The Hornets’ Ryan Kalkbrenner has racked up 15 blocks over his past four games.
There has been a bevy of injuries to big names across the league. Some of the more recent stars to be sidelined include Zion Williams (hamstring) and LaMelo Ball (ankle). As we look to help fantasy managers pick up the wreckage, here are some players to consider adding off the waiver wire who are still available in the majority of Yahoo leagues.
Russell Westbrook, Sacramento Kings (37% rostered)
After playing fewer than 20 minutes in both of his first two games, Westbrook has logged at least 27 minutes in six straight games. He even started four of them. During that six-game span, he provided averages of 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.7 steals. He finished with two double-doubles and one triple-double.
While Keon Ellis has shown flashes of promise, the Kings don’t seem to feel comfortable relying on him. After he played 24 minutes per game last season, he has logged just 20 minutes per game this season. The Kings deploy a lot of three-guard lineups, which has left enough opportunities for Westbrook to remain productive. There’s no reason to believe that the Kings will reduce his minutes anytime soon.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks (36% rostered)
Trae Young (knee) will likely be out into December, leaving the Hawks without the driving force behind their scoring attack. With him out, Alexander-Walker has stepped into a more prominent role. He has logged 31 minutes per game this season, which is on pace to be the highest mark of his career by a wide margin. He has parlayed that and the absence of Young into averages of 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 3-pointers.
Alexander-Walker is scoring in bunches despite shooting just 30.6% from behind the arc. The reason for his surge in production is his 24.3% usage rate, which is up from 16.0% with the Timberwolves last season. He is a career 35.9% shooter from deep, so his scoring could even increase moving forward. There is a clear path for Alexander-Walker to be valuable for at least the next month.
Collin Sexton, Charlotte Hornets (32% rostered)
Ball made it through six games before suffering yet another injury. He sat out Sunday against the Jazz, then followed it up with another absence Tuesday versus the Pelicans. In his first five seasons in the NBA, Ball played 51 or fewer games four times. He hasn’t even topped 47 games in a season since 2021-22.
Even with Ball on the floor to begin this season, Sexton has averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 3-pointers. He has been an efficient scorer, shooting 51.2% from the field, 82.5% from the free-throw line, and 44.4% from behind the arc. When Ball is out, Sexton has significant upside. Even when Ball is healthy, Sexton has a large enough role to warrant rostering him in most leagues.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets (30% rostered)
Kalkbrenner was known for his shot-blocking prowess in college, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him have four total blocks through his first four games with the Hornets. However, the big man seems to have settled into the NBA now, racking up 15 blocks over his last four games. For the season, he has averaged 9.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.4 blocks, while shooting a whopping 82.9% from the field.
The Hornets have shown no hesitation to throw the rookie into the fire, starting Kalkbrenner in every game this season and having him average 27 minutes. Moussa Diabate has logged 20 minutes per game off the bench, while Mason Plumlee has barely taken the floor. A starting center with Kalkbrenner’s shot-blocking upside should not be available in this many leagues.
Jusuf Nurkić, Utah Jazz (27% rostered)
The Jazz have one of the more promising young centers in the league in Walker Kessler, who looked to be taking his game to the next level by averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 3-pointers over his first five games. However, things came to a screeching halt with the news Wednesday that Kessler will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery.
Nurkić has started the last three games with Kessler out, averaging 6.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. In two of those games, he played at least 31 minutes. With Kessler gone, the Jazz may end up with one of the worst records in the league again, which could increase their desire to lose games down the stretch. If that were to happen, we could see Kyle Filipowski eventually pass Nurkić on the depth chart. However, until then, Nurkić is a great add for fantasy managers who need help at center.
Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers (17% rostered)
Of all the teams in the NBA, the Pacers have been hit the hardest by injuries. Not only have players been getting hurt, but the injuries have sidelined them for a significant amount of time. After coming off the bench and averaging 28 minutes in their first three games, Walker has started and averaged 33 minutes across their last five matchups.
Walker has not let his added minutes go to waste, averaging 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 3-pointers as a starter. That’s despite him shooting just 34.3% from the field. Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) is out for the season, and Bennedict Mathurin (toe) and Obi Toppin (foot) won’t be back anytime soon. Expect Walker to continue to play a lot moving forward.
