Priority Pickups: Hardaway Jr., D-Mo, Middleton and more
Perhaps you, like me, now find yourself staring at a lineup mess like this ...
... and you're just hoping to limit the damage in the weeks ahead, waiting out injuries that have no timetables. If that's the case, then you're surely using all available weekly transactions, churning roster spots, working feverishly to prevent the 3-6 loss.
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For those of you with multiple broken roster pieces, here are five dudes I've added in a league or three over the past few days:
SF/PF Donatas Montiejunas, HOU (32 percent owned) - In the month of December, D-Mo has been giving us the following stat line: 17.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 55.6 FG%, 0.9 3PM. Can you use numbers like that? Well, I can. Montiejunas has been playing 30-plus minutes per night, starting and mostly thriving in the absence of Terrence Jones (leg/nerve). Houston plays three games next week, then the team has four straight four-gamers.
SG Tim Hardaway Jr., NYK (20 percent owned) - As you might have heard, Melo has lingering knee issues, J.R. Smith has only one functioning foot, and Iman Shumpert is dealing with a multi-week shoulder problem. Thus, Hardaway has a green light to shoot, and he's getting plenty of minutes. He's attempted 27 threes over his last four games (not hitting nearly enough), reaching double-digit points in each. Hardaway will almost certainly become a drag on your team shooting percentage, but he'll score while piling up threes. He plays a pair of games over the weekend, then three next week.
SF/PF Khris Middleton, MIL (17 percent owned) - Jabari Parker's season ending ACL injury is simply ... well, it's an arrangement of words I never wanted to write. Brutal news. The injury drains a fair amount of fun from the current season. Let's hope his recovery is full, quick and setback-free. Ersan Ilyasova figures to benefit statistically when he returns from injury (he's 42 percent owned), and Middleton gets a bump as well. Middleton played 33 minutes on Wednesday, scoring 17 points and hitting four threes. He's also averaging 1.3 steals per game on the season, shooting tolerable percentages. As a short-term add, he has appeal.
PF/C Mason Plumlee, BKN (42 percent owned) - Brook Lopez is a giant man with a deep history of injuries, currently dealing with a back issue. We don't know exactly when he might return; we do know that presents constant risk. Additionally, we know that Brooklyn will be having an everything-must-go sale, from now until the trade deadline. Plumlee has scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games, while delivering various other fantasy goodies...
His free-throw shooting is a known problem (55.5 percent career), so he's not for everyone. But he probably belongs on someone's roster at the moment in leagues of standard size/shape.
SG Jodie Meeks, DET (32 percent owned) - OK, here's another guy who probably isn't for everyone. Meeks has played four games since returning from the back malfunction and he's seeing 20-plus minutes, delivering steals (7) and threes (4). Those are the categories in which he can help, at least in a modest way. Meeks only plays two games next week and three the week after, so he's not going to give you much of a near-term boost. But in time, Meeks should have a significant and fantasy relevant role.
