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Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. got off to a terrible start this season, averaging 10.2 points per game and shooting 31.1% from the field in his first 18 appearances. But he’s been lights out in Dallas’ last three games, with the most recent being a 28-point effort in Saturday’s rout of the Knicks. Playing against his former team, Hardaway shot 10-of-17 from the field while also accounting for seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, and eight 3-pointers. Rostered in 40% of Yahoo leagues, he’s providing 5th-round per-game value in 9-cat formats over the last week.
This recent run means fantasy managers should be all-in on Hardaway, right? “Not so fast, my friend.” He’s worth adding at present time due to the run that he’s on, but THJ isn’t a player to fully commit to due to his streaky nature. Dallas plays four games next week with two back-to-backs, making for a good opportunity to evaluate Hardaway further. But the overall track record makes him a difficult player to fully trust in fantasy, especially once Christian Wood (illness) is back in the lineup.
Some other waiver wire names to know:
Jaylen Nowell (33%) and Naz Reid (6%)
Nowell and Karl-Anthony Towns don’t play the same position, but the absence of the latter makes the former a player of greater importance to the Timberwolves. Nowell finished Saturday’s loss to the Thunder with 21 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two 3-pointers in 23 minutes. He’s been a top 50 player over the last week; that production level may not be sustainable, but Nowell can offer enough to be worth rostering until KAT returns. Reid was outstanding, finishing with 13 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 30 minutes. But, in addition to Towns being out, Rudy Gobert was ejected after nine minutes for tripping Kenrich Williams. Fantasy managers considering Reid need to take that into consideration before adding him.
Jalen McDaniels (28%)
Gordon Hayward (shoulder) is unlikely to return to action until after the calendar flips to 2023, and McDaniels is still rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues. That needs to change. McDaniels put up 21 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and two 3-pointers in Saturday’s loss to the Bucks. There have been some issues with inconsistency, but McDaniels is worth a roll of the dice with Hayward and LaMelo Ball (ankle) sidelined.
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Tari Eason (22%) and KJ Martin (15%)
Eric Gordon was given the night off for injury management reasons, opening the door for Eason and Martin to take on expanded roles. Martin received the starting nod and had a solid night, accumulating 13 points, seven rebounds, and one assist in 28 minutes. But Eason was also good, scoring 13 points to go along with 10 rebounds and one assist in 28 minutes. Gordon should be back for Monday’s game against the 76ers, and with Houston only playing three games next week, neither Martin nor Eason is a long-term hold. But both are players to watch for later in the season.
Jevon Carter (21%) and Jordan Nwora (1%)
Milwaukee rested Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton, with Saturday’s game against the Hornets being the team’s second game in as many nights. That made Carter and Nwora players worth streaming, and both performed well. Carter finished with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one 3-pointer, while Nwora scored 20 with eight rebounds, seven assists, and one 3-pointer. Carter’s still hovering just outside the top 100 in 9-cat, but the return of Middleton has made him expendable in most fantasy leagues, especially with Milwaukee playing four games with no back-to-backs next week.
Immanuel Quickley (19%)
The Knicks were very poor in Saturday’s loss to the Mavericks, going from leading by 15 to trailing by 30 during the third quarter. Quickley was one of the few bright spots for the home team, finishing with 23 points, six rebounds, and two 3-pointers in 23 minutes. While a quality performance, it isn’t enough to make Quickley a player worth keeping in most leagues.
