The NBA’s player carousel continues albeit at a much slower pace compared to the whirlwind of transactions last month. A number of stars are returning to the fold after being through a wringer of injuries and health protocols. For instance, Washington’s Bradley Beal and Miami’s Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler are back. But at the same time, some teams are still missing key guys like Portland’s Damian Lillard and Golden State’s Draymond Green.
Picking players who can contribute to your fantasy team can get a little bit tricky especially midway through the season. Here are a few you can consider:
Ben McLemore (Portland Trail Blazers)
The Trail Blazers are somewhat in limbo after it was reported last week that star Damian Lillard will be out for an extended period following a surgery in his abdomen. Fantasy managers were quick to jump on the waiver wire to scour potential diamonds in the rough.
Anfernee Simons was probably long gone as he’s proven to be a valuable scorer even when Lillard was around. Dennis Smith Jr. was an interesting choice given that he’s also a point guard like Lillard but unfortunately, he hasn’t produced much in his last set of games except for a 17-point, 8-assist game against Denver.
Enter Ben McLemore. The swingman can give you ample scoring if you need to rack up on points and 3-pointers. He averaged 16.0 points and 3.7 tripes last week, including a 20-point game versus the Nets. CJ McCollum recently returned but McLemore still reached the 20-minute mark and fired off 11 shot attempts. He’s a worthy pickup if you’re looking for 3s.
Ayo Dosunmu (Chicago Bulls)
Even though Zach LaVine isn’t expected to miss a lot of time with his knee injury, fantasy managers know that each game day counts in a head-to-head matchup. Ayo Dosunmu is someone to consider. Even though the rookie doesn’t have the exact position of LaVine, the Bulls still have a lot of offense to be shared right now.
Dosunmu has put out a pair of meaty numbers. After a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists where he played 40 minutes against Boston, he did an encore of 15 points and 10 rebounds in Memphis. He also added six assists, five steals, and two blocks. This production probably won’t last long so you might as well jump on the Dosunmu train as quickly as you can.
Nicolas Batum and Amir Coffey (Los Angeles Clippers)
Amir Coffey has emerged to be a solid role player for the injury-laden Clippers. The third-year man out of Minnesota sprinkles his output across the box score. He’s fresh off of a nifty performance against the Pacers where he put up 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and three treys. He’s plugged into the Clippers’ starting unit so you know he’s going to get the playing time.
Batum, meanwhile, delivered a “Hey, notice me!” game where he dropped a season-high 32 points (all in the second half), seven 3s, five boards, three dimes, and two blocks. It was a throwback performance for the veteran who last had a 30-point outing in 2018. You probably wouldn’t bet that Batum would suddenly churn out huge numbers, but he’s worth a look if you’re in need of players. He can still knock down two or three triples every game and you can also count on him to hustle his way into defensive numbers.
Bones Hyland and Jeff Green (Denver Nuggets)
The Nuggets have had more than their fair share of injury woes but with the lack of bodies comes opportunity. Rookie Bones Hyland has gotten into the mix of players you should keep an eye on after his 27-point, 10-rebound demolition job against the Lakers last week. And that was after he fired 17 points against the Trail Blazers. Will this be sustainable? Not likely as he mustered just 13 points the day after his career-high. Nonetheless, he’s still someone you can look into especially if he’s going to get more minutes. You do want more assists from him, but his last week’s average of 3.5 triples is a huge plus.
Another player from the Nuggets you can check is Jeff Green. Save for a forgettable game against the Jazz where he scored just four points, the veteran forward has actually put together a nice series of games. The rebound numbers are not necessarily great (only 3.1 this season), but you could bank on him to give you points more often than not. In addition, he shoots with a high percentage from the field (60 percent in the past two weeks).
Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors)
There’s always a place on the Golden State rotation for a forward who can do multiple things. Jonathan Kuminga has found his niche as part of the small-ball reserve lineup of the Warriors and he’s been taking advantage of the given opportunity.
Kuminga is up to 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds the past week, punctuated by a 25-point effort against the Bulls. His field goal and free throw percentages aren’t consistent, but you can overlook those for a rookie. With Draymond Green (calf) out of the picture, for the time being, you can expect an uptick in Kuminga’s minutes.
