Have you ever looked at who’s available on the waiver wire and seen a guy who’s excellent in exactly one category – so excellent that you think, “Hmm… if only they could somehow get consistent playing time, maybe this random guy no one’s ever heard of would actually be useful…”? Well, that’s what Jay Huff has been to me all season. Whenever I looked at a Pacers box score this season, I’d glance at Huff’s numbers and become intrigued by how many shots he blocked, then shrug and say, “Oh well.” But