It’s Sunday, and you know what that means.
It’s time to get ready for another week of fantasy hoops. This season has flown right out of the gate, and we are already heading into Week 3.
Each week, we’ll look at players you should consider picking up who are rostered in four different tiers:
- 50-60%
- 30-49%
- 15-29%
- 0-14%
What’s more, we’ll break down how many games each team has in the upcoming week so you can maximize the minutes of your streamers.
Without further delay, let’s get to it, starting with the schedule and offensive pace ratings, thanks to our friends at Razzball.
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Four games:
ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIL, PHI, PHX, POR, SAS, WAS
Three games:
DAL, LAC, LAL, MIN, NOP, NYK, OKC, ORL, SAC, UTA
Two games:
TOR
Rostered in 50-60% of leagues:
De’Andre Hunter (SF/PF – ATL): 58%
Hunter’s rostered rate is down 13 percent since the season began. It’s understandable, as he’s been brutal so far. He’s shooting just 39 percent from the field and averaging only 10.6 points per game. What’s encouraging with Hunter is that his usage is only slightly down from last year, and he’s attempting more field goals per game (11.2) than last year. With four games on the schedule and top-50 potential, Hunter should be scooped up and inserted into your lineups before the buying window closes.
T.J. McConnell (PG/SF – IND): 52%
If you read my categories piece from this weekend, you know I already recommended adding McConnell. If you didn’t read it, what are you waiting for? But here’s the excerpt about McConnell from the column:
Many eyes have been on Chris Duarte, which makes total sense with the way he’s been playing to start his career. But with the Malcolm Brogdon injury, enter McConnell. As FantasyPros’ Alex Burns pointed out, McConnell was a stud without Brogdon last year.
Rostered in 30-49% of leagues:
Grayson Allen (SG/SF – MIL): 37%
Does anyone else still associate Allen with his underhanded days at Duke? Just me? Well, Allen is thriving in his new home with the Bucks so far. He’s shooting 40 percent from the field with 13.0 points, 4.2 boards, 1.7 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. His minutes and role should be safe while Donte DiVincenzo works his way back.
Jalen Brunson (PG/SF – DAL): 37%
In that same categories piece mentioned above, I discussed why Brunson is a key player for fantasy managers to grab. Assists are hard to fill, and Brunson has been surprisingly involved in the Mavericks’ game plan so far this season. Brunson is averaging 5.2 dimes per game, and he’s sitting right in the mid-20s for minutes each night.
Darius Bazley (SF/PF – OKC): 32%
Remember when everyone was on board the Bazley hype train to start last season? He was one of my top-five players I had to have everywhere. And he bombed. He bombed big time. But he showed out against the Lakers his last time out, reminding us about his potential to be an all-categories contributor on any given night.
Rostered in 15-29% of leagues:
Chuma Okeke (PF – ORL): 27%
Is Okeke a must-add player? No, not close, but that’s also reflective in his rostership number. What he is, however, is a high-ceiling player who put together a nice 14-game run to end his 2020-2021 season, averaging 30 minutes, 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. The Magic will bring him along slowly, but there’s an opportunity for Okeke in Orlando.
Cody Martin (SF/SF – CHA): 22%
I’m not a big believer long-term in Martin, but it’s hard to argue with his early returns given the opportunity. Although there are many mouths to feed in Charlotte, Martin and Jalen McDaniels are taking advantage of the time Terry Rozier is missing. What’s more, the Hornets have four games scheduled this week, making Martin a viable short-term option.
Rostered in 0-14% of leagues:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (PG/SG -WAS): 11%
KCP bricked big time in his last game against Boston, but he had double-digit points in each of his previous three games, including a 21-point performance against the Hawks. He’s consistently inconsistent, but he does enough to warrant starting in deeper weekly formats.
Bruce Brown (SG – BKN): 10%
Remember the start of the season? I’m talking two whole weeks ago. Well, Brown played four minutes in the opener and then zero in the Nets’ second game. Since then, he’s played 27, 30, 35, and 25 minutes, respectively. Brown will give you a fine floor for points and pitch in some rebounds.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.