Fantasy Basketball Pickups: Ausar Thompson is back on the radar

Unfortunately, in fantasy basketball, an injury usually transforms a low-rostered player into one of greater importance. That may be the case for Detroit Pistons SF/PF Ausar Thompson (37%), as his team may have lost a starter for an extended period during Wednesday’s win over the Magic.

Starting guard Jaden Ivey suffered what appeared to be a severe lower left leg injury when Magic guard Cole Anthony crashed into him while diving for a loose ball. The Pistons guard was stretchered off the court with his left leg covered, and more details regarding the severity of the injury will be learned in the coming days. That’s where Thompson comes into play. He didn’t have the best night, finishing with six points (3-of-9 FGs, 0-of-2 FTs), five rebounds, one assists, four steals, and five turnovers in 25 minutes.

But Ausar has been the replacement in the lineup for most of the games Ivey has missed this season, with Detroit’s November 13 loss to Milwaukee (Ron Holland II) being the exception. And Thompson did not make his season debut until November 25. While Malik Beasley (36%) is another possibility and provides more scoring than Thompson, he’s been the preferred choice when Tim Hardaway Jr. or Tobias Harris could not play.

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

PG/SG Malcolm Brogdon (33%), Washington Wizards

Brogdon came off the bench on Wednesday as Jordan Poole was back in the lineup. However, he played 28 minutes off the bench, and there was also the matter of Bilal Coulibaly exiting Wednesday’s win over the Bulls during the first half with an illness. While Kyle Kuzma was the choice to start the third quarter in Coulibaly’s place, Brogdon (12/4/6/0/1) will have added value if Coulibaly misses time as part of a nine-man rotation.

SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (24%), Orlando Magic

Caldwell-Pope’s improved production recently has him closing in on top 100 season-long value. A top-60 player over the past two weeks, he finished Wednesday’s loss to the Pistons with 21 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block, and four 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Orlando has lost multiple players to injury, so there’s a clear need for scoring among those who are healthy. KCP will be in the starting lineup, and he’s worth the risk with Orlando’s last two games of Week 10 coming against Toronto and Utah.

SG/SF Quentin Grimes (17%), Dallas Mavericks

With Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson returning to the lineup on Wednesday, Grimes was relegated to the bench in Houston. The minutes were more important than whether or not he started, with Grimes logging 30 and finishing the 110-99 defeat with 17 points (6-of-13 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), five rebounds, three assists, one block, and two 3-pointers. With Naji Marshall (suspended) out for the rest of Week 10 and Luka Doncic (calf) out until late January at the earliest, it’s possible that Grimes can approach 30 minutes in Friday’s game against the Cavaliers, at a minimum.

SG/SF Caleb Martin (9%), Philadelphia 76ers

A starter in each of Philadelphia’s last four games, Martin has played at least 36 minutes in each. After offering minimal value in wins over the Jazz and Trail Blazers, he was more impactful in Wednesday’s loss to the Kings. In 39 minutes, Martin accounted for 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block, and two 3-pointers. Moving forward, his value depends more on the availability of KJ Martin than anyone else, and KJ won’t be back for a few weeks. And with the 76ers playing the Warriors on Thursday, it’s possible that Paul George won’t play. His potential absence boosts Caleb’s streaming value even more.

SG/SF Keon Ellis (6%), Sacramento Kings

As Keegan Murray’s replacement in the starting lineup, Ellis didn’t score much in the Kings’ win over Philadelphia. However, he did record a complete stat line, finishing with nine points, one rebound, two assists, four steals, two blocks, and three 3-pointers in 38 minutes. Ellis’ value moving forward depends on Murray’s availability, but he gave deep-league managers solid value on Wednesday. As a starter this season, Ellis is averaging 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.8 3-pointers in 28.0 minutes per game.

SF/PF Cam Whitmore (5%), Houston Rockets

The combination of Tari Eason’s lingering leg injury and Amen Thompson’s two-game suspension makes Whitmore a more important player to the Rockets, even though he’s coming off the bench. The second-year wing finished Wednesday’s win over the Mavericks with 18 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and three 3-pointers in 24 minutes, shooting 7-of-9 from the field. In comparison, he isn’t as productive defensively as Eason or Thompson, but Whitmore’s scoring ability makes him a player worth considering for Friday’s game against the Celtics.

SF/PF Jalen Wilson (3%), Brooklyn Nets

While Noah Clowney (17%) has been the preferred streaming target after Dorian Finney-Smith was traded to the Lakers since he was the replacement in the starting lineup, deep-league managers shouldn’t sleep on Wilson. He didn’t shoot the ball well in Wednesday’s loss to the Raptors, going 3-of-11 and finishing with 10 points, one rebound, and one 3-pointer. However, Wilson played 31 minutes off the bench, and Clowney suffered a lower back injury during the second half. At the very least, Wilson should have added value for Thursday’s game against the Bucks. Even if Clowney can play, it’s likely that Ben Simmons doesn’t.