Happy Friday, fantasy managers! We had a night of dizzying highs and extreme lows in the Association, including Jayson Tatum's big triple-double, Luka Dončić's fatigued off-night, Lauri Markkanen's career-high 49 points and the Clippers' utter annihilation at the hands of the Nuggets.
Despite those notable and notorious performances, we didn't get a lot of news that drove fantasy pickups off the waiver wire. Our highest priority, Dennis Schröder, will get the benefit of sidelined teammates, while our other featured adds are guys who should have been on your radar already and may have been mentioned in past Pickups of the Day columns. Let's get to it!
Dennis Schröder (19%): Lonnie Walker is out indefinitely with a knee injury, and Troy Brown sustained a left quad injury that forced him out of Wednesday's matchup with Miami after only 14 minutes on the court. Austin Reaves is now out Friday due to a hamstring strain, and Max Christie was assigned back to the South Bay Lakers of the G League. Kendrick Nunn hasn't done much this season, and… ok, you get the idea. The Lakers are severely shorthanded right now, and Schroder should continue to cook in a starting role for Los Angeles. 18.5 points, 2.3 boards, 4.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.0 triples while shooting 45.8% from the floor and 84.6% from the charity stripe.
He's ranked 31st in per-game fantasy value over the last week and deserves your attention as he languishes on the waiver wire in 81% of Yahoo leagues. The Lakers play Friday against the Hawks and Saturday against the Kings in two favorable matchups, and Schroder - fresh off a 32-point outing against Miami - should be a priority add, especially for managers seeking a weekend warrior.
Bones Hyland (53%): He's averaged 17.8 points, 3.5 boards, 5.3 dimes and 3.8 triples across his last four games prior to Thursday's blowout, scoring in double digits in all of those contests. Hyland has been efficient from the floor, shooting 55.1% including a blistering 66.7% from beyond the arc. His FT% is sub-optimal to say the least (66.7%) and the turnovers (3.0 per contest) could be better, but Hyland still ranks just outside the top-100 over the last week in 9-cat leagues and 62nd in 8-cat formats. He's a fine add in both categories formats and even better in points leagues.
Naji Marshall (16%): Marshall was a recommended add Tuesday when news of Zion Williamson's extended absence was announced. He had a stellar game Wednesday and was featured again. Third time's a charm for the Pickups of the Day column, right? In 12 games with at least 30 minutes played, Marshall has averaged 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 dimes, 1.3 steals and 1.3 triples while shooting 50.0% from the floor and 80.9% from the charity stripe.
Jaxson Hayes (13%): The minutes have been a bit lacking considering all of New Orleans' injuries, so Hayes should be considered a short-term streamer rather than a guy who has any sort of upside after Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance get healthy. Hayes isn't a great rebounder for a big, but he offers decent help for managers in need of the scarce blocks category, and he can occasionally pop off for a big scoring performance. Marshall is the preferred add, but Hayes can be serviceable in a pinch.
Bruce Brown (51%): Despite Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray playing more regularly, Brown has still maintained a strong rotational role that's yielded favorable fantasy flair. He finished Thursday's blowout win with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Jalen McDaniels (40%): His name bears repeating, as McDaniels should see significant minutes moving forward due to Kelly Oubre's and Gordon Hayward's injuries. He's scored double-digit points in five straight games, averaging a healthy 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.4 threes in that span while shooting better than 50% from the floor.
Quentin Grimes (40%): 'Ol Grimey looks like he's here to stay as a Knicks starter, and he's turned in some solid efforts as of late. Grimes posted 15.0 points, 2.3 boards, 2.7 dimes, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 triples across his last three games while shooting 56.3% from the floor. He's been a top-70 player over the last month, so why haven't you added him yet?