We’ve reached the homestretch of the 2021-2022 fantasy basketball season and it all comes down to which players are going to have the highest production ceilings. That means dropping a bigger-named player who is in and out of the lineup because of rest or due to an injury. Ben Simmons and Domantas Sabonis are a couple of players who are tough to hang onto at this point as we don’t know when they’ll take the court again this season. Plus, once they do, will they play full minutes consistently? Probably not! Start watching the teams at the bottom of their respective conferences as they start limiting their main rotation players and let some of their younger players get the on-court experience they need. 

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43% Rostered: We still don’t know when or if we’ll see Jamal Murray return to action in the regular season, but Bones Hyland has been a scoring machine in Murray's absence. He's scored in double figures in each of his last eight games and has been playmaking a bit, dropping three or more dimes in five straight contests with steals in three games during that span. Hyland is fast, has a quick release on his shot, and has shown a lot of skills in regards to weaving through screens and shooting the ball within a few seconds upon receiving it. He’s hit four three-pointers in both of his last two games. He’s also been a good change-of-pace player off the bench with a lot of speed while fighting for loose balls. Hyland has played at least 20 minutes in five of his last six outings and his next three matchups are strong (vs. the Thunder, Hornets and Pacers).

 

 

 

40% Rostered: After receiving over 21 minutes of action in his last five games, Alperen Sengun is looking at an easy schedule ahead as he faces the Blazers, Spurs and Kings. The Blazers and Kings are dealing with injuries up front and the Spurs are very weak at defending centers. Sengun has scored 12-plus points in three of his last four games. If you grab him and start to see him receive fewer than 20 minutes, just release him. However, as the defenseless Rockets head to the lottery, they’ll want to see what Sengun can do on the court so they can continue rebuilding the team. Sengun has posted swipes in three straight games and he’s blocked five shots total in his last four games. He can help stretch the floor and hit long-range shots, but he’ll mainly produce inside as he’s taken no fewer than seven shots in four straight outings. 

 

 

 

20% Rostered: After shooting 50 percent from the field in his last two games, Pat Connaughton looks like the rust has shaken off from being off the court due to injury. He’s been playing 26-plus minutes per game for the year and we should see his minutes increase a bit more over the next few games as he’ll serve as the Bucks' primary bailout option. Connaughton hits 2.4 three-pointers per game and he’s scoring 10.3 points per game for the season. Connaughton has also pulled down five rebounds in both of his last two contests and stole the ball in two of his last three games. He’ll remain a committed member of the Bucks rotation and should continue receiving 8-12 shots per game. Memphis and Philadelphia aren’t terrible matchups, but then the Nets and Clippers will be a bit easier on him as he battles their second units.

 

 

 

40% Rostered: There are rumblings that both De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis won’t be returning this season, and we’ve seen Davion Mitchell take full advantage. His usage percentage rises to 23.4 with Fox and Sabonis off the floor. Mitchell has scored 19 or more points in three of his last four contests. He’s also dropped seven-plus dimes in both of his last two outings and has steals in five straight contests. Mitchell will get a lot of time to run the point and the Kings boast a very fast-paced offense. He’s taken no fewer than 13 shots in five straight battles as a result. Mitchell has also logged a ton of minutes recently and three of his next four matchups are against the Magic and the Rockets. Both teams aren’t strong at defending guards and Mitchell will have a lot of time with the ball in his hands. 

 

 

 

40% Rostered: This recommendation comes with a warning because if the Spurs' coaches start easing up on their starters' minutes, that will directly impact Devin Vassell by lowering his production ceiling. Vassell has scored 12 or more points in five of his last six games and he continues to play 30 minutes per game regularly – unlike teammate Jakob Poeltl. Vassell takes 10-11 shots per game has also pulled down 4.3 rebounds per game this season. He has multiple swipes in three of his last five outings and he grabs one steal per game this year. The Spurs struggle to defend and Vassell is one of their better defenders, which is why his minutes may still remain in the 30s. He’s been shooting better than he did last season and he has favorable matchups coming up against the Pelicans, Rockets and Blazers.

 

 

 

37% Rostered: We still don’t know when, or if, we’ll see Josh Giddey return to action. However, with Luguentz Dort already ruled out for the rest of the season, Tre Mann should continue seeing shots and time on the ball. The Thunder don’t get much offense out of their frontcourt and Mann must be added. Mann has scored 21 or more points in three of his last four battles and he’s taken no fewer than 12 shots in 10 of his last 11 outings. Plus, he actually has 19 or more field goal attempts in three of his last four matchups. Mann has also improved his rebounding lately, posting at least five boards in five of his last six contests. With the current active Thunder players, Mann sees a 24.7 usage percentage and Mann squares off against the Nuggets, Blazers, Hawks and Pistons next. All four of those teams have trouble defending the perimeter.

 

 

 

 

 

31% Rostered: The Pacers' frontcourt continues to be banged up as Myles Turner remains out while Jalen Smith and Goga Bitadze have been in and out of the lineup. Even Isaiah Jackson will miss Indiana's next game due to having a “headache." All of this benefits Oshae Brissett, who’s scored in double figures in five of his last six games. Brissett has ripped down eight or more boards in three of his last four battles and he also hit the 30-minute mark in three of those matchups. He’s even coming off of a two-block game and has steals in two of his last three. Between the scoring and rebounding, along with the Pacers' lack of frontcourt depth, Brissett should have a safe floor for the next few games. He should be able to find success in the paint against the Raptors and Hawks over his next two games. 

 

 

 

25% Rostered: After getting the report that Ja Morant will be out for at least the next two weeks with an injured knee, Tyus Jones will run the point for Memphis. Jones has scored 11 or more points and dropped five or more dimes in each of his last three games. He has also produced steals in five of his last six games and the Grizzlies have a few faster-paced matchups coming up against the Bucks and Spurs. Jones averages nearly a fantasy point per minute with Morant off the floor and he’s taken 10 or more shots in two of his last three battles. He's shot over 45 percent this season and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Jones will continue taking more shots and dropping more dimes until Morant returns to the lineup, and the Grizzlies may still want to ease their star back in as they get ready for the playoffs.

 

 

 

25% Rostered: Danilo Gallinari should be looked at as a short-term solution as John Collins hasn’t been ruled out for the remainder of the season with his injured foot. Until Collins comes back, the Hawks need Gallinari’s floor-stretching ability to draw bigger defenders out of the paint. Gallinari has actually hit the 30-minute mark in three straight games and he produced a double-double last time out. He's also put up double-digit points in eight of his last nine games and has taken 11-plus shots in each of his last three battles. He’s scoring 11.1 points per game and hitting 1.6 three-pointers per outing. Gallinari shoots about 38 percent from downtown and, if he keeps receiving the minutes and shots, we can roll with him – but be prepared to move on once his scoring drops off. 

 

 

 

16% Rostered: The Blazers are dealing with many injuries as they already have Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons out. Even other players who have come through lately, like Josh Hart and Justise Winslow, are banged up as well. In the meantime, Kris Dunn will help Brandon Williams run the Blazers' point. Dunn is known for his feisty defense and has produced three multi-steal games in his last four. He does a little bit of everything and has dished out 5.2 assists per game this season while also pulling down three rebounds per game. Dunn should continue seeing 25-30 minutes per game for the rest of the way. He’s scored nine or more points in three of his last five battles and he’s taken at least eight shots in three of his last five. He has the Rockets, Thunder, Pelicans and Spurs up next on his schedule and all those matchups are favorable for him. 

 

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