Fantasy Basketball Pickups: Andrew Nembhard shines in extended run

Fantasy managers have been well-conditioned on what to do whenever the Pacers are without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. T.J. McConnell has been the preferred target of many, with Andrew Nembhard (31% rostered, Yahoo) being someone to grab as a last resort. With McConnell joining Haliburton on the list of unavailable players for personal reasons, Nembhard was essentially the last man standing for the Pacers.

Sunday’s win over the Grizzlies was good for Nembhard, who played 37 minutes and finished with 16 points, four rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers. He was only 5-of-14 from the field, but in addition to the stat line mentioned, he only committed one turnover.

Nembhard’s fantasy value moving forward obviously depends on the availability of Haliburton and McConnell, with the former now considered day-to-day. Haliburton will practice on Monday, the day before the Pacers begin a four-game Week 15 slate in Boston. If he and McConnell remain sidelined, Nembhard’s rostered percentage will increase. But if the Pacers get their All-Star back, it will be time to bid Nembhard farewell in some fantasy leagues.

Let’s look at a few more of Sunday’s top pickups:

Alec Burks (37%)

Burks wasn’t a pickup as much as a player who benefitted the managers who already had him rostered. Why? That’s because the Pistons didn’t officially rule out Cade Cunningham until just before tipoff. While it may have been safe to assume that Cade wouldn’t play the second game of a back-to-back so soon after his return, the Pistons not listing him on the injury report likely led some to believe he was good to go.

Moving back to Burks, he finished Sunday’s win over the Thunder with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes. He’s come up in trade rumors as a veteran guard who can help a playoff-bound team, so these next two weeks could be an audition before the February 8 deadline.

Gary Trent Jr. (34%)

Already playing without Immanuel…