Another interesting week has passed at the Association. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored the winning goal against the Pacers last Monday, the Lakers continued to find ways to win, Oklahoma City continued to dominate, and the Pistons moved into first place in the Eastern Conference.
Injuries, opportunities and stellar play have given us a new group of preferred players heading into Week 4 of the NBA season. Here they are!
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Priority Additions
1. Con Knuppel
2. Ajay Mitchell
3. Noah Clowney
4. Jusuf Nurkic
5. Ryan Kalkbrenner
6. Jeremiah Fiers
7. Derick Queen
8. Jaylon Tyson
9. Jake LaRavia
10. Trendon Watford
Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder (36 percent rostered)
Mitchell's wildly productive streak may one day end Jalen Williams And Lou Dort Get well soon and in the meantime, let the good times come! Mitchell has been on fire to start the season, averaging 17 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.3 threes. He's started each of Charlotte's last three games, averaging 20/5/5 with a pair of interceptions, and fantasy managers should be on the lookout. Even when the Thunder returned to full strength, Mitchell played too well to be left out of the lineup.
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz (35 percent of roster)
WITH Walker Kessler (shoulder) for the season, Nurkic is expected to take over Utah's starting center position moving forward. Over the last four games (all starts), Nurkic has averaged 5.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.5 dimes, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in 26.3 minutes. His performance in these games has been a bit sporadic, with two of them being busts, so fantasy managers should be prepared for some ups and downs.
Con Knuppel, Charlotte Hornets (34 percent of roster)
Over the last three games, the rookie has averaged 24.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and four threes, and he currently leads all rookies with 16.4 points per game. He scored a season-best 30 points on Saturday against the Heat and will look to continue that momentum in Week Four. Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball And Colleen Sexton in the event of a failure, the capabilities must continue to remain available to Knuppel, making it a strong additional condition for failure. Comrade Hornet Three people has also made the most of his increased opportunities, but his fantasy value is more closely tied to the presence of Ball and Sexton. Knuppel will still run a lot even if Ball and Sexton are healthy.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets (31 percent of roster)
Kalkbrenner hasn't been a tremendous scorer or rebounder this season, but he's great as a defender. Over the past five games, Kalkbrenner has recorded one three-block game and four straight four-block games, averaging 1.2 steals and 3.8 blocks over that span while shooting 74.1% from the field.
Jake LaRavia, Los Angeles Lakers (26 percent rostered)
Over the past two weeks, LaRavia has shown why he was such an important acquisition for the Lakers this offseason. Over the last six games, LaRavia has averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.7 threes in 32 minutes. His numbers are likely to suffer when Austin Reeves (and eventually LeBron James) will return, but even so, LaRavia should remain a key part of Los Angeles' rotation off the bench.
Trendon Watford, Philadelphia 76ers (19 percent of roster)
Through four games leading up to Sunday, Watford have been a beast, averaging 15 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and a triple. Watford recorded its first career triple-double on Saturday, posting a monster line of 20/17/10 in 36 minutes against the Raptors. He finished with just 7/3/2/1 on Sunday, but Philadelphia will likely continue to start him in the four or at least give him a chance to come off the bench for now. Paul George returns.
Jeremiah Fiers, New Orleans Pelicans (18 percent of roster)
Over the past six games, the rookie has averaged 15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 threes in 26.3 minutes per game. WITH Jordan Poole (quadruple) out for at least another week and Zion Williamson on the shelf for a similar period of time, expect Fears to have a lot of distribution for the foreseeable future.
Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets (10 percent of roster)
Cam Thomas is dealing with a hamstring injury that will keep him out for an extended period of time. The guys like it Terence Mann And Tyrese Martin should see additional minutes, but Clowney looks to be the biggest beneficiary from a fantasy standpoint. Clowney started three straight games, averaging 17 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.3 threes. He should continue to compensate for Thomas' offensive weaknesses.
Derick Queen, New Orleans Pelicans (12 percent of roster)
WITH Zion Williamson out at least a week with a left hamstring injury and Quin must see increased minutes before returning. In his last three games with extra playing time, Queen averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocks. He's seeing about 20 minutes now, but that should be enough to keep him viable in standard leagues. More playing time would just be the icing on the cake.
Jaylon Tyson, Cleveland Cavaliers (10 percent of roster)
Tyson has scored in double figures in each of his last six games, averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals and a block over that span. During that time, he has logged 28 minutes per game across five starts, and while he may not secure a place in the starting lineup, the return Darius Garland will not knock Tyson out of the rotation completely. He's done enough to remain a viable player off the bench and is worth a look in standard fantasy leagues.
Others to consider: Tari Eason (36%), Zakkari Risaker (23%), Isaiah Stewart (23%), Isaiah Jackson (17%), Jaras Walker (15%), Keaton Wallace (1%)
