It’s a new week in the fantasy season, and stars like Fred VanVleet (27/8/17), Donovan Mitchell (37 points), James Harden (35 points, eight triples), Joel Embiid (40/14/6), Trae Young (31/15), Cade Cunningham (43 points), Luka Doncic (31/11/8) and Domantas Sabonis (28/13/12) kicked us off with some monster performances. There were 11 games on Monday, but there are only four on Tuesday, including Ja Morant’s return to the floor against the Pelicans. Victor Wembanyama will miss Tuesday’s matchup with the Bucks, which should allow Zach Collins to return to the starting unit. The Celtics will travel to play in Golden State, while Portland will host the Suns to wrap up the night. It’s a light day, so make sure to maximize your games played, especially since there won’t be any Sunday games this week because of Christmas Eve! Get your lineups set, and consider adding these guys to help you secure a win.
Isaiah Hartenstein- 46% rostered in Yahoo leagues
We thought it was Hartenstein time when Mitchell Robinson went down, but now it might actually be Hartenstein time. Jericho Sims sprained his ankle on the opening tipoff and tried to play through it for three minutes before missing the rest of the game. Hartenstein filled in for him and finished with nine points, 17 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 39 minutes. Hartenstein has played well recently, but he will put up dominant numbers like this if Sims remains out for Wednesday’s game in Brooklyn. (Everything goes out the window if Tom Thibodeau pulls a Tom Thibodeau and decides to start Taj Gibson. However, Gibson only played six minutes on Monday.)
Talen Horton-Tucker- 22%
THT returned to the starting unit on Monday and put up 27 points, three rebounds, six assists, two steals and five 3-pointers in 31 minutes. He should remain in the starting unit until Keyonte George or Jordan Clarkson is back, which could be a couple of weeks. He won’t always be this good and this efficient (11-of-18 FGs, one turnover), but he has a ton of upside.
Isaac Okoro- 8%
With Darius Garland still sidelined, Okoro got another start in his place. He finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one block and one triple in 32 minutes. He hasn’t produced value consistently in the past, but he has played well over their last couple of games as a starter.
Sam Merrill- less than 1%
Merrill came out of nowhere and had a big time performance on Monday. He contributed 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block and five 3-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench. He isn’t worth streaming in standard-sized leagues based on one game, but he could earn some playing time from this performance. He has hit 13 triples over his last four games.
Nick Richards- 21%
Richards got another start at center with Mark Williams out. He finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 32 minutes. If you’re in desperate need of some boards, Richards can provide value without hurting your field goal percentage. He hasn’t been great as a starter, and he isn’t a high upside add. However, he will get the job done.
Al Horford- 50%
Kristaps Porzingis is questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Warriors. If he’s out, and only if he’s out, Horford should be streamed everywhere. He has been fantastic as a starter and should feast in this matchup.
Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen- 34%
There are only four games on Tuesday, and both players have proven to be reliable fantasy options. They should be streamed until Bradley Beal returns (which will be January at the earliest), but their value rises astronomically on a day with just four games.
