by Zak Hanshew, Rotoworld
Marvin Bagley III (47% rostered)
Marvin Bagley III posted 21 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a triple in 36 minutes on Saturday. Bagley III came alive Thursday in his Wizards debut, posting a monster 20/11/2/2/3 line in 39 minutes, filling in as a starter in place of the injured Daniel Gafford (concussion). Danny G was out again Saturday, and Bagley III was productive as a starter for the second straight contest, finishing with the team-lead in scoring and delivering a second straight double-double. He led the team in minutes for the second time in as many games, and he could be in line for huge playing time to close out the week, as the Wizards play the second half of a back-to-back set Sunday against the visiting Nuggets. Bagley III is understandably a hot pickup for fantasy hoops managers, and if he’s still available on your waiver wire, you need to change that.
Precious Achiuwa (3% rostered)
Achiuwa didn’t see much run after his trade to New York, but that changed Saturday. Isaiah Hartenstein left the matchup against Toronto early due to an ankle injury, and Achiuwa stepped in with 18 points, 11 rebounds and a block across 25 minutes, helping the Knicks emerge victorious against his former team. It’s unclear how serious Hartenstein’s injury is, but New York is running out of options at center, leaving Achiuwa in line for big minutes if iHart is forced to miss time moving forward. The Knicks’ next game is Tuesday against Brooklyn.
Ausar Thompson (45% rostered)
What a roller-coaster of a season it’s been for Thompson! He started the season as a tremendous fantasy option before finding himself on the waiver wire after moving to the second unit. He’s logged better than 20 minutes in three straight games, and Saturday he scored a career-high 22 points to go with nine boards, an assist, a block and two triple across 32 minutes. Isaiah Stewart was out, but the Pistons recently traded Isaiah Livers and Marvin Bagley III, meaning there could be more minutes coming Thompson’s way shortly. He’s worth a gamble.
Luke Kennard (30% rostered)
Kennard continues to get it done. He’s been productive over the last seven games, hitting triples and shooting efficiently while doing enough in the box score to provide useful fantasy value. In that span, he’s logged just under 29 minutes per contest and provided top-105 fantasy value. He should continue to see plenty of run moving forward for the undermanned Grizzlies.
Jeremy Sochan (50% rostered)
Sochan finished Saturday’s win over Washington with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal, two blocks and a triple. Down 125-123, he hit a triple to put the Spurs ahead by one. After Marvin Bagley III hit two frees to give Washington the lead back, Sochan went to the line and hit two of his own to give the Spurs a lead they would not relinquish. Sochan is a top-100 player over the last three weeks, but he’s posted top-50 value over the last week. The second-year man started the season out on rocky footing, but he’s finding his way as we reach the midpoint and is worth plucking off the waiver wire.
Georges Niang (8% rostered)
Niang finished Saturday’s win over the Hawks with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, a block and four three-pointers across 21 minutes. Niang came out of nowhere with a career-high 33 points against the Bucks on Wednesday, and he stayed productive on offense against the Hawks on Saturday. Niang scored in double figures for the sixth time in his last seven outings, and in that span, he’s averaged 15.1 points and 3.4 triples. Niang ranks inside the top 80 in per-game fantasy value in that span, and managers in need of points and three-pointers should consider adding him.
Ayo Dosunmu (4% rostered)
Dosunmu finished Saturday’s big win over the Grizzlies with 20 points (7-of-10 FG), six rebounds, four assists, a steal, a block and three triples across 27 minutes. Dosunmu came off the bench and provided an immediate spark on offense as the team’s leading scorer. Dosunmu has taken on an expanded role as of late, and over his last four games, he’s averaged 15.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 triples while shooting better than 60% from the floor. Zach LaVine is out 1-2 weeks due to a sprained right ankle, and Dosunmu should continue to see more run for as long as he’s out. Dosunmu has posted top-85 value over the last week, and he’s worth adding off the waiver wire.
Santi Aldama (17% rostered)
Aldama provided five points (2-of-7 FG), eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, two blocks and a triple across 28 minutes Saturday in a 125-96 loss to Chicago. Aldama joined the starting five in place of Xavier Tillman (knee), and he capitalized on the expanded role. Aldama’s scoring wasn’t anything to write home about, but he filled out the stat sheet with useful peripherals and defensive stats. Aldama has seen increased run over his last three, and in that span, he’s averaged 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 triples. The blocks and boards have been serviceable, but his shooting percentages have been dreadful (37% from the field, 62.5% from the charity stripe), dragging his fantasy value way down. Aldama is a big-time gamble for fantasy managers perusing the waiver wire, but Memphis is down to a skeleton crew, and it wouldn’t be shocking if he sees more minutes moving forward. Just keep his awful efficiency in mind if you’re considering adding him to your roster.
Cam Whitmore (5% rostered)
Whitmore delivered 17 points (6-of-13 FG), five rebounds, an assist, two blocks and four triples across 27 minutes Saturday in a 127-126 win over the Jazz. Surprisingly, Whitmore finished Wednesday’s loss to New York with no points across nine minutes after racking up 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.6 triples across 20.1 minutes in eight games before that. Whitmore was given significant run in this one, and he led the bench in scoring with some useful peripherals. Whitmore has been phenomenal as a microwave scorer and defender off the bench this season, but his erratic playing time makes him a high-risk, high-reward pickup for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
Brandon Miller (48% rostered)
Miller has averaged 23.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 triples across his last two games, and he’s scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Miller hasn’t been worth rostering in 12-team leagues for much of the season, but he’s got plenty of potential, and his recent two-game surge could be the beginning of something great. Still available in more than 50% of fantasy leagues, Miller is worth a look.