Reddish’s fantasy stock rising with Lakers
Vaughn Dalzell shines a light on Cam Reddish’s notable improvement with the Los Angeles Lakers this year, making him worth a look for a fantasy basketball roster spot.
As Monday’s slate consisted of just four games, this version of Pickups of the Day will begin with a player who’s rostered in 46% of Yahoo leagues, breaking with the usual rule of not selecting anyone above 40 percent. With RJ Barrett ruled out with a migraine headache, Knicks wing Josh Hart was tabbed to make his third start of the season Monday night in Boston. While he has gotten off to a slow start this season, ranking outside the top 150 in 9-cat per-game value, moving from the bench to the starting five gave Hart welcome streaming value.
Playing 43 minutes in the Knicks’ 114-98 defeat, Hart tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 1-of-2 from the foul line. The 16 points are a season-high for Hart, who has averaged 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.3 3-pointers in three starts this season. In seven games off the bench, he’s accounted for 5.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.9 3-pointers. Hart has shot the ball a few percentage points better coming off the bench than he has as a spot starter, but only injury will change his place within the Knicks’ pecking order.
Barrett’s absence also freed up a few more opportunities for Quentin Grimes, who’s rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues. Shooting 4-of-6 from the field, he tallied 12 points, one assist, and four 3-pointers in 28 minutes. While Grimes’ 3-point shooting was nice, this was a disappointing overall line. And for a player who can struggle to get touches playing alongside three ball-dominant options in Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle, the “other” categories are everything when it comes to assessing Grimes’ fantasy value. Monday was a tough night for those who decided to stream him.
Let’s take a look at a few other top pickups from Monday:
Bilal Coulibaly (21%)
What happened in Toronto was ridiculous, as the Wizards led by as much as 22 before allowing the Raptors to rip off a 21-1 run to end the game. And Wes Unseld Jr. decided to go small down the stretch, with Coulibaly replacing Daniel Gafford in the lineup. The rookie did finish with a nice stat line, tallying 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, one block, and one 3-pointer in 33 minutes. But Gafford only playing 26 minutes on a team that lacks credible center options (Mike Muscala played seven minutes off the bench) at this point in the season is strange, even though he did briefly leave Sunday’s loss to the Nets with a thumb injury. Obviously, Coulibaly isn’t a center. But if the Wizards are going to go to these lengths to get him additional minutes, then fantasy managers need to add him now.
Precious Achiuwa (6%)
Speaking of interesting rotations, Raptors starting center Jakob Poeltl only played 24 minutes, while Achiuwa logged 19 and Chris Boucher 21. Should Achiuwa, who finished with 10 points, four rebounds, one assist, and one steal, be picked up in standard leagues right now? No. But this is another rotation situation to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. Because if Poeltl is only going to play 24 minutes without being in foul trouble, then fantasy managers will need to seek out alternatives. Even though Boucher has been an intriguing option in seasons past, Achiuwa should not be overlooked.
Pat Connaughton (4%), MarJon Beauchamp (2%)
It was announced on Monday that Jae Crowder would be out for approximately two months after suffering tears to his adductor and abdominals that require surgery to be addressed. His absence leaves a noticeable hole within the Bucks’ bench rotation, with Connaughton and Beauchamp being the best options to soak up the available minutes. Connaughton played more in Monday’s win over the Bulls, logging 29 minutes and finishing with six points, eight rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one 3-pointer. Beauchamp may have only played 20 minutes, but he finished with a full line of eight points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers. Connaughton has been the more productive fantasy option thus far, but both are ranked well outside the top 200 in 9-cat per-game value. Milwaukee plays three more games this week, making this a good time to roll the dice on Connaughton or Beauchamp.
Sam Hauser (14%)
Hauser is a 3-point specialist, with that being the primary area in which he’ll contribute to a fantasy roster. He knocked down four 3-pointers in Monday’s win over the Knicks, scoring 12 points with four rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. Boston only went eight deep on Monday, with Hauser being part of that group. Fantasy managers can afford to simply keep him on their radar instead of rushing to add him unless there’s a dire need for 3-point production.