Jose Alvarado (19%): Alvarado went bonkers in Sunday’s win over Denver, hitting 12-of-19 shots and 8-of-11 triples for a game-high and career-high 38 points. He added three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 27 minutes off the bench. This wasn’t just a one-off. Oh no, far from it in fact. Alvarado ranks 31st in per-game fantasy value over the last week behind strong averages of 18.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 3.5 triples in just 26.9 minutes of action. Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones are injured, but Alvarado was making inroads into a larger role in the rotation while both were healthy. We’re obviously not going to chase points with the second-year guard, but his ability to rack up steals, triples and dimes makes him a juicy add off the waiver wire, especially given his upside as a scorer.
History for Jose Alvarado's 38-point night:
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 4, 2022
· Most points by any player coming off the bench in the NBA this season
· Most points scored by a #Pelicans reserve in franchise history
· Most points by an undrafted player in franchise history pic.twitter.com/TK1orzPdnN
Malik Monk (54%): Don’t look now but everyone’s favorite former Laker is now a hot pickup in fantasy hoops. Monk has poured in the points as of late, scoring at least 20 in four of his last six games, while getting it done with assists and steals to boot. He’s been a top-80 fantasy value over the last two weeks and a top-45 option over the last seven days. Not too shabby for a guy logging just under 25 minutes per game off the bench. The Kings are lighting the beam with regularity this season, and Sacramento’s fast-paced environment is highly conducive to a productive fantasy campaign from Monk.
MALIK MONK OH MY 😳 pic.twitter.com/mYnxBmfldG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 5, 2022
Andrew Nembhard (20%): The rookie has seen his role grow substantially over the last week, averaging 10.3 points, 5.0 dimes, 3.3 boards, 1.0 steals and 2.0 triples across 30.3 minutes in three games prior to Sunday. Nembhard garnered his third straight start against the Blazers, and with Tyrese Haliburton (groin) and T.J. McConnell (illness) both sidelined, there should be extra minutes to go around.
Joe Harris (23%): He’s not the most exciting player in the world, but Harris has now posted at least 13 points, four boards and two triples in four straight games while averaging 1.3 steals in that span. Add where needed.
Kevin Love (46%): Last year’s Sixth Man of the Year finalist is rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues, and while he may not post top-100 value all season, he can certainly be a viable option in 12-team leagues.
Daniel Gafford (13%): Danny G has now played 20 minutes in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and the results are exciting. The big man has averaged 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks over his last two contests, so fantasy managers in need of big-man stats should consider grabbing him. Just beware the fickle nature of rostering Gafford. He’ll deliver big numbers for a short time and then just when you trust him, his minutes will drop precipitously, and you’ll get burned. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get hurt again.
🤯🤯 Look at how far back Daniel Gafford reaches to rip down this lob! pic.twitter.com/BVzGVbJr8Q
— NBA (@NBA) December 5, 2022
Other names to consider: Tim Hardaway Jr. (43%), AJ Griffin (13%), Grant Williams (29%), Aaron Nesmith (4%), Trey Murphy (66%), Killian Hayes (59%), Justise Winslow (34%)
