Pickups of the Day

Rui and Danny G provide waiver wire wizardry

by Zak Hanshew
Updated On: January 6, 2023, 5:47 pm ET

Two of Sunday's top pickups hail from the nation's capital, where the Wizards have been playing great basketball and are winners of five straight. Both of these guys are worth picking up, but we'll add a caveat. 

Washington plays only two games next week - fewest in the NBA. That's not great for guys ranked right around 100 in per-game fantasy value, but both should be on your radar, especially if you want to stream them Tuesday against Milwaukee and drop for another rest-of-week streamer.

Rui Hachimura has the most volatility moving forward due to Bradley Beal's eventual return, but Daniel Gafford should remain a solid source of blocks and FG% for the foreseeable future after his move to the starting lineup alongside Kristaps Porzingis. Gafford's ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win isn't considered serious, but we'll keep an eye on him ahead of Tuesday's rematch with Milwaukee.

 

 

Rui Hachimura (36%): He's been a top-100 fantasy option over the last two weeks, and over his last four games, he's averaged 20.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 triples. Those aren't huge numbers, but Hachimura's been uber efficient by shooting 59.6% from the field and 87.5% from the foul line while committing a single turnover per game. Hachimura is in rhythm right now, and he should see enough playing time and shot opportunities to remain a viable fantasy option even when Bradley Beal returns.

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Daniel Gafford (38%): Just like Rui, Danny G aka “The Landlord” has been a top-100 guy over the last fortnight behind averages of 10.7 points, 6.0 boards and 1.8 blocks while shooting a ridiculous 79.4% from the field. The guy takes high-percentage shots like this one:

 

 

His run as a starter isn't just a flash in the pan, and fantasy managers should strike while the iron's hot and add Danny G before the rent is due.

 

Three more: 

 

Immanuel Quickley (48%): Quickley has averaged 25.3 points, 9.7 dimes, 5.0 boards, 3.3 triples and 1.7 steals over his last three games while logging a ridiculous 44.7 minutes per contest. This type of playing time won't be available forever, but it's clear IQ has the trust of coach Tom Thibodeau, and he should continue to post useful numbers even when his minutes start to regress back to the mean. Pick him up and continue to stream for as long as either Jalen Brunson or RJ Barrett are sidelined.

 

 

For the record, Immanuel Quickley is the best add of the bunch and still rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues, but we've featured him before, so we're showing some love for a couple guys who are more under-the-radar.

 

Victor Oladipo (17%): Dipo went off in Saturday's win over the Jazz, logging 35 minutes and posting 23 points, five boards, five dimes, three steals and a block. He's looked good when given ample playing time this season, and he's averaging 1.8 steals across 26.3 minutes per contest in 2022-23. Miami's injury report is typically the longest in the NBA, and a number of key players are listed on it ahead of Monday's tilt with the Clippers. Make sure to scoop up Oladipo and stream him Monday if opportunity comes knocking once again.

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Tyus Jones (30%): Jones went off for 18/6/8 Sunday and hit five triples off the bench as Memphis defeated Sacramento. He's worth a look as long as the Grizzlies' injury report is as full as it was Sunday. Desmond Bane, Ziaire Williams, Santi Aldama and Brandon Clarke all missed the matchup with Sacramento, freeing up plenty of playing time for Jones.

 

Zak Hanshew

Zak is a blessed father of four, lucky husband and proud WVU alum. He’s been covering fantasy sports for more than three years for multiple sites. When he’s not writing, he can usually be found strumming his guitar, laughing way too hard at Simpsons re-runs or watching whatever NFL or NBA games are on. You can find him on Twitter @ZaktheMonster.