Given how poor the Charlotte Hornets have been this season, using them as a measuring stick isn’t the best approach. However, that should not be used as an excuse to dismiss Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher’s performance on Tuesday. With the Hawks winning by a 134-102 final score, he only played 24 minutes, but the first-overall pick made the most of those minutes. Shooting 7-of-15 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line, Risacher finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one block and five three-pointers.
Rostered in 21 percent of Yahoo! leagues, Risacher has provided 11th-round value in eight-cat formats since the All-Star break. However, over the past week, he has averaged 15.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 100 percent from the foul line. Of course, Risacher providing more consistent production in the assist and defensive (steals and blocks) categories would be nice. Still, there’s no denying that the rookie has made strides in his development.
The Hawks are competing for the seventh seed in the East, which guarantees home-court advantage in the 7/8 play-in game. Thus, Risacher is not at risk of being shut down. The only negative is the Hawks’ schedule, which includes two more games in Week 20 and three in Week 21. Let’s look at a few other low-rostered standouts on a light night in the Association.
PF/C Kyle Filipowski (32%), Utah Jazz
The Jazz did not play on Tuesday but released their injury report for Wednesday’s game against the Wizards. Walker Kessler (rest) is out, and given how the team has handled Lauri Markkanen’s minutes, it would be stunning if he logged more than 25 on Wednesday. Enter Filipowski, who has been a 10th-round player in eight-cat formats over the past two weeks. He’s worth adding ahead of Wednesday’s action, and fantasy managers should strongly consider keeping Kyle, regardless of his production against the Wizards.
PG/SG Keon Johnson (30%), Brooklyn Nets
Johnson only played 23 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Celtics, finishing with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and three three-pointers. That certainly isn’t an attention-grabbing stat line, but the Nets guard has shot 44.6 percent from the field over the past two weeks. Of course, Johnson also shot 58.3 percent from the foul line during this period, but he is improving. And with the Nets on a collision course with the draft lottery, there will likely be more nights when D’Angelo Russell is given the night off. That will be when Johnson is most valuable to fantasy managers.
SG/SF Buddy Hield (30%), Golden State Warriors
Hield has primarily been a specialist for fantasy managers this season, but there was a little more room for him to flourish on Tuesday. The Warriors did not have Stephen Curry for their win over the Bucks, and Hield was one of the players who stepped up. Shooting 5-of-7 from the field, he recorded 15 points, six rebounds, one steal and four three-pointers in 24 minutes. With Brandin Podziemski returning on Tuesday, there may not be many nights like Tuesday in Hield’s immediate future once Curry returns. But he will be worth the risk if Steph misses Thursday’s game against the Raptors.
SG/SF Max Strus (19%), Cleveland Cavaliers
Strus had a good night in Inglewood, shooting 8-of-12 from the field and finishing the Cavaliers’ loss to the Clippers with 24 points, four rebounds, one assist and five three-pointers in 26 minutes. He’s made five three-pointers on five occasions, and the 24 points were a season-high. The Cavaliers visit the Kings on Wednesday, but Strus has been one of the players who has consistently played both games of back-to-back. If the team decides to rest one (or more) of its stars, Strus will have added fantasy value despite being similar to Hield from a fantasy basketball standpoint.
SG DaQuan Jeffries (5%), Charlotte Hornets
While his fantasy value hasn’t been much to write about, Jeffries has received consistent opportunities to show what he can do as the Hornets play out the remainder of the season. He has started five straight and seven of his last eight outings. Jeffries, a 14th-round player in nine-cat formats over the past two weeks, finished Tuesday’s loss to the Hawks with 19 points, five rebounds, one assist, two blocks and three three-pointers in 32 minutes. Only Damion Baugh played more than Jeffries, and he logged 33 minutes. Jeffries is not a must-add right now, but he would offer greater value if the Hornets were to shut down LaMelo Ball or Miles Bridges. Neither player saw action on Tuesday.
