue to be a tanking mess, making them intriguing from a fantasy perspective. As a result, you’ll find several Portland players mentioned below.
The NBA didn’t exactly make it easy on the fantasy hoops finalists when they made the schedule for Week 21. No teams have three games remaining for the week. The Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Warriors, Clippers, Heat, Bucks, and Timberwolves have only one game left in the matchup. The mighty Pistons play on Thursday and Saturday, which significantly elevates the value of any available player in a Detroit uniform who plays more than 15 MPG. With that context in mind, here are the players I’m watching and adding this week.
Three Category Contributors
- Moritz Wagner (Threes, Rebounds, FG%): If you’re wondering why the title of this week’s post is in German, I present to you the inspiration for this decision: Mo Wagner. According to Google Translate, it means “Time to Add Wagner,” though it could mean “I’m an Uncultured Moron” or “Add Wagner Time” for all I know. Along with every bench player on the Pistons and Magic, Mo is suddenly a hot commodity for Thursday. Chuma Okeke is already listed as out and Wendell Carter Jr. may be the next domino to fall on the Orlando injury report. We’re looking at the potential for a very productive night from this per-minute beast (Plays Thurs, Sun).
- Drew Eubanks (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): Can Eubank on his production going forward? Three straight games of 30 or more minutes indicates that it’s an increasingly safe proposition. The biggest risk for adding a Trail Blazer remains the possibility of a blowout on any given night, and the resulting playing time chaos (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Patrick Beverley (Assists, Steals, Blocks): Can this guy string together more than two games? The latest injury: ear contusion. At least we know it’s real, because who would make that up? When he’s out there, he’s fantasy gold, as evidenced by season averages of 1.5 threes, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks. He played on Wednesday, so there’s a good chance we see him during Saturday’s low-volume slate, barring another ailment, of course! (Plays Sat).
- Mason Plumlee (Rebounds, Assists, Blocks): Plumlee’s minute totals in his last eight games range from 17 to 30. Still, he’s finding ways to contribute in at least one of his categorical strengths every night. Steer well clear if you can’t afford to have your FT% murdered. When it comes to that category, Plumlee has one mission… (Plays Sat).
Two Category Contributors
- Brandon Williams (Points, Assists): He’s now had multiple games of usage in the low-30s, and is putting up respectable counting stats – 16 points, 1.4 threes, 3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 5 starts. With Anfernee Simons out through the end of the week, you can rest assured that the playing time will be there. There is some downside, however, because when it comes to your percentages, Williams has one mission… (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Donte Divincenzo (Threes, Steals): Donte rewarded my plug last week with two consecutive empty outings in which he played sub-20 minutes. Then, we got another glimpse of what could be when he played meaningful minutes on Monday and Wednesday. If we receive solid indications that he’ll continue to be featured in the Kings’ lineup, he’s an add (Plays Fri, Sun).
- Killian Hayes (Assists, Steals): The Pistons possess the best fantasy schedule for week 21, thanks to the fact that they play on each low-volume day. While there are teams that possess worse streaming options, they’re few and far between. At any rate, we work with what we’ve got, and Hayes is averaging 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals on the season (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Kris Dunn (Assists, Steals): Long time no see, Mr. Dunn. We don’t have much of a sample size, but he is giving us the Dunn special with a total of ten assists and three steals after two games (Plays Fri, Sun).
One Category Contributors
- Isaiah Livers (Threes): I told you it was slim pickings on the Pistons. Livers presents as a good three-point streamer, especially if Cade Cunningham misses additional time (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- Cory Joseph (Assists): I keep waiting for Joseph to be phased out of the rotation, and he keeps averaging 25 MPG. If you need assists on those low-volume days, he averaged 3.6 over his past 7 games (Plays Thurs, Sat).
- RJ Hampton (Assists): It’s really hard to pin down Hampton’s strengths, but with Jalen Suggs already ruled out for Thursday, he has another opportunity to start and provide some dimes with a side of threes (Plays Thurs, Sun).
Hit me up in the comments with any questions or feedback. Best of luck!
