With the fantasy basketball playoffs finally upon us in most leagues, there has never been a more crucial time to improve your team, as from here on out, you must win your weekly matchup in order to keep your championship hopes alive and avoid fading into fantasy irrelevance. At this point in the season, every roster move you make can be the difference in winning and losing. Which under-the-radar players are primed to but up big numbers this week? Who’s upcoming schedule strength will allow for more opportunity? These important questions can be answered through the evaluation of our top waiver wire adds for week 21.
1. Tim Hardaway Jr., SG, New York Knicks
Believe it or not, the Knicks have been playing good basketball lately, and are very much still alive in the woeful Eastern conference playoff race. They are clicking on all cylinders, having won six straight games, including three by a margin of more the twenty points. A large part of their recent success, however, has surprisingly been the result of Tim Hardaway Jr.’s increased playing time, coupled with Pablo Prigioni’s demotion. Over his last three games, Hardaway has averaged over 23 points per game while shooting an outstanding 66.7% from the field, and playing an average of nearly 31 minutes. While those numbers are sure to even out, Hardaway is primed to put up good numbers and is definitely worth a look in your fantasy league.
2. Jeff Adrien, PF, Milwaukee Bucks
Another week, another Milwaukee Buck putting up fantasy relevant numbers. While the Bucks can’t seem to find any real life on-court success, still owners of the league’s worst record at 13-54, they have several players who are actually putting up consistently good fantasy numbers, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and our number two waiver-wire add this week, Jeff Adrien. Since being traded to Milwaukee from Charlotte, where he rarely saw the court, Adrien has taken advantage of his playing time, averaging 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks over the last two weeks. If you are in a deep league of 12 or more teams, Jeff Adrien is an absolute must-add.
3. Mike Dunleavy, SG/SF, Chicago Bulls
Before Thursday’s high-powered matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets, Mike Dunleavy was in a horrid scoring slump that saw him go six consecutive games with less than ten points, including three without a made 3-pointer. This inevitably lead to him being dumped in many fantasy basketball leagues. He has a very favorable schedule this week, however, as the Chicago Bulls will play the Philadelphia 76ers not once, but twice. Dunleavy is also very reliable on the glass, averaging an impressive 5.9 rebounds per contest since the All-Star break.
4. Ryan Kelly, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers
Only seeing a significant amount of playing time this season because of the mass number of injuries the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen victim to, Ryan Kelly has been one of the most fantasy productive NBA rookies this year. After a seven game stretch in which he only saw an average of 15 minutes per game, Kelly seem to have finally found his way back into the good graces of Mike D’Antoni. Over his last four contests, he has averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and a solid 33 minutes per game. As long as Kelly is receiving playing time, he is worth owning in most fantasy formats.
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