Luka’s fill-ins are among top fantasy basketball free-agent finds
A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players available in at least half of ESPN leagues at each position. Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
Kendrick Nunn, Miami Heat (Rostered in 45.7% of ESPN leagues): Slashing for 20.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 4.5 APG during the past week, Nunn is turning in one of the most productive campaigns for an undrafted rookie in league history. Now with point guard eligibility, Nunn is even more dynamic as a fantasy contributor these days.
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks (1.3%): Ranked in the top 10 among point guards in real plus-minus and due for a sizable uptick in minutes and touches with Luka Doncic likely to miss a few weeks with an ankle ailment, Brunson flirted with a triple-double in relief of his superstar teammate this past weekend and should continue to produce rich lines in Luka’s stead.
Elfrid Payton, New York Knicks (8.0%): You don’t see many points-and-assists double-doubles off the bench, but Payton delivered such a performance this past weekend and could continue to provide distribution for a team badly in need of backcourt creation.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Dallas Mavericks (14.6%): In Doncic’s absence, Hardaway becomes a fun volume-driven scoring threat. The Michigan product is never afraid to find his own shot, which could prove rewarding for fantasy managers in need of shooting and scoring pop.
Alec Burks, Golden State Warriors (18.0%): With the ability to drive solid scoring lines, thanks to a strong free throw rate, Burks should continue to enjoy freedom to get to the rack and create offense on a Golden State squad starved for scoring (still feels weird typing that).
Ben McLemore, Houston Rockets (5.2%): Fifth in the NBA in catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game on the season in a 3-and-D role with Houston, McLemore is now a worthy fantasy option and has been a fun story to track.
Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee Bucks (1.5%): With Eric Bledsoe sidelined for at least two weeks due to injury, this Nova product steps into a starting role for the surging Bucks. DiVincenzo has enjoyed a sizable 3.5% bump in usage rate with Bledsoe off the floor this season, signaling he could provide some value in the next few weeks for those in deeper leagues.
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors (11.8%): The rare 26-year-old breakout candidate, Powell is yet another gem unearthed by Toronto’s consistently strong system. With 19.6 PPG to go with an awesome 2.4 stocks (steals plus blocks) during his past eight games, including five starts, Powell is a fine addition in all formats.
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies (8.0%): Fresh off tallying 27 points in two of his past three appearances as of Monday, Brooks has averaged 19 PPG in December and should thrive alongside emergent creator Ja Morant in the weeks ahead.
Duncan Robinson, Miami Heat (7.7%): Found at eighth in the entire NBA in true shooting percentage — a measure of shooting efficiency that considers field goals, 3-point field goals and free throws — this undrafted wing out of Michigan is also eighth in the league in catch-and-shoot attempts from beyond the arc while sinking an awesome 46% of such shots. For those in need of a shooting specialist, especially in roto formats, Robinson has emerged as a viable contributor.
Brandon Clarke, Memphis Grizzlies (39.7%): Leading the entire league in true shooting percentage and fresh off a career-best scoring night this past weekend, this rookie from Gonzaga also averages 1.5 stocks with solid rebounding totals as the rare high-floor professional freshman.
Davis Bertans, Washington Wizards (38.2%): If Robinson is a shooting specialist, this guy is a guru or a sage when it comes to lofting from beyond the arc. Bertans leads the NBA in catch-and-shoot makes and attempts and has become an effective rebounder for Washington as well.
Taurean Prince, Brooklyn Nets (20.5%): Shooting just 39.4% from the field on the season, Prince isn’t always going to offer fantasy managers the cleanest production, but he’s also just one of five players averaging at least 2.6 3PG to go with 6.3 RPG and 0.9 SPG this season. Given how thin Brooklyn’s frontcourt proves, Prince should continue to post versatile lines.
Jerami Grant, Denver Nuggets (10.9%): A somewhat short-term endorsement in that his recent surge in value is due to Paul Millsap‘s quad injury, Grant has averaged 12.4 PPG, 2.4 3PG and an elite 2.4 stocks during the past five games.
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks (46.8%): It can prove difficult for some fantasy managers — or apparently about half of them — to take on the sluggish scoring and rebounding results that come with rostering Lopez. It’s best to focus on what he does well, however, as he’s third in the NBA for the second straight season in total blocks and is still providing enough 3-point volume to be considered a stretch-5.
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets (26.9%): With at least 10 points in 10 of his past 11 appearances and double-doubles in three of his past four, Zeller is once again an efficient source of production in this uniquely shallow market for depth centers.
Alex Len, Atlanta Hawks (7.1%): I was a bit high on Len heading into the season given the potential to assume the valuable role Dewayne Dedmon left behind, but the gap in defensive proficiency between the two has seen Len still hover around 20 minutes most nights. That said, Len can still help out as a solid streamer or utility option in deeper formats, given he’s averaged 11.5 PPG and seven boards the past week to go with respectable 3-point and defensive rates.