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Malik Monk takes over in Los Angeles

Malik Monk

Malik Monk

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

While he has the potential to be an elite scorer on any given night, Malik Monk is still rostered in 33% of Yahoo leagues. He doesn’t offer much defensive production, and the rebound and assist categories offer slightly higher returns. None of that mattered Friday night, as he scored 45 points while also tallying two rebounds, six assists, and six 3-pointers in Sacramento’s 176-175 double-overtime victory over the Clippers.

In a game reminiscent of his 47-point effort in a 2016 win over North Carolina during his lone season at Kentucky, Monk shot 9-of-13 from the field in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods. Over the last month, he’s been a 6th-round player in 9-cat formats. For as spectacular as Friday’s effort was, Monk has been a more productive fantasy option.

Monk was the lone pickup-worthy candidate to go off in that game, but there were other performers across the NBA who rewarded fantasy managers on Friday. Let’s get into some of the day’s top pickups.

Isaiah Joe (4%)

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dealing with ankle and hip injuries, the Thunder held him out of Friday’s game against the Suns. That meant a rare start for Joe, and he made the most of his chance to shine. He scored a career-high 28 points with seven rebounds and six 3-pointers in 36 minutes. Joe’s shooting is certainly valuable to managers needing 3-point production, but there isn’t much to be gained from adding him, especially if SGA is back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Kings. Keep an eye on the injury reports for the time being.

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Delon Wright (18%)

A 10th-round player in 9-cat formats over the last month, Wright sank five 3-pointers and finished Friday’s loss to the Knicks with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. Given the track record, fantasy managers are expecting assists and defensive stats from Wright on most nights. But he made the Knicks pay for leaving him open, and Wright’s shooting 39.3% from three over the last month. Is he suddenly a marksman? No. But becoming a more consistent shooter can only help Wright from a fantasy standpoint.

Caleb Martin (15%)

A top-100 player in 9-cat formats over the last month, Martin was dropped from the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Bucks. Now backing up Kevin Love (33% rostered), Martin played 26 minutes and finished with 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, three blocks, and two 3-pointers. Was Martin worth adding before Friday’s game? Of course not. But with the Heat playing again Saturday night against the Hornets, fantasy managers may want to prepare for the possibility of Love (zero points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one blocked shot in 22 minutes) being held out for injury management reasons.

Patrick Williams (32%)

Williams is another player whose demotion to the bench may have benefitted him. He played 28 minutes in Chicago’s beatdown of the Nets, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and the foul line. Williams finished with a line of 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers. Of course, the game being a blowout did free up additional opportunities for Williams to aggressively hunt for his shot. That said, not sharing the court for as long with the Bulls’ top three scoring options (Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vučević) could be something that benefits Williams in the long run.

Nicolas Batum (3%)

While Batum did come off the bench in Friday’s 176-175 double-overtime loss to the Kings, his role was more prominent due to the absence of Ivica Zubac. He would play 38 minutes in the defeat, accounting for 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and five 3-pointers. Batum hasn’t been a popular player in fantasy leagues, and rightfully so, given the season-long production. With Kawhi Leonard playing 46 minutes in Friday’s loss and Paul George playing 41, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Clippers look to rest a few guys for Sunday’s game against the Nuggets in Denver.

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TyTy Washington (1%)

With Jalen Green joining Kevin Porter Jr. on the sideline, Washington made his first NBA start Friday night in San Francisco. The rookie guard finished the loss to the Warriors with 15 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Washington shot 5-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line while committing just one turnover. His value moving forward will depend on the availability of Green and Porter, but Washington would be worth a look if neither is available for Sunday’s game in Portland.