It’s Saturday. You know what that means.
We’ll be looking at players who are widely available and rostered in fewer than 60 percent of fantasy leagues on Yahoo. We’ll be focusing on 8-cat leagues because turnovers are a waste of a category, to be honest.
We’ll be looking at players who can help you in each of the eight categories who you can get before your league-mates catch on – especially as we prepare for battle in the third – and hopefully final – round of our playoff matchups.
The eight categories we’ll focus on each week are:
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- Threes
- Field-goal percentage
- Free-throw percentage
Let’s get to it for the playoff push.
Points
The Mavericks have been reeling with the injuries to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. While it’s not great for real life, it has opened opportunities for fantasy managers. Green is one of those players who has stepped up, and he’s been a streamable player for parts of the season. But over his last three games, he’s scored at least 20 points in all of them. He’s worth using if you’re in need of scoring over the last few weeks.
Rebounds
Surprise! He’s here … again, but you really only have yourself to blame. He’s consistently atop the rebounding leaders for fantasy, and with four games on the schedule next week, it’s hard to see him not being rostered in more leagues going forward.
Assists
With Tyrese Haliburton out for at least the next few games, it’s time to once again stream McConnell. The Western PA native returned to the Pacers’ lineup Thursday and dropped a 19-point, 12-assist double-double in 30 minutes. He’s a must-start player anytime that Haliburton is out.
Steals
Caris LeVert (SG/SF – CLE) 47%
It’s hard to trust LeVert for fantasy since he’s so up and down. But he’s been playing big minutes for the Cavs, and he’s scored 22 or more points in his last two games and at least 15 in his last four. But the steals have been a nice addition to his value, too. LeVert has at least one steal in all but one game dating back to Feb. 26. But he has seven over his last three games and is a top-55 player over the last two weeks.
Blocks
Richards was 13 percent rostered at this time last week. And despite Charlotte having a limited schedule over the last two weeks, he’s still holding on to top-100 value. The FG% has me excited, but so do the blocks. Richards has 11 over his last four games, and as the clear guy in Charlotte due to trades and injuries, he should maintain that value moving forward.
Threes
Malik Beasley (SG/SF – LAL) 43%
The Lakers are looking for scoring, and they are especially looking for help from behind the arc. While their defense has been elite since the trade deadline, there are still concerns about how they can compete with other teams in the playoffs or play-in – if they even make it. Beasley is making his case, as he’s hit 13 threes over his last three games – including 11 over his last two.
Field Goal Percentage
Jordan Nwora (SF/PF – IND) 14%
The Pacers are looking to develop Nwora, which makes sense given their spot in the standings. He’s flirting with top-100 value over the last two weeks, and he’s scored in double-digits in every game since Feb. 25. What’s more, he’s eclipsed the 31-minute mark in each of his last two games, and he’s shooting 52.4 percent from the field over the last 14 days.
Free-throw percentage
With this category, we typically highlight a player who doesn’t fit in the other areas but can be a sneak deep-league pickup. This week, it’s Hardy. I highlighted Hardy in this week’s waiver wire piece, as he’s been someone who has been stepping up for the short-handed Mavs. The rookie is giving you a scoring burst and has been serviceable at the free-throw line, too. However, he’s going to hurt your FG%, so be aware of that before adding him.
Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. From our Lineup Optimizer – which allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.