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Matt Slocum/Associated Press
With the 2021-22 NBA season sprinting through its final month, fantasy basketball is becoming a game of attrition.
The injury bug keeps biting, and absences will only increase from this point as lottery-bound teams shift their focus to the offseason. With players like Stephen Curry (sprained foot), John Collins (sprained finger and strained foot) and Domantas Sabonis (knee) surfacing on the injury report, fantasy managers could find themselves needing to replace significant amounts of production.
We’re here to help by spotlighting three streamers—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—worth your waiver-wire attention in Week 22.
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Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press
The Blazers, who have a lottery pick to protect, are tanking their way to the finish line. That can be the perfect environment for a waiver-wire streamer to shine, and Drew Eubanks is doing exactly that.
Since signing his first of now three 10-day contracts with Portland, the combo big man has made the most of the Blazers’ readily available minutes.
He’s up to 27 minutes a night across his first 11 outings, and that volume has elevated the rest of his stat sheet. A double-digit scorer in five consecutive contests, his per-game averages in Portland include 11.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. He’s also shooting 62.5 percent from the field and 86.7 percent at the line. He has even dished out three or more assists in three of his last five appearances.
Portland’s four-game slate should provide ample opportunity for him to keep the numbers rolling.
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Matt Slocum/Associated Press
Natural scorers can make noise for the Nuggets, especially with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. still stuck on the sidelines. Bones Hyland has been cranking up the knob and building toward punctuating his rookie season with an exclamation point.
Slithery off the dribble and fiery from distance, he’s a bucket-binge waiting to happen. Since Nikola Jokic is quick to share the rock, and no other Nuggets really dominate it, opportunity has been knocking for Hyland to put up numbers.
The 21-year-old combo guard is answering those knocks. He has scored double digits in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 13.8 points on 49.4/49.1/82.8 shooting over this stretch. He’s also averaging 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers and 1.1 steals in this run, highlighting his ability to contribute nearly across the board.
Denver’s three-game week should allow Hyland to stay in a groove.
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John Minchillo/Associated Press
If the name Brandon Williams doesn’t ring any bells, don’t worry. He’s on the obscure end of the NBA galaxy, an undrafted rookie on a two-way pact with a Trail Blazers team going nowhere.
Having said all of that, Williams is a name fantasy managers need to know. His opportunity in the Pacific Northwest is rapidly becoming too great to ignore.
With Damian Lillard (abdominal), Anfernee Simons (knee) and Eric Bledsoe (Achilles) all on the shelf, Williams has surprisingly snagged Portland’s starting point guard spot. For the most part, he is earning the minutes, too. In his last 11 games—seven starts—he’s averaging 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 0.9 steals in 28.4 minutes per outing.
His shooting rates are pretty ghastly (41.4/31.6/62.5 in this stretch), and he nearly averages as many turnovers (2.6) as assists), so roster construction matters when considering Williams. But for fantasy managers who can stomach the erratic shooting, he might be the biggest scoring threat available.
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