News Items

Russell Westbrook has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, so Jeff Green, who has been quite effective off the bench for the Rockets’ last couple of games might be up for another strong night.

While Nerlens Noel failed to impress the last time Steven Adams missed a game due to a bruised lower left leg, he’s still worth a reasonably quantifiable gamble, given that Adams is slated to miss Sunday’s contest.

He’s pretty much a long-shot to bring  late-round value, but with Richaun Holmes slated to miss Sunday’s game, Alex Len could wind up being a short-term play in  16-18 team leagues.

SCHEDULE OUTLOOK

Teams with SAT/SUN back-to-back this week: LAC, POR
Possible Targets: Marcus Morris (55%), Ivica Zubac (23%), Gary Clark (6%)

Teams with SUN/MON back-to-back this week: OKC, SAS
Possible Targets: Lonnie Walker IV (1%), Keldon Johnson (0%), Nerlens Noel (33%), Darius Bazley (0%)

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Ok. So, we’re not going to insult you or the people you play against by recommending Gary Trent Jr. at this point, because he’s officially must-own right now and should not be on any waiver wires everywhere. That said, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention GTJ in a Pickups article, so there you go. The same can be said of Jordan Clarkson and Jerami Grant, who really shouldn’t be on any waiver wires at this point.

All of the following players are at below 50% ownership in Yahoo! leagues, but again, as our regular caveat, these are based off the pre-hiatus statistics.

Ivica Zubac, C, LA Clippers 

Friday: 25 MIN, 9 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, WIN (Started)

Zubac failed to record a block tonight, which is a bummer, but he’s worth using as rebounding specialist while Montrezl Harrell is away from the team.

Recommendation: 14-16 team leagues

JaMychal Green, PF/C, LA Clippers

Friday: 20 MIN, 13 PTS (3-of-7 FG, 4-of-4 FT), 8 REB, 3 3PM, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, WIN (off the bench)

Similar to Zubac, Green has gotten a bump in usage and value as the Clippers lean on both of them to do a “Montrezl-by-committee” effort over the recent seeding games. Green is functioning as a stretch five but lacks regular blocks to really pop as a must-add guy.

Recommendation: 14-16 team leagues

Torrey Craig, SG/SF, Denver Nuggets

Friday: 34 MIN, 11 PTS, 7 REB, 1 3PM, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, WIN (2OT) (Started)

Craig is a guy to look to for a small boost if your team is need of steals and blocks. He’s not going to wow you with big-scoring nights, but his role has been stable while the Nuggets are without Will Barton and Gary Harris.

Recommendation: 12-14 team leagues

Monte Morris, PG, Denver Nuggets

Friday: 28 MIN, 15 PTS (6-of-9 FG), 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 3PM, WIN (off the bench)

Morris returned to a reserve role this evening with the return of Jamal Murray, who looked good and healthy, actually. Morris still found a way to deliver top-150 level value despite the move. As long as the Nuggets are short-handed, Morris should continue to be worthy of owning in most fantasy leagues.

Recommendation: 12-14 team leagues

Cam Johnson, SF, Phoenix Suns

Friday: 27 MIN, 14 PTS (5-of-6 FG), 3 REB, 2 3PM, 1 STL, 1 BLK, WIN (Started)

Johnson has managed to stick with the Suns’ starting lineup despite the improving health of Dario Saric, whom we’ll get to in just a moment. Johnson showed us tonight that he’s more than a 3-point shooting one-trick pony. Still, act accordingly and consider him more for those treys as he’s touted to be one of the league’s best 3-point shooters.

Recommendation: 14-16 team leagues

Dario Saric, PF/C, Phoenix Suns

Friday: 22 MIN, 10 PTS, 8 REB, 2 3PM, 1 AST, 1 STL, 2 TO, WIN (off the bench) 

Despite coming off the bench, Saric has hung in there and is still worth a look for some late-round value. Look to him if you need shoring up in your team’s stretch-four type stats

Recommendation: 14-16 team leagues

Jae Crowder, SF/PF, Miami Heat 

Friday: 27 MIN, 17 PTS (6-of-7 FGs), 2 REB, 4 3PM, 1 AST, 2 BLK, WIN (started)

Crowder started for an injured Jimmy Butler, who by the way is expect to play on Monday. That said, Crowder’s 3-and-D stat set does not require him to play heavy minutes in order to make a fantasy impact. Actually, he should get more opportunities working with the Heat’s second unit.

Recommendation: 10-12 team leagues