Now that it’s looking like I’ll likely lose in my championship matchup this week (boooooooooooo!), I guess it’s time to turn to helping you all out in your championship runs this week. By the way, please move your playoffs up to avoid all the silliness. It happened earlier this year, but I’m a strong proponent of just absolutely skipping the last month of the season as teams randomly sit people and rest up for their playoff pushes.
Anyways, do yourself a favor and take a look at the opponent you are up against. Identify the categories where you guys are close (so if you are both bad at winning a category or if you both are middling at a category or both good at winning a category) and stock up on guys to win those categories. Most leagues are nine category leagues, so remember you only need to win five of them.
That said, here are the guys coming up with a boatload of games, all under 50% owned on Yahoo! that can help you win specific categories.
Field Goal Percentage
Daniel Gafford (27% owned, 4 games)
Daniel Gafford has been getting more and more run at center for the Washington Wizards, and he deserves it. He had a miserable season with the Bulls, but ever since being traded to the Wizards he is averaging just a shade under 20 minutes per game and is shooting 68% from the field.
Juan Toscano-Anderson (2% owned, 4 games)
News just dropped that Kelly Oubre Jr. has a more serious injury than the injury report has been letting on. That means Juan Toscano-Anderson is in line for a bigger role for the foreseeable future and is worth a scoop in most leagues. He will be the only true forward in this grouping of players and he is averaging over 65% from the field over the last month.
Derrick Favors (7% owned, 4 games)
Derrick Favors is long past his prime, but he still has a solid role for the Utah Jazz. He can also contribute points, but the nice thing is that he won’t hurt you while shooting over 65% from the field over the last month. That trend should easily continue as he gets easy buckets down low.
Dwight Howard (19% owned, 4 games)
It seems like Dwight Howard is forever on these lists I make, and he is deserving of it even in a limited role on the 76ers. He’s not going to get more than 15-20 minutes in a game, but that means he will have limited turnovers while contributing near 60% field goal percentage to your fantasy squad.
Free Throw Percentage
Jeff Green (38% owned, 3 games)
Jeff Green is one of the few players on this list that only has three games, but he is still worth it for his ability to help you in a wide number of categories. Over his last five games, he is averaging 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He’s also shooting it 90% from the stripe, which is incredible for someone that gets there about four times a game.
Gary Harris (15% owned, 4 games)
Gary Harris is playing meaningless basketball in Orlando, but I mean I’m here for it. He’s been getting to the stripe 3.5 times a game for his new squad and hitting them at an 85.7% clip.
Theo Maledon (20% owned, 4 games?)
Who knows with the Thunder, but Theo Maledon seems to be one of the guys who is locked into minutes and… you know… actually playing at all. He’s shooting it 75.8% over the last month from the stripe and he gets there 3.9 times a game.
Three-Pointers Made
Reggie Bullock (35% owned, 4 games)
Reggie Bullock has been on a tear from beyond the arc all season basically, and he’s getting no love. He’s averaging 3.6 three-pointers per game over the last month. He gets some tough matchups here, but he should be able to give you a few threes per game since that’s his role on the Knicks.
Dorian Finney-Smith (46% owned, 4 games)
Dorian Finney-Smith has been playing so well since his child was born that it’s kinda crazy he’s not owned in more leagues. He’s hitting three of them per game over the last month and gets some juicy matchups this week against Brooklyn and Cleveland (twice!).
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (17% owned, 4 games)
The return of LeBron James might give you pause, but I’m here to tell you don’t let it! Kentavious Caldwell-Pope doesn’t necessarily need a ton of usage to contribute the one thing he does best: bang treys. It might be even better for him as he gets more open shots. He’s been on a heater of late and has averaged 2.9 threes a game over the last month.
Saddiq Bey (37% owned, 5 games)
It’s tank season in Detroit, and Saddiq Bey is a huge beneficiary! He gets five solid games here to put up threes and he has averaged 2.8 per game over the last month. You’re looking at about 14 threes from one guy for the week, which is gold!
Points
Josh Jackson (31% owned, 5 games)
As mentioned above, it’s tank season in Detroit, but it seems Josh Jackson is safe from the random DNPs. He averages 13.5 points on the season and he could put up huge games without Jerami Grant in the lineup. Go snatch him up, quickly! He’s no slouch from the free-throw line either and gets there at a fair clip.
Saddiq Bey (37% owned, 5 games)
What do you know, people who hit three-pointers also score a lot of points. Who would have thought? Bey is a prime streamer this week, so get a head start on your opponents and grab him NOW.
Reggie Bullock (35% owned, 4 games)
Wow, there must be a pattern here. He’s averaging 14.3 points over the last month on some red hot shooting. Snatch him up and win your league, fool!
Doug McDermott (11% owned, 4 games)
If there’s anything Doug McDermott can do, it’s score. Dougie Buckets has benefited from Myles Turner being on the sidelines as the Pacers have slid Domantas Sabonis to the center and played a bit more “small-ball” in general. The emergence of Oshae Brissett has thrown a bit of a wrench in that, but Dougie still has a clear goal on this Pacers squad: get buckets.
