Basketball Pickups: Fantasy managers squawkin' for Hawkins
Hawks' Johnson should be rostered in fantasy
Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has impressed through six games of the NBA season, making him a player that should be rostered in most fantasy leagues, regardless of format.
We’ve had some quiet Pickups columns as of late, but Monday’s certainly isn’t the case! Notable injuries across the Association present numerous quality pickups, so let’s dive into them now!
We haven’t raved so much about a J Hawkins since we were introduced to the narrator of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Treasure Island. The rookie out of UConn has greatly exceeded expectations thus far, and he’s taken on far more minutes than expected. With CJ McCollum (collapsed lung) on the sidelines for the first time this season, it was Hawkins who stepped up in the starting lineup and logged 38 minutes, delivering a Herculean 31 points, seven boards, three dimes, a steal and seven - count ' em - seven triples. Dyson Daniels languished on the bench and provided just nine points, two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block across 21 minutes. Hawkins is the add, despite many opinions to the contrary (mine included) before Monday’s game tipped off.
Marcus Sasser 26%
Another rookie who has played far more and far better than anticipated, Sasser finished Monday’s loss with a 7/3/4/1 line across 33 minutes. He’s ranked right outside the top 115 in per-game fantasy value thanks to strong across-the-board play, and he should continue to see plenty of run for as long as Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic remain out.
Killian Hayes 20%
Hayes was scoring Monday, going for 21 points, seven assists, four rebounds, a steal, a block and three triples across 34 minutes against the Warriors. On the season, Hayes is averaging 9.5 points, 4.9 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.3 triples, and he’s ranked just inside the top 110. His fantasy value hasn’t regressed in 2023-24. In fact, he’s been far better than advertised, and managers still have a chance to scoop him from the waiver wire.
Goga Bitadze 23%, Mo Wagner 27%
Bitadze has started each of the last two games with Wendell Carter Jr. out, but Wagner had the better showing in this one. Bitadze finished with seven points, six boards, two steals and a block across 22 minutes, while Wagner went 19/5 with a steal and a triple across 26 minutes. Both players are worth adding, though it’s anyone’s guess how the minutes and production will shake out on a nightly basis. Be prepared for some peaks and valleys if you gamble on one of these two big men.
Nick “Naughty Nicky” Richards 20%
Don’t look now, but “Naughty Nicky” has been a top-50 player over the last week. He’s averaged 10.7 points, 9.0 boards and 2.3 swats across his last three outings, delivering monster big-man stats in just under 20 minutes per tilt. He’s going to remain locked into a backup role behind Mark Williams, but 20 minutes a night looks like that’s all he’ll need to be viable in 12-team leagues.
Toumani Camara 2%, Jabari Walker 1%
Just when we thought it was time for Time Lord, Robert Williams is facing a season-ending surgery on his ankle. That’s the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario is a 2-3 month absence for a cleanup procedure. In either case, someone will have to step up in the frontcourt, and the two most likely candidates are Camara and Walker. Camara is averaging 24.6 minutes, 6.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 triples, while Walker is averaging 5.3 points, 3.7 boards, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks across 13.1 minutes per contest.
Reggie Jackson 10%
Jamal Murray is expected to miss an extended period of time with a hamstring injury, which means “Headband Reggie” could be with the first unit indefinitely. Monday’s performance was disappointing, but Denver’s bench has been anemic, meaning R-Jax should see heavy minutes moving forward. He’s worth a look if you need help at PG.
Biyombo started for the (surprisingly) injured Xavier Tillman on Sunday and produced eight points, 11 boards, four assists and three blocks in 26 minutes. Assuming Tillman is out again, Biyombo figures to log another start, where he could put up similarly valuable stats. He's worth a look if you need some big-man stats.
