Sunday’s all-day NBA slate brought plenty of excitement, including a historic 71-point masterpiece Damian Lillard. An easy four-game Monday was a bit anticlimactic in comparison, but we still got some fun moments. Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler they traded blows during the Sixers-Heat game until the final seconds when Miami pulled away. The Knicks took it to the The Celticsand Jayson Tatum earned his first career ejection. The Magic beat the Pelicans in a game that was a little closer than the score would indicate, and fantasy managers got a lot of heartache from a Hornets-Pistons game in which Detroit was without most of its starting lineup.
Unfortunately, a couple of serious injuries overshadowed the day. Shams Charania announced it LeBron James will be sidelined for several weeks, and LaMelo ball suffered a fractured right ankle in Monday’s win over Detroit.
As an NBA fan, this was a tough day. As the writer of the nightly takeover column… I was gifted with a few easy setbacks. I’ll share them now, as we dive into the best Monday fantasy accessories.
James Wiseman (41%): Jalen Duren missed two games due to an ankle injury, Isaiah Stewart deals with a hip problem, Bojan Bogdanović is struggling with an Achilles injury and Isaiah Livers left Monday’s game early with an ankle injury. The injuries are piling up for the struggling Pistons, and Wiseman should continue to take advantage. He made his second straight start for Detroit on Monday, scoring a team-high 23 points while avoiding foul trouble. The lack of defensive stats is a little irritating, but if you’re looking for efficient scoring and rebounding, he’s a useful option.
Marvin Bagley (44%): Bagley returned from an extended absence and immediately grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and scored 21 points in Saturday’s matchup with Toronto. He followed up with another double-double of 21 points on Monday, averaging 21 points and 15 rebounds off the bench in two games. Detroit’s injury list has grown to comical proportions, and Bagley offers better production than Wiseman in the rebounding and blocking categories. He is the preferred option of the two centers, but both should be on the roster in all formats.
Dennis Schroeder (31%): With LeBron on the shelf indefinitely and D’Angelo Russell Doubtful Tuesday, Schroder figures to see a big uptick in usage moving forward. Malik Beasley (50%) also makes a phenomenal pass after playing well at the start of his Lakers mandate.
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Josh Richardson (43%): In five games with New Orleans, he collected an incredible 16 shots and achieved top-90 fantasy value. He has started three games and appears to have cemented a starting role on his new team. If you haven’t added it yet, what are you waiting for?
Dennis Smith Jr. (27%): He finished Monday’s win with seven points, seven steals, three steals and one steal in 32 minutes off the bench. Its role will expand considerably if LaMelo ball he is forced to miss time moving forward.
Isaiah Joe (14%): Shai Gilgeous-Alexander he has missed the Thunder’s last two games and will be out for a third Tuesday against Sacramento. Joe started the last two games and scored 52 points while shooting 10 of 20 from beyond the arc.
Killian Hayes (41%): Hayes had 12 points, 10 steals, four rebounds, four steals and two rebounds in Monday’s loss, his best game in quite some time. Alec Burks (20%) he scored an ineffective 17 points, but both guards are noteworthy given the extent of Detroit’s injury report. Hayes is the preferred addition in category leagues, while Burks is the best bet in point leagues.
Malik Monk (46%): He was a top 75 player over the past month, thanks to averages of 18.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.1 triples and 0.9 steals while shooting 55.8% from the floor and 91, 2% from goal. Even without his massive 45 points against the Clippers, Monk was great for fantasy hoopers, and shouldn’t be as widely available in Yahoo leagues.
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