Sometimes these columns will consist of players to pick up immediately, because they will only have value that night. However, with zero games counting for fantasy basketball until Monday, that won’t be the case here. Unfortunately, there were a few injuries to stars on Friday, but that will open up minutes for some players when their teams return to the court. Until then, enjoy two days off from setting lineups and try to take advantage of the opportunity to make some trades. And of course, tune in for the championship of the In-Season Tournament at 8:30pm ET as the Pacers take on the Lakers. Will Tyrese Haliburton finally achieve his goal of not being a loser? Will LeBron James add something else to his resume that Michael Jordan never will? Either way agendas will be pushed. Until then, here are a few players to consider adding to your squad.
Dante Exum- 1%
Exum was already in the starting unit for Dallas in place of the injured Grant Williams. He posted a 5/6/7/2 line on Wednesday, but he didn’t feel like a priority add. However, he went off on Friday with a 23/6/7 line and two triples on 9-of-15 shooting. That alone should make him worthy of a roster spot, but unfortunately, Kyrie Irving also suffered a nasty injury after Dwight Powell fell on his leg. Assuming Kyrie is out on Monday, Exum should remain in the starting unit and be part of the rotation when the team is fully healthy.
Troy Brown Jr.- 1%
Anthony Edwards played just four minutes on Friday before exiting due to the injury that forced him to miss a few games recently. Brown Jr. started the second half in his place and scored 20 points. If Edwards remains out on Monday, Brown Jr. should start and be a solid streaming option in his place.
Jonathan Kuminga- 15%
In 29 minutes off the bench, Kuminga recorded a 24/12 double-double on Friday. He has played well when given the chance over the last two games and seems to be on Steve Kerr’s good side right now. As long as Kuminga is seeing minutes, he should be worth rostering.
Patrick Williams- 41%
Williams has really stepped up over the past two weeks and provided seventh round value during that stretch. He had a slow start to the year, but he has been much better as a larger part of the offense. He isn’t as widely available, but he should be reliable as long as Zach LaVine is out.
Precious Achiuwa- 4%
Toronto needed production off the bench on Friday, and Achiuwa provided a 17/10 double-double in 22 minutes. It was just his second double-double of the year and a new season-high for points. He saw a few extra minutes after Otto Porter Jr. (foot) exited early, so hopefully he can continue to see this large of a workload.
Bilal Coulibaly- 13%
The rookie recorded the first double-double of his career on Friday and seems to be getting more comfortable every game. He also played 25 minutes, which was the fourth most on the team despite coming off the bench. He is playing well and is on a bad team, which is a good recipe for a rookie.
Isaiah Hartenstein- 4%
Mitchell Robinson missed the start of the second half while getting x-rays on his foot, but he was able to return during the third quarter. He only ended up playing 19 minutes, while Hartenstein posted a 5/16/4/0/2 line in 29 minutes. If Robinson is forced to miss Monday’s game against Toronto, Hartenstein will be a great fill-in.
Caleb Martin- 27%
Martin saw another start at power forward on Friday in place of Haywood Highsmith and put up a 15/6/4/0/2 line with three triples. As long as Highsmith is out, Martin should be in your lineup.
