The Warriors went into Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans down multiple rotation players due to injury. Stephen Curry was the biggest name, as an ankle injury suffered on Sunday will sideline him for both games of this back-to-back against New Orleans, at a minimum. De’Anthony Melton and Andrew Wiggins were also ruled out, as both were dealing with back injuries. In the case of the former, he missed a significant portion of last season due to a similar injury. Curry and Wiggins being sidelined opened up two spots in the starting lineup, and there would be a third change, with Steve Kerr moving Jonathan Kuminga to the bench for spacing reasons.
Steve Kerr on Jonathan Kuminga’s move to the bench: “I told him before the game: ‘You’re going to play a lot. This is just about combinations and getting more spacing.’” pic.twitter.com/lU62e99xW4
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 30, 2024
The replacements: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody. While the first two are rostered in over 50% of Yahoo leagues, Moody entered Tuesday at 10%. He was solid as the Warriors erased a 20-point deficit on their way to an 18-point win, scoring 14 points with two rebounds, one assist, one block, and four 3-pointers in 17 minutes. The playing time is a concern, but give Moody credit for taking advantage of his opportunity. Lindy Waters III’s play was one reason why Moody’s minutes were lower than expected.
Rostered in less than one percent of Yahoo leagues, Waters went off for 21 points, nine rebounds (career-high), four assists, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers in 31 minutes. It was an excellent night for Waters, who provided much-need production (and energy) off the bench. While this performance should get him another look in Wednesday’s rematch, Waters is not a must-add player in fantasy leagues. Hield (28/1/1/2 with seven 3-pointers) scored 16 in the fourth quarter, while Podziemski (19/3/5/1/2 with three 3-pointers) recorded a full stat line. Look for their respected rostered percentages to increase ahead of Wednesday’s 11-game slate.
As for Kuminga, he had his best game of the season, playing 28 minutes and accounting for 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block, and one 3-pointer. Managers who still have him rostered should not panic, as the minutes will be there for him to make an impact.
Let’s look at a few more players whose production impacted fantasy basketball:
Christian Braun (40%)
Braun didn’t have a prolific stat line in Tuesday’s overtime win in Brooklyn, but this was another solid effort from Denver’s fifth starter. He played 39 minutes, finishing with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two 3-pointers. Braun playing 39 minutes indicates the trust Michael Malone appears to have in him and the bench unit’s continued struggles. While not a must-add in standard leagues, fantasy managers have something to consider regarding Braun, who has been a top-50 per-game player over the first week of the season, according to Basketball Monster.
Jordan Clarkson (37%)
Following Tuesday’s loss to the Mavericks, Jazz coach Will Hardy made two changes to his starting lineup. One was forced by Taylor Hendricks’s gruesome injury (more on that below), while the other was about improving the team’s offensive flow. Clarkson replaced Collin Sexton in the starting five for Tuesday’s loss to the Kings, and the veteran guard was one of Utah’s bright spots.
Shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 3-of-3 from the foul line, Clarkson finished with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes. Fantasy managers won’t get consistent defensive production from Clarkson, but he has added value as a starter. As for Sexton, he missed all seven of his shots from the field and finished with four points, two rebounds, and one assist in 18 minutes. He’s still rostered in 87% of Yahoo leagues, and that number should drop following Tuesday’s performance.
Kevin Huerter (25%)
After scoring two points in Sacramento’s season opener, Huerter has scored 14 or more in three straight. He followed Monday’s 18-point effort with 14 points, five rebounds, two steals, one block, and two 3-pointers against the Jazz. Given the other four players in the Kings’ starting lineup, Huerter will be fifth in the pecking order. Red Velvet being a top 50 player through the first week of the season is a pleasant surprise, but that’s unlikely to remain the case all season long. That said, there’s a path to fantasy relevance: knock down threes at a respectable clip while contributing defensive stats.
Russell Westbrook (23%)
After scoring 17 points in Denver’s first three games on 5-of-25 shooting, Westbrook snapped out of his funk in Tuesday’s overtime win over Brooklyn. Shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 10-of-10 from the foul line, he amassed 22 points, one rebound, five assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes. While Westbrook paid dividends for managers who streamed him on a four-game night, he does not qualify as a must-add player. Keep an eye on him, especially with Denver’s bench offering little production thus far.
Ziaire Williams (3%)
Tuesday’s game was the first of a back-to-back for Brooklyn, which visits Memphis on Wednesday. Ben Simmons (back) did not play, resulting in Noah Clowney moving into the starting lineup. While Clowney had a rough night dealing with Nikola Jokic, there was streaming value to be found elsewhere on the roster. Williams had his best night of the season, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, one block, and four 3-pointers in 22 minutes.
Ziaire was essentially a dart throw in fantasy, and the gamble paid off for those who made the move. Simmons should be available on Wednesday, so there’s no need to add Williams now. But Tuesday’s performance put him on the radar for Brooklyn’s next back-to-back on Sunday/Monday. On Tuesday, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said that Simmons will not play both ends of back-to-backs “until further notice.”
Cody Williams (3%)
As noted above, the Jazz had to address losing Hendricks for the remainder of the season during Tuesday’s loss in Dallas. Williams was the choice to fill the void against the Kings, with the rookie logging 30 minutes and finishing with nine points, two assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers. The Jazz also have Brice Sensabaugh, but he only played 16 minutes. Williams is certainly worth adding now, especially with Utah’s next game being on Thursday, part of a four-game slate.
Utah lost Lauri Markkanen during Tuesday’s defeat due to back spasms, with his exit leading to more minutes for rookie Kyle Filipowski (1%). In 25 minutes, he accounted for 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. Depending on Markkanen’s status moving forward, Filipowski could have some value in deeper leagues sooner rather than later.
