Fantasy Basketball Players to Watch: April 24
There isn’t much time left in the fantasy basketball regular season as the playoffs grow closer. As fantasy owners look to make a playoff push here are some players on the waiver wire for managers to watch out for.
Grayson Allen, Memphis Grizzlies
Trae Young owners may need a replacement for a while following the guard’s injury, and Grayson Allen could fill that void.
Allen has been a boom or bust type fantasy player the past few days, but what could make him valuable is how well he plays when he booms.
Over his last five games, Allen has scored 20 or more points times. His best performance of those three games came against one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference when he poured in 26 points against the Bucks.
Allen has received heavy minutes for a Grizzlies team still looking to make the playoffs but, he does come with a risk, as he scored only a combined 17 points in the two games he didn’t score over 20.
He is only rostered in 14.1% of ESPN leagues so if managers are looking for a big scoring night, Allen could be a good player to look at.
Landry Shamet, Brooklyn Nets
Another boom or bust guard is Landry Shamet of Brooklyn Nets.
Shamet has received more and more playing time recently as some of the big stars on the Nets start to rest for the playoffs. In terms of fantasy, this is great news for Shamet down the road.
In his past six games, Shamet played 30 minutes or more four times and scored in double-digits in all but one game. His best performance came against the Miami Heat where he dropped 30 points against one of the league's top defenses.
Shamet has had some good performances as of recent, but he comes with a risk as he loses value when James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are all on the floor. When one of them isn’t however, Shamet is a quality scorer who will almost always score in double figures, and since Harden will be out indefinitely Shamet could continue to see a boost in usage.
He is only rostered in 12.6% of ESPN leagues, however that number is rapidly growing over this past week.
Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons
Enough boom or bust, Isaiah Stewart of the Detroit Pistons is a player who has shown consistency.
Stewart has received more and more minutes as the season has gone along with frontcourt players such as Blake Griffin leaving.
Over his last six games, Stewart has evolved into a double-double machine picking up three of them and getting double digit rebounds in another game as well.
His best performance came against the Thunder where he picked up 15 points and a jaw-dropping 21 rebounds.
Stewart could be just a case of a player getting juiced stats on a bad team, but that’s great news for fantasy owners. Stewart is bound to help a team immediately on a playoff push.
He is only rostered in 38.3% of ESPN leagues, however his many fantasy owners are taking notice and he continues to be added in many leagues.
Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
