Fantasy Basketball 2022: Pickups and NBA Waive-Wire Adds After October 26
The Orlando Magic have run out of healthy point guards less than two weeks into the 2022 NBA season.
Jalen Suggs was shelved last week because of an ankle injury and Cole Anthony is now expected to miss time with an oblique injury.
The Magic were expecting to rely on Suggs and Anthony to do the majority of the ball-handling in their offense and now that plan has been blown up.
Orlando does not have a direct replacement for Anthony at the moment, so the ball-handling responsibilities could be shared for a bit. That may lead to Terrence Ross having a larger share in the offense along with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Ross is the most available player on the fantasy basketball waiver wire and he could be an intriguing pickup because of his veteran presence and three-point shooting ability.
The Charlotte Hornets are also dealing with a point guard injury, but Dennis Smith Jr. is on the roster as a replacement for Terry Rozier.
Smith should be a hot commodity on the waiver wire after his tremendous performance on Wednesday night. He could provide a huge boost to fantasy basketball players in dire straits at point guard at the moment.
Terrence Ross, SG/SF, Orlando
The one thing we know about the Orlando Magic lineup moving forward is that Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Terrence Ross will be starting.
A combination of the three may have to take up the ball-handling responsibilities now that Cole Anthony is sidelined with an oblique injury. Wendell Carter Jr. is the other confirmed starter, but the center will most likely not be a candidate to earn more assists.
Ross is rostered in less than half of Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues and he could see an uptick in production in either points or assists.
Ross has been on the floor for over 30 minutes in each of Orlando's five games. He is averaging 10.6 field goal attempts per game and 1.2 assists per contest.
The most natural replacement for Anthony may be for Banchero to have the ball in his hands and for Ross and Wagner to shoot more off the rookie's movements.
Ross could also be on the ball in certain situations and produce a few more assists per game until the Magic figure out what they are going to do at point guard in the short term.
Ross should experience some sort of stat increase in the coming games, and if he becomes more consistent from three-point range, he could be a great fill-in for the Magic and on fantasy basketball rosters.
Dennis Smith Jr., PG, Charlotte
No one is expecting another 11-assist performance out of Dennis Smith Jr. anytime soon, but he could still have some fantasy basketball value moving forward.
Smith thrived in a starting role on Wednesday night in an overtime battle with the New York Knicks. He produced 14 points and 11 assists in 37 minutes.
Smith started because Terry Rozier is dealing with an ankle injury. He could keep the starting role over the next few games while Rozier works back to 100 percent.
Fantasy basketball players should absolutely take advantage of the spot and add Smith because he is the primary distributor in a Charlotte offense that scored over 110 points in each of its four games.
Before Rozier went down, Smith earned the backup nod over Theo Maledon and James Bouknight, which is a promising sign if you want to keep him as a fantasy reserve once Rozier returns.
Smith played over 20 minutes as a reserve twice. He scored in double figures in each of his four games and he had 14 assists in three games entering Wednesday.
The Charlotte point guard may end up as a useful piece on fantasy rosters throughout the season if he continues to star in the backup role and takes full advantage of his spot starts.
Isaiah Hartenstein, C, New York
Isaiah Hartenstein has done a bit of everything in his first four games for the New York Knicks.
The former Los Angeles Clippers center is averaging 9.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, both of which are respectable totals for someone playing around 20 minutes each night.
Hartenstein contributed four assists in his debut and he displayed some willingness to take a few three-point shots.
The big man also added four steals and three blocks in his first week-and-a-half in the Eastern Conference.
Hartenstein is the perfect backup center and he could be a nice addition to fantasy teams looking for depth at center.
Hartenstein will not put up flashy totals, but if he chips in at most stat categories, he could be one of the most productive backups at his position.