It was a relatively quiet Saturday night in the league and sadly, it’s resulted in not too many players standing out as worthwhile pickups. We’re not going to bother recommending shots in the dark here. There are far too few games left in the NBA restart to be up for that kind of a gamble.

The percentage beside each player’s name is their ownership in Yahoo! prior to the hiatus due to the pandemic, so those should be a bit higher, if you’re in a restart league – given that eight teams were excluded and their players could not be drafted.

As usual, we’re only going to pay close attention to players with less than (50%) ownership.

Next Week’s Schedule

Teams with 4 games next week: (3 in first 4 days): DEN, IND, LAL, MIA

Other teams with 4 games next week: BOS, BKN, LAC, MEM, NOR, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS[wpdiscuz-feedback id=”p2zbifge1r” question=”Have you signed up for a MyBookie account yet? Visit https://bit.ly/MYB-Hoopball and use code HOOPBALL for a fat bonus. THEN, enter a comment here with the last 2 digits of your MyBookie account number for a chance at a free HB Fantasy Draft Guide” opened=”1″][/wpdiscuz-feedback]

Kelly Olynyk, PF/C (29%)

Saturday: 24 MIN, 20 PTS (8-of-12 FGs), 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 4 3PM, 2 TO, WIN (off the bench)

Olynyk was far and away the best player off the Heat bench this evening. If you’re still stuck with memories of him producing lackluster lines brought on by lethargic performances before the hiatus, then wipe those clean. His poor performance was attributed to nagging minor aches and overall fatigue caused by his participation in the FIBA World Cup before the season began. Now that Olynyk has had over four and a half months to get some quality rest, he’s fresh and ready to produce late mid-round value. 

Recommendation: 10-12 Team Leagues

Monte Morris, PG (9%)

Saturday: 28 MIN, 13 PTS (3-of-7 FGs, 7-of-8 FTs), 3 REB, 5 AST, 3 TO, LOSS (starter)

Morris was a big beneficiary of the absence of Jamal Murray, who was out due to a sore left hamstring. Morris started in his stead and was able to produce a more than respectable line. That said, Morris’ value only stays afloat while Murray remains sidelined. Consider him a short-term infusion of assists and some points with good free throw shooting accuracy.

Recommendation: 16-18 Team Leagues

Jerami Grant, SF/PF (37%)

Saturday: 26 MIN, 19 PTS (7-of-14 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 3PM, 3 TO, LOSS (off the bench)

Grant came off the bench in this game but it didn’t matter as he was still able to find a way to get his, as you can see from what he compiled tonight. Paul Millsap was underwhelming in his 28 minutes as the starting power forward and is also a strong candidate to be rested down the stretch, something that adds to Grant’s appeal.

Recommendation: 10-12 Team Leagues

Torrey Craig, SG/SF (1%)

Saturday: 28 MIN, 10 PTS, (4-of-7 FGs), 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 1 3PM, LOSS (starter)

Craig drew the start tonight, with the Nuggets missing starters Will Barton (knee soreness) and Gary Harris (sore hip). Craig has i able to bring a well-rounded stat line to the table when given ample minutes, but he’s definitely not someone to consider as a long-term asset. He’s more of deep-league guy who will get some opportunities to produce while the other two swingmen are on the shelf.

Recommendation: 16-18 Team Leagues

Aaron Holiday, PG (5%)

Saturday: 34 MIN, 15 PTS (5-of-10 FGs, 4-of-5 FTs), 5 REB, 10 AST, 1 TO, WIN (starter)

Holiday was a fantastic fill-in starter for the Pacers and competently handle ball distribution with his 10 dimes tonight. He shined thanks to the absence of Malcolm Brogdon (neck). That said, Holiday is still a player to consider holding onto even if and when finally makes his debut in the NBA restart. Holiday has been a starter on several occasions for the Pacers this season and is a solid choice if you’re in need to some points, threes and assists.

Recommendation: 10-12 Team Leagues

Justin Holiday, SG/SF (14%)

Saturday: 38 MIN, 6 PTS (2-of-9 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), 2 REB, 2 AST, 4 STL, 1 3PM, 1 TO, WIN (starter)

Holiday is not much to look at, especially if your gaze settles on his poor shooting accuracy from the field. That said, what you’re after from tonight’s line is his four steals – something that’s quite hard to come by in most FA pools. He is what he is, a low-end 3-and-D guy, who does sting your FG% every so often, but expecting him to average over a steal and a half per game ROS is not out of the question.

Recommendation: 14-16 Team Leagues

T.J. McConnell, PG (2%)

Saturday: 17 MIN, 10 PTS (3-of-6 FGs, 4-of-4 FTs), 3 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, WIN (off the bench)

McConnell is pretty much an assist specialist at this point. Well, actually, he’s been that way for the majority of the season. That said, those eight assists and two steals and solid shooting are looking mighty tempting at this point. However, keep in mind, like Aaron Holiday, McConnell benefitted from the absence of Malcolm Brogdon. On the other hand, his 17 minutes is in the neighborhood of his par for the season, so he will get his and he doesn’t need a lot of time on the floor to get ’em.

Recommendation: 16-18 Team Leagues