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Fantasy Basketball Pickups: – Yahoo Sports

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With Donte DiVincenzo sidelined, the Timberwolves don’t have much margin for error as they look to climb up the Western Conference standings. On Wednesday, they were also forced to play without Naz Reid, who was unavailable due to an illness. Enter PG/SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker (4%), who had his most productive night of the season in Minnesota’s win over Phoenix.

Playing 35 minutes off the bench, Alexander-Walker scored a season-high 23 points with four rebounds, one assist, and five 3-pointers. He shot 8-of-14 from the field and 2-of-2 from the line, and the five 3-pointers were one shy of his career-high. While Alexander-Walker hasn’t been productive enough to merit being rostered in many fantasy leagues, things change when the Timberwolves are as shorthanded as they were on Wednesday.

Keep an eye on the injury report for Thursday’s game against Utah; if Reid remains out, Aleander-Walker will be worth the risk, especially on a five-game night.

Here are a few more top pickups from Wednesday’s slate:

SG/SF Malik Beasley (36%), Detroit Pistons

Beasley has reached double figures in six straight and 10 of his last 11 games, with Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers being his first with 20 points or more since January 13 against the Knicks. In 29 minutes off the bench, Beasley scored 20 on 6-of-11 shooting from the field (and 2-of-3 from the foul line) and accounted for two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and six 3-pointers. With Jaden Ivey’s replacement in the starting lineup, Ausar Thompson not being much of a scorer, and Tim Hardaway Jr. offering limited value, Beasley is worth rostering for the foreseeable future, even if he’s essentially a points and triples specialist.

PG/SG Ty Jerome (13%), Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland played Wednesday’s game in Miami without Darius Garland, who did not see action for rest reasons. While rookie Jaylon Tyson was the choice to fill the void in the starting lineup, Jerome was the worthwhile streamer. He played 30 minutes off the bench, finishing the 126-106 victory with 20 points, three rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. Over the past two weeks, he’s provided 8th-round value in 9-cat formats. It would be unsurprising if Cleveland swapped in Garland for Donovan Mitchell for Thursday’s game against the Hawks. If that’s the approach taken by Kenny Atkinson, don’t hesitate to add Jerome on a five-game night.

PG T.J. McConnell (11%), Indiana Pacers

Even though he won’t be the replacement in the starting lineup whenever Andrew Nembhard isn’t available, McConnell is always worth streaming in those situations. Indiana was without Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin for Wednesday’s win over Detroit, and while Aaron Nesmith and Ben Sheppard were the replacements in the starting lineup, McConnell was more productive. In 21 minutes, he tallied 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals. The Pacers don’t play again until Saturday, so there’s no need to add McConnell now. But that changes if Nembhard and Mathurin remain out.

PG/SG Keon Johnson (9%), Brooklyn Nets

Rostering Johnson is more about the opportunity he has to produce than the efficiency. However, while he did shoot 7-of-18 from the field in Wednesday’s win over Charlotte (0-of-7 3-pointers), there were positives. Along with 18 points, Johnson accounted for five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one blocked shot in 31 minutes. Over the past month, Keon has averaged 28.2 minutes per game. The inefficiency will be a deal breaker for most fantasy managers now, but that may not be true during the “silly season.”

SG/SF Ochai Agbaji (6%), Toronto Raptors

Agbaji replaced an ill Gradey Dick in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s win over the Wizards, a good matchup for many players to get their numbers. Agbaji’s 12 points weren’t groundbreaking, but he did record a complete stat line that included three rebounds, one assist, three steals, one blocked shot, and three 3-pointers in 24 minutes. As was the case for Dallas on Monday, running the Wizards out of the gym early ultimately limited the production of multiple Raptors.

C Moussa Diabate (6%), Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte rested Mark Williams for Wednesday’s game. While Taj Gibson once again received the starting nod, Diabate was the streaming option to target. He played 27 minutes in the loss to Brooklyn, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal. While Gibson grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots, he played 18 minutes and went scoreless. Diabate will be worth streaming for future situations where Charlotte decides to sit Williams.

SF/PF Matas Buzelis (2%), Chicago Bulls

For fantasy managers seeking players who may be worth stashing for after the trade deadline, Buzelis is a player of interest. The Bulls began a three-game road trip in Boston on Wednesday, and they won’t have Zach LaVine (personal). Buzelis played 22 minutes off the bench, tallying 12 points, four rebounds, one block, and two 3-pointers. Of course, the nature of the game influenced the rookie’s opportunities. However, more minutes would be in the cards for Buzelis if the Bulls were to move LaVine at the trade deadline, and Nikola Vucevic’s name has also come up in trade speculation.

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