Sunday night’s Pickups of the Day column is full of a lot of familiar names, but they all bear repeating. Even if you miss out on Option A or Option B, there’s still an Option C, D and even E. For fantasy managers in need of extra production, you’ve got a litany of quality options from which to choose. Cameron Payne, Tyus Jones and Killian Hayes are the best of the bunch, with Torrey Craig and Shake Milton not far behind. All are must-roster players in 12-team leagues. Let’s dive into this smorgasbord of fantasy goodness!
Cameron Payne (57%): Seriously, what do we have to do to convince you to add Cam Payne? Jump up and down on one foot? Put on a funny, multi-colored wig and dance around to the musical stylings of the Spice Girls? How about we just stick to the cold, hard stats, and maybe that will knock some sense into you!
Over his last seven games (six starts), Payne has posted robust averages of 19.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 3.0 triples while shooting 45.3% from the floor and 85.7 from the free throw line. He’s been an absolute fantasy stud with Chris Paul (heel) sidelined, and Paul has no timetable for return, with news that he’ll be re-evaluated sometime in the next week. There’s absolutely no reason Payne should be available in 43% of fantasy leagues after posting fourth-round value over the last two weeks. Rectify this grievous error and add him wherever he’s available. You’ll be glad you did.
🏀 FINAL SCORE THREAD 🏀
— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2022
Cameron Payne continued to ball, dishing out a season-high 9 assists to lead the @Suns to victory! #WeAreTheValley
Payne: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST, 2 BLK
Booker: 20 PTS, 5 REB, 5 3PM
For more, download the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/WFdLNEjikq pic.twitter.com/M2TVR6jV5Q
Tyus Jones (52%): Ja Morant and Desmond Bane will be out for an extended period of time, opening up a spot in the starting lineup for Jones. In three starts this season, Jones has averaged 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 7.0 dimes and 1.7 steals.
Fantasy hoops pulse check 🏀 🫀
— Zak Hanshew (@ZaktheMonster) November 20, 2022
If you could only add one player, who are you adding?
🚘 Killian Hayes
🐻 Tyus Jones
Killian Hayes (43%): Cade Cunningham could be dealing with a stress fracture in his shin, so he’s expected to miss significant time moving forward, leaving Hayes as the starting point guard in his absence. Hayes has been a top-80 player over the last week.
Torrey Craig (23%): Craig has logged nearly 30 minutes per game over the last week, and his work on both ends of the court has resulted in top-45 value in that span. He’s going to be locked into Phoenix’s starting lineup for as long as Cam Johnson is sidelined, and the fact that he’s rostered in just 23% of Yahoo leagues is ludicrous.
TC GOT UP! pic.twitter.com/fezALmE1pm
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 20, 2022
Shake Milton (31%): Milton will have no shortage of opportunities for the Sixers over the next few weeks with James Harden and Tyrese Maxey sidelined. Over his last two games, Milton has averaged 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He’s also coughed the ball up nine times, but if you’re taking a high-usage guard, turnovers come with the territory. Analytics darling
De’Anthony Melton (67%) is the preferred pickup here, but he’s rostered in two thirds of leagues, so if you can’t snag him, go for Milton.
De'Fense Melton ➡️ Slam Milton. pic.twitter.com/vz9V8KlLlx
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 20, 2022
Caleb Martin (24%): Martin has been sneaky good over the last two weeks, ranking 106th in per-game value in 9-cat leagues while playing heavy minutes for the shorthanded Heat.
Bones Hyland (61%): He’s still available in 39% of Yahoo leagues, so don’t let him languish on your waiver wire. Over his last seven games, Bones has averaged 21.0 points and 4.3 triples. He scored a career-high 29 points Sunday in the Nuggets’ upset win over Dallas, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter and finding Michael Porter Jr. for the go-ahead triple in the final minute.
"I seen [Michael Porter Jr.]. I know they was trying to shrink the floor on me. They just left MP. I'm like, 'Man, they trippin'.'"
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) November 21, 2022
Bones Hyland on Michael Porter Jr.'s late three to Altitude's @katywinge. pic.twitter.com/q1VdOZfXV5
Other names to consider: Naughty Nick Richards (19%), John Konchar (20%), Corey Kispert (4%), Bruce Brown (47%), Jericho Sims (10%), Derrick White (53%), Harrison Barnes (71%), Mo Bamba (48%)