Rebounds
Moses Brown (36% owned, 4 games?)
We’re going to assume that Moses Brown gets four games here. Does he? Who the hell knows, but what we do know is that he can grab boards. His scoring and other stats will be up and down, but the boards will always be there. He’s averaging 8.8 boards per game over the last month.
Dwight Howard (19% owned, 4 games)
Here’s that guy again. He obviously was a big benefactor of Joel Embiid’s absence, but even with the MVP candidate back in the lineup over the past week, Dwight has averaged 8 boards per game. He’s a fantastic stream candidate for specific categories but beware of the free-throw percentage.
Royce O’Neale (26% owned, 4 games)
This often-overlooked player is a multi-category contributor that never ever hurts you. He’s averaging 8 boards over the last month and only one turnover. He’ll give you stats in every category, even the defensive ones.
Willy Hernangomez (6% owned, 4 games)
As long as Steven Adams remains on the sidelines, Willy Hernangomez will be the starting center besides Zion Williamson. And he’s honestly probably the better fit. He’s averaging 9.3 boards per game over the last week as a fill-in starter. Just keep an eye on Adams. If he returns, free Willy.
Assists
Killian Hayes (19% owned, 5 games)
After an unfortunate injury sidelined him early in the year, it’s looking like it’s going to be a strong finish for the rookie Killian Hayes. He gets five games this week on the only team getting that many games and he’s averaging 5.6 assists per game over the last month. [Son’s note: Detroit has two back-to-backs so Hayes could only play three games]
Rajon Rondo (4% owned, 3 games)
Rajon Rondo is the other guy on this list that only gets three games. That’s because he still managed 30 minutes even with Trae Young back in the fold, and he has proven in the past to be an absolute elite guy in this one category for fantasy. It’s risky, but if you take the plunge on Rondo you might just win your league. He has gotten 5 or more assists in each game since rejoining the lineup.
Tomas Satoransky (12% owned, 4 games)
There is some risk here as tank season is pretty much upon us in the Windy City, but the Bulls are insisting they are still trying to win. He’s averaging a shade under 5 assists per game over the last month and Zach LaVine *might* rejoin the team soon, which gives him another target for those dimes.
Facundo Campazzo (22% owned, 4 games)
Facundo Campazzo looks to be the big winner as Monte Morris is still out indefinitely with a hamstring injury. The updates on Morris don’t seem promising, so Facu should continue to see upwards of 30 minutes on the Nuggets. He has averaged 5.8 assists per game over the last two weeks without Jamal Murray and mostly without Monte Morris.
Steals
Kent Bazemore (9% owned, 4 games)
As mentioned above, the Tsunami Papi is expected to miss time, and possibly the rest of the season. That makes Kent Bazemore’s role in the lineup more solidified. Bazemore has averaged 2.5 steals over the last week, and on the season he contributes one per game, but that’s mostly in a smaller role.
Matisse Thybulle (16% owned, 4 games)
Matisse Thybulle is absolutely a defensive stud, and you can view him as a steals specialist for the time being. He averages 1.6 takeaways on the season and anytime Ben Simmons misses, he gets a considerable bump in value.
Killian Hayes (19% owned, 5 games)
There’s that man again. We’ve been here before. Five games, the kid is having a strong finish. You get the picture. He will get you dimes and steals a-plenty. [Son’s note: Detroit has two back-to-backs so Hayes could only play three games]
Patrick Williams (12% owned, 4 games)
Patrick Williams should see a big role on the Chicago Bulls whether they are tanking or trying to win. The 20-year-old has struggled to find a firm identity on the offensive end, but he has averaged 1.3 steals per game over the last month and that shouldn’t changed as he typically guards the opposing team’s best wing player night after night.
Blocks
Daniel Gafford (27% owned, 4 games)
Hey, we’ve seen this guy before too! He’s averaging just a shade under two blocks a game for his new ball club and they’ll be relying on him to fill a big void for them down the stretch. The center rotation in Washington can be wonky, so beware and be ready to drop at a moment’s notice, but he’s totally worth a flier.
Mo Bamba (38% owned, 4 games)
Finally, we get some Mo Bamba games! He hits threes and blocks shots, and the Magic have every incentive to play him 20+ minutes per night. He averages 1.5 blocks over the last month for the Magic without having to battle Nikola Vucevic for minutes.
Oshae Brissett (50% owned, 4 games)
If you would have said that Oshae Brissett would be relevant at all at the beginning of the season, you would have been called crazy. But here we are. He has come on strong the last few weeks and is averaging 2.3 blocks per game. There’s no timetable for the return of Myles Turner, so Brissett’s value should be safe.
Bismack Biyombo (4% owned, 4 games)
Bismack Biyombo has been a nice source of blocks all season, and nothing has changed. He might get the random DNP, but if you’re feeling risky he did put up five blocks in their last game. He averages 1.2 per game on the season.
