We’re entering the second week of the NBA season, which means overreactions are happening across the league. Is Tyrese Haliburton broke this season? Were we too high on Jalen Johnson? Is Denver cooked? Many of those questions were answered on Monday night to start a new week on the fantasy schedule.
Monday’s 11 games provided a lot of context for us, and there are a lot of players who clearly aren’t listed enough, either because of injury or because they’re just playing too well. Here are 12 guys who might be worth adding at this point.
Christian Braun- 34% listed in Yahoo links
Braun played well in a win over Toronto on Monday, but he’s been fantastic in each of their three games. He averages 14.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks per game on effective shooting. Braun won the starting shooting guard job during training camp, and it doesn’t look like Julian Strawther will be taking it from him anytime soon. He should be rosterable in 9-cat leagues for the remainder of the season.
Jeremy Sochan – 43%
He hasn’t been perfect, but Sochan has made some real strides this season. He scored a season-high 22 points on Monday and is averaging a career-high 19.0 points per game so far. The defensive numbers aren’t there, and the free throw shooting is still bad, but Sochan is still having the best 9-point season of his career, even if the sample size is small. They play three more games this week, and Sochan should continue to provide solid value.
Payton Pritchard – 16%
Boston’s sixth man struggled in the season opener, but he’s been on fire ever since. He had 28 points on eight 3-pointers Monday and is now averaging 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 4.8 triples per game this season. Pritchard has been a fifth-round asset so far in 9-cat leagues, where most of his value comes from beyond the arc. If Pritchard continues to play this well, he will definitely have a case to win Sixth Man of the Year.
Scotty Pippen Jr. – 29%
Pippen Jr. didn’t get the start with Ja Morant sidelined, but he continued to play a lot and was incredibly effective. He played a season-high 31 minutes and recorded his second straight double-double. He also recorded at least one steal and one block in three of their four games this season. He’s continued to be effective when Morant plays, but he’s been an elite flow option when Ja is sidelined, even if he doesn’t start in his place.
Moses Moody- 4%
Stephen Curry and De’Anthony Melton have been ruled out for at least the Warriors’ next two games, and Andrew Wiggins is not expected to play Tuesday. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield are obvious winners, but they are not easy to find on the waiver wire. Moody should play a big backup role on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday if Wiggins remains sidelined. He was a solid source of points in their first two games, both of which were blowout wins.
Cody Williams – 1%, Brice Sensabaugh – less than 1%
Taylor Hendricks suffered a bad injury that resulted in him breaking his right fibula and dislocating his ankle. There’s a good chance his season is over, and while John Collins should be the biggest beneficiary of minutes, both Williams and Sensabaugh will get a chance to play bigger roles. They may not be great in fantasy rings right away, but they’re both worth keeping an eye on.
Davion Mitchell- 2%
Mitchell saw a second straight start with Immanuel Quickley sidelined with a pelvic injury. After having eight assists in the first start, he had 16 points and six dimes in this one. Assuming IQ misses another game, Mitchell should be a solid streaming option in deeper leagues, though managers will just have to wait for the assist production to continue. The points are nothing more than a nice bonus.
Ochai Agbaji- 10%, Jonathan Mogbo- 2%
Scottie Barnes exited Monday’s game early after taking a hit to the face, and if that keeps him out of Wednesday’s game, one of these guys will likely fill the void in the starting lineup. Agbaji replaced Barnes when he exited this game, but Mogbo should be productive in deeper leagues if he gets the extra minutes.
Larry Nance Jr. – 1%
With Onyeka Okongwu out on Monday, Nance filled the void as Atlanta’s backup center. It was his first appearance this season, but he finished with 15 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and three 3-pointers in 23 minutes. Quin Snyder doesn’t seem to have much interest in playing Clint Capela more than 25 minutes, so if OO continues to miss games, Nance should continue to play a big role off the bench.
Tim Hardaway Jr. – 6%
If you need some treble, THJ is your guy. He had 20 points and three 3-pointers in Monday’s loss, and he has started all four games for Detroit this year.
