March 21 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Dillon Brooks, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Suggs, Eric Gordon, Amen Thompson and More
Taking a look at some of the top performances from waiver wire options across NBA games played March 21.
The NBA gets kind of put on the back burner during March Madness, but with fantasy basketball leagues either in postseason play or about to be, it’s important to stay locked in.
Let’s dive into some of the better individual performances from waiver wire options and rookies from games on Thursday, March 21.
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Waiver Wire Options
Houston Rockets’ Dillon Brooks, rostered in 37% of leagues, finished with 23 points, two rebounds and steals and one assist across 25 minutes in the team’s win over the Chicago Bulls. He was ejected from the contest, stopping him from an even bigger performance.
Brooks isn’t a very consistent offensive player, but made 10-of-13 shots on Thursday. He’s scored in double figures in six of the past nine games, but tallied only six points combined in the three games he failed to reach double figures. I like Brooks as a deep league option, but that’s it at this point.
Atlanta Hawks’ De'Andre Hunter, owned in 60% of leagues, tallied 22 points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist across 34 minutes in the team’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Hunter scored eight points in the team’s previous game, which was his first time below double figures in 18 games. He doesn’t usually fill up the stat sheet all that well, but he’s a consistent enough scorer to at least consider as a streaming option in standard leagues - he should be owned in all deep leagues.
Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs, owned in 66% of leagues, totaled 22 points, two assists and one rebound and steal across 28 minutes in the team’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Suggs expended his streak of double-digit scoring outings to six, over which time he’s averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 assists, 3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. That’s enough production to at least consider him as a streaming option in all league formats. He too should be owned in all deeper leagues now.
Phoenix’s Eric Gordon, rostered in 30% of leagues, went for 21 points, five assists, two steals and one rebounds across 24 minutes off the bench on Thursday.
Gordon didn’t score in the team’s previous game, so this was a nice little bounceback effort. His inconsistent scoring makes him a risky fantasy play, but he usually plays enough minutes each night to make a difference. There’s probably better options out there in deeper leagues though.
New York Knicks’ Alec Burks, owned in just 12% of leagues, finished with 18 points, five rebounds, two steals and one assist across 21 minutes off the bench in the team’s loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Burks isn’t getting a ton of playing time with the Knicks, but is capable of some bigger scoring nights still. The team was without OG Anunoby and Julius Randle last night, so when the team’s at full health, his fantasy outlook will probably dwindle. Like with Gordon, I’d guess your league has some better fantasy options available for deeper leagues.
Houston’s Jock Landale, owned in 17% of leagues, recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks over 27 minutes off the bench in the team’s win.
Landale continues to be a solid fantasy asset with Alperen Sengun inactive. Until Sengun is back, Landale is a streaming option in deeper leagues.
Top Rookies
Houston’s Amen Thompson, rostered in 80% of leagues, totaled 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal across 26 minutes.
Thompson has now scored in double figures in four straight games, over which time he’s averaging 19.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks.That’s enough fantasy production in my book to utilize Thompson in any league format, at least until he cools off.
Utah Jazz’s Keyonte George, owned in 77% of leagues, accumulated 18 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal across 33 minutes in the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
After only scoring nine points in the previous game, George got right back in double figures last night. He remains a solid fantasy option, either adding rebounds or assists to his points just about every time. He’s a streaming option in standard leagues.
Utah’s Brice Sensabaugh, owned in 7% of leagues, is also worth a mention. He scored just three points, but also tallied eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal.
His points are too low for fantasy relevancy, but he attempted seven shots. My point is that if Sensabaugh can start hitting a few shots, he does enough else on the court to be a decent streaming option in deeper leagues and dynasties. Keep an eye on him.
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