Ranking top pickups for Week 11

Week 11 of the fantasy basketball season is upon us, and, like every Monday, I’ll break down several players who are less than 50% of Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues.

But before we get to this week’s waiver pickups, here are the games played by each team in Week 11.

Four games: 15 teams (Bulls, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers Pelicans, Pistons Rockets, Spurs, Timberwolves and Wizards)

Three games: 14 teams (76ers, Bucks, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Knicks, Lakers Magic, Nets, Mavericks, Raptors, Suns, Thunder and Warriors)

Two games: One team (Trail Blazers)

Okay, now that you know when teams play and when it might be best to utilize them, let’s get to the pickups.

Priority Adds:

Landry Shamet, SG, Phoenix Suns (25% rostered)

Suns backup shooting guard Landry Shamet is a must-add this week. Devin Booker left Sunday’s contest after four minutes with a groin injury — the same groin that kept him out of the Suns’ previous three matchups. Since Booker aggravated a previous injury, it’s not looking good for his availability in Week 11.

Enter Shamet, who has been spectacular for Phoenix recently. I know most will remember him for getting baptized by Aaron Gordon on Christmas Night, but Shamet’s been putting in work, dropping at least 30 points with five assists and five three-pointers in two of his last three games.

Shamet provided third-round value in Week 10, and he could legitimately be the top-scoring option for the Suns ahead of Week 11. He’s primarily known as a shooter, but in three games getting over 30 minutes, he’s averaged almost four rebounds and four assists with a steal. There isn’t enough sample size in this particular role to assume he’ll continue to fill the box score beyond points and threes. But it’s certainly worth the risk considering he can fill a major void with Booker out. I’d make him the top priority pickup for Week 11.

Advice: Add in all points and H2H leagues

Story continues

Donte DiVincenzo, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (42% rostered)

The Warriors have a challenging road ahead without Stephen Curry for the next several weeks, and the on/off-court numbers sans Curry are staggering.

Curry’s absence causes a trickle-down effect, with Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson becoming the main scoring threats, followed by the Big Ragu, Donte DiVincenzo. The former two-time NCAA champion and one-time NBA champion is stepping up for the Dubs and fantasy managers, providing fifth-round value over the past two weeks. DiVincenzo is averaging 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.6 triples, 1.4 steals and 1.8 turnovers per game in his last five games, with 43/50/86 shooting splits.

His rostership was down at the end of last week so if he’s available on waivers, pick him up now. He’s starting and averaging almost 33 minutes per game over his last five contests, and with Curry still a ways away from returning to the court, DiVincenzo has enough sauce to warrant a roster spot.

Advice: Add in all points and H2H leagues

Mid-tier adds:

Quentin Grimes, SG/SF, New York Knicks (32% rostered)

I’m backing Grimes again because he’s still under-rostered, considering the number of minutes he’s playing for the Knicks and his fantasy potential. He finished 182 in per-game value last week, so there’s a good chance he was dropped to waivers. He sprained his ankle a few games ago, causing him to miss one game, but he played 39 minutes in a loss to the Sixers on Christmas day (he finished with 10 points, three rebounds, six assists and two stocks).

However, despite that subpar week, Grimes is 115 in per-game value over the past month, averaging 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 threes and 1.5 stocks while shooting 49% from the field and 77% from the charity stripe. And it’s not a coincidence that Pascal Siakam dropped a career-high 52 points against the Knicks on December 21, a game where Quentin Grimes was out. He’s one of the Knicks’ best perimeter defenders and shooters, so he will continue being a fixture of the starting lineup, getting heavy minutes going forward.

He’s still fourth in the pecking order in usage, but his ability to showcase a little bit of everything is why he should be rostered in all 12-team H2H leagues.

Advice: Add in 12 team H2H leagues

New York Knicks Guard Quentin Grimes should be rostered in more fantasy leagues. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Short-term but worth a look:

Jeremy Sochan, PF, San Antonio Spurs (28% rostered)

Don’t let the hair or the unorthodox free-throw shooting deter you from picking up Jeremy Sochan. His game is maturing, and in December, he’s averaging 9.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Those marks are the highest of his young career, and he is earning the trust of Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Sochan is two games removed from having his best game as a pro, so if he continues playing 25+ minutes like his last two contests, he’s worth adding in Week 11 with the Spurs playing four games in total, along with a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back set.

Advice: Stream in 12 team H2H leagues

Victor Oladipo, SG/SF, Miami Heat (20% rostered)

Oladipo has averaged over 31 minutes per game over his last four contests and should be a good source of threes and steals. The Heat play four games in Week 11, three of which are against fantasy-friendly teams (Timberwolves, Lakers and Nuggets).

He’s only played in eight games this season, and while he’s struggled from the field, he’s steadily improving, and he should get more opportunities with Jimmy Butler battling knee and ankle injuries. Butler will undoubtedly miss one of the Heat’s Friday/Saturday back-to-backs, so keep an eye on Oladipo as a viable streaming option in deeper leagues.

Advice: Stream in 12 team H2H leagues

Derrick White, PG/SG, Boston Celtics (45% rostered)

The Celtics play on Thursday and Sunday, the two smallest slates in Week 11. White has been streaky throughout the first three months of the season, but he’s been solid the last couple of games, averaging 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists with 1.5 stocks and 1.0 turnovers in 31.3 minutes per contest.

Advice: Stream in 12 team points and H2H leagues.

Watch list:

Larry Nance Jr., PF/C, New Orleans Pelicans (32% rostered)

Nance Jr. has been listed as questionable on the injury report (soreness in Achilles) the previous three games but was ultimately ruled out near game-time. The Pelicans’ injury report is looking ugly heading into Monday with Herb Jones out (health and safety protocols), Brandon Ingram (toe) out, and Zion Williamson doubtful after coming out of protocols for conditioning purposes.

Keep an eye on Nance Jr. because if he can suit up, he’ll be in for a heavy workload on Monday. He’s 74th in per-game value this season and is worth streaming when healthy.

If Nance doesn’t play, fire up Naji Marshall because he’ll also be in for an increased workload.

Advice: Stream in H2H leagues if he’s active for Week 11.