Fantasy Basketball Pickups: Jordan Hawkins goes off
By Raphielle Johnson
The Pelicans entered Saturday’s game against Dallas severely shorthanded, as Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, and Zion Williamson were all sidelined. Of course, the Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II, but the Pelicans are the focus for tonight’s pickups. Those absences thrust Jordan Hawkins (3% rostered, Yahoo) and Dyson Daniels (6%) into the starting lineup, and Jose Alvarado (2%) took on an enhanced role despite remaining with the bench unit. Each played a role in New Orleans’ win over the Mavericks.
Hawkins was the star of the show, as he dropped a line of 34 points (a career-high), five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and six 3-pointers in 37 minutes. The lottery pick out of UConn shot 11-of-19 from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line, leading all scorers in points. Daniels, inserted into the lineup as the starting point guard, finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, while Alvarado chipped in with 14 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three 3-pointers.
Alvarado’s production wasn’t on par with what we’ve seen from T.J. McConnell recently, but this was a solid night for a backup point guard asked to do a bit more than usual. Do any of these players have staying power in fantasy basketball? Once Ingram, McCollum, Murphy, and Williamson return, which should be on Monday when the Pelicans and Mavericks meet again, probably not.
While Daniels and Alvarado approach 20 minutes per game when the rotation is whole, they don’t get the opportunities to provide consistent fantasy value. Hawkins plays less than those two, with his most recent opportunities to take on extended minutes coming either in blowouts or on nights when the Pelicans were shorthanded.
Let’s look at a few more of Saturday’s top pickups:
Brandin Podziemski (42%) and Jonathan Kuminga (41%)
Podziemski and Kuminga earned themselves more rotation minutes in the aftermath of Draymond Green’s suspension, and both were…
