Priority Pickups: Matt Barnes and various Bucks

Over the past week, a pair of young stars — Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker — have suffered season-ending ACL tears. Brutal news. But the games don’t stop coming, so the Wolves and Bucks and fantasy managers need to find replacements. Let’s scan the wire…

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Matt Barnes, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings, 28%

Yeah, OK, the man is old enough to be a fantasy expert (37 in March) and you’ve probably owned him a dozen times over the years. But it’s impossible to ignore Barnes’ recent production. Injuries to Rudy Gay (Achilles) and Garrett Temple (hamstring) have opened up plenty of minutes for Barnes, and he’s been terrific over his last five games, averaging 11.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.8 threes per night. We know he’s a decent source of defensive scraps, too. Add for across-the-board assistance.

Next week’s schedule: at LAL, at GS

Michael Beasley & Mirza Teletovic, SF/PF, Milwaukee Bucks, 11% & 7% owned

Beasley and Teletovic are the two names on the depth chart for Milwaukee who are most likely to see bumps in minutes and fantasy value. Both, of course, are well-known to the fantasy community; neither is capable of matching Parker’s year-to-date production (20-6-3). Teletovic is the more aggressive shooter from distance, but he isn’t a volume scorer or a notable asset in any particular stat. No need to reach for him, unless you’re in an uncommonly deep format.

Beasley is the guy I’ve scooped up as a speculative add, primarily because we can rely on him to chase stats (or at least points) whenever he’s on the floor. It won’t take much of a bump in minutes for him to at least reach last year’s per-game output (13-5), and he won’t torpedo your fantasy roster’s shooting percentages. Beasley won’t offer defensive goodies — it’s been nearly a month since his last steal — but he’ll knock down the occasional three while scoring at a useful level.

Obviously the return of Khris Middleton is well timed for the Bucks, and he’ll see many of the shot attempts that previously belonged to Parker (16.0 per game). But his minutes will be limited, at least initially, and his return should ultimately doom Tony Snell, a player who should never see the floor for a playoff-caliber team.

Next week’s schedule: vs. DET, at BKN

Malcolm Brogdon, PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks, 36%

While we’re discussing various Bucks, it’s worth mentioning that Malcolm Brogdon has been plenty productive in a non-starting role for Milwaukee. He was mass-dropped in fantasy when he shifted back to the bench, but over these last nine games he’s still averaging 28.5 minutes, 2.0 steals and 5.1 assists per game. Numbers like that will play in most leagues. The rookie has delivered 11 steals over his last four games. It ain’t easy finding assists on the wire, so Brogdon deserves a long look.

Next week’s schedule: vs. DET, at BKN

P.J. Tucker, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns, 38%

Tucker has played 30-plus minutes in 10 of the Suns’ last 11 games, and during that stretch he’s averaging 10.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.3 threes and 2.2 steals. Who can’t use a player who piles up steals at a rate like that? Tucker’s ownership percentage has spiked lately, so make the move soon if you have defensive needs.

Next week’s schedule: vs. NO, vs. LAL

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