Sunday’s five-game slate featured a pair of blowouts in the afternoon as the Celtics downed the Magic and the Pelicans routed the Spurs. The evening games were more competitive as the Warriors and Trail Blazers battled until the final seconds, the Bucks pulled away from the Rockets late, and the Wizards nearly pulled off an upset in Phoenix. From that five-game slate, we have a handful of players who fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
Grayson Allen (35% rostered) – Bradley Beal will miss some more time, which means Allen should continue to shine with some extra run in the starting five. He posted an 11/4/3/2/2 line with a triple Sunday, showcasing his ability to stuff the stat sheet on a nightly basis. Allen has taken on the biggest workload of his career since joining the Suns, and he’s been a top-90 player through the first two months of the 2023-24 season. He’s still available in 65% of Yahoo leagues.
Malaki Branham (16% rostered) – He’s started 10 of the last 11 and in three games prior to Sunday, he was particularly effective with 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.1 triples while shooting 55.9% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Branham’s production has been a bit hit-or-miss in his run with the first unit, but he’s shown enough to be worth a look.
James Wiseman (15% rostered) – With Jalen Duren out, Wiseman has been big over the Pistons’ last two games, posting averages of 18.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 76.2% from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe across 27 minutes. The young center is worth rostering until Duren returns or until his minutes are reduced.
Goga Bitadze (39% rostered) – He’s started 20 games with Wendell Carter Jr. on the shelf and provided at least one block in 16 of them. In that span, he’s averaged 8.5 points, 7.0 boards, 0.7 steals, 1.8 blocks and 60.2% shooting. Bitadze came back to earth Sunday with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, but in three games prior, he averaged 14.3 points, 8.7 boards and 2.7 blocks on 19-of-22 shooting. Sunday’s low offensive output still included eight rebounds, two steals and three blocks. For some unknown reason, fantasy managers have not taken notice of Bitadze and his steady production. He’s been a top-90 player since stepping into the starting five, and it’s still not too late to add him.
Tari Eason (54% rostered) – Across his last four, the “Bucket from the Bayou” has averaged 16.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.8 triples across 26.8 minutes. Most notably, he logged 30 minutes off the bench Sunday in a game that was competitive late into the fourth quarter, seeing the court more than both Jalen Green (29 minutes) and Jabari Smith (28 minutes). If he can sustain minutes in the mid-to-upper 20’s or – even better – minutes in the low-30’s, Eason’s numerous rebounds, efficient shooting and voluminous defensive stats should keep him in the top-100 conversation with a top-75 ceiling. Rostered in just 54% of Yahoo leagues, Eason is a must-add wherever he’s available.
Onyeka Okongwu (65% rostered) – With De’Andre Hunter out for three games and Clint Capela out for Atlanta’s most recent contest, Okongwu has seen increased minutes over his last four, with two straight starts heading into Monday. Double-O has averaged a healthy 12.5 points, 7.3 boards, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 triples across 30.8 minutes in that span.
Others to add: Branding Podziemski 37%, Bilal Coulibaly 30%, Dillon Brooks 45%, Scoot Henderson 61%, Jose Alvarado 5%, Caris LeVert 50%, Dean Wade 2%, Isaac Okoro 5%