Fantasy Basketball Pickups: De’Andre Hunter shines at MSG

In the Emirates NBA Cup, the Atlanta Hawks have proven to be “giant killers” to some extent, knocking out Boston and Cleveland to win their group and advance to the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, the Hawks added the Knicks to the list and stepped up the defensive effort in the second half to win 108-100. While De’Andre Hunter (41% on roster, Yahoo) didn’t contribute any defensive stats, his offensive production off the bench was massive.

Shooting 8-of-15 from the field and 4-of-6 from the foul line, he had a team-high 24 points and shot 4-of-5 from three. The lack of rebounds (one) was a bit disappointing, but Hunter’s production this season has been surprisingly good. He has provided 7th round value in 9-cat formats, just outside the top 75. While Zaccharie Risacher’s production has slowed recently, it may be in Atlanta’s best interest to keep Hunter in his current backup role. And the minutes will be there, with Hunter averaging nearly 29 minutes per game. game over the past three weeks.

Let’s look at a few more of Wednesday’s best pickups. The list includes players whose teams will be active on Thursday.

PG Payton Pritchard (54%), Boston Celtics

Pritchard has been productive enough to merit consideration in most standard leagues, and he could have added value based on the injury report released prior to Thursday’s game against the Pistons. Fellow reserve Sam Hauser (right adductor strain) is questionable to play, while Jayson Tatum (right patellar tendinopathy) is questionable. Even if Tatum plays against Detroit, Pritchard will be worth the risk. The Celtics also finish their week against the Wizards on Sunday night. Fantasy managers in leagues where Pritchard is available should strongly consider adding him.

SF/PF Tari Eason (51%), Houston Rockets (returned Wednesday)

Eason was back in the Rockets’ rotation after missing two games due to a stay in the NBA’s concussion protocol. That final stat line, nine points, seven rebounds, one assist and one 3-pointer in 24 minutes, won’t jump off the page. But Eason has delivered top-50 fantasy value this season at 23.0 minutes per game. match. He will have value for the rest of the season, starting with Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Thunder.

SG/SF Buddy Hield (48%), Golden State Warriors

Hield has started three of Golden State’s last four games, including Wednesday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup with the Rockets. He got going in the second half and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, two steals, three blocks and three 3-pointers in 35 minutes. Fantasy managers shouldn’t count on that defensive production moving forward, but Hield, as a starter, should be in far more Yahoo leagues. He also passed the 2,000 career 3-pointer mark, the 17th player in NBA history. The only concern is that Steve Kerr may have a lot more fiddling to do with his rotation. The Warriors will face the Mavericks on Sunday to close out their week.

C Yves Missi (36%), New Orleans Pelicans

Still drafted in less than 40% of Yahoo leagues, Missi is a rare player that fantasy managers should overlook at his current position due to situation. While his season-long fantasy ranking is outside the top 150, the rookie center has been a 9th round player over the last two weeks. In addition to the absence of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans will be without rarely used Karlo Matkovic (lower back spasms) for Thursday’s game against the Kings. That leaves Missi and Daniel Theis to handle center responsibilities, and the rookie has tightened his grip on the starting job in recent weeks.

SG/SF Ochai Agbaji (20%), Toronto Raptors

On Wednesday, it was announced that Scottie Barnes (right ankle sprain) will be out for “weeks” after being injured during Monday’s loss to the Knicks. Agbaji has been a fixture in the starting lineup since November 1st, and has provided value for the 10th round per. games in 9-cat formats, according to Basketball Monster. With Barnes and Immanuel Quickley (elbow) on the sidelines, Agbaji is one of the players well-positioned to take on more responsibility. Grady Dick (46%) would also qualify, and Kelly Olynyk (18%) should be in the mix when he plays without a minute restriction.

SG/SF/PF Brandon Boston Jr. (19%), New Orleans Pelicans

As mentioned above, the Pelicans won’t have Brandon Ingram or Zion Williamson for a while. Boston is the best non-Missi streaming option among those not already listed in a high percentage of Yahoo leagues. He has been a 9th round player in 9-cat formats since November 1st, averaging 29.7 minutes per game. game. Since Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum have been in the lineup together (Nov. 27), Boston has played 23.4 minutes. The decline hasn’t been sharp enough to completely discount him, especially with the fourth-year wing playing 28 minutes in Sunday’s loss to the Spurs. The positional versatility doesn’t hurt Boston in Yahoo leagues either.

PG/SG Davion Mitchell (4%), Toronto Raptors

With Scottie Barnes joining Immanuel Quickley on the sidelines, the Raptors will be short on playmakers for the foreseeable future. RJ Barrett will certainly benefit, but he’s already taken in 93% of Yahoo leagues. Mitchell hasn’t been a big fantasy option this season, but Barnes’ absence will boost the values ​​of several players, including “Off Night.” Deeper league leaders should keep an eye out Jonathan Mogbo (3%) and Yes’Kobe Walter (1%), especially in preparation for Week 8 (Yahoo leagues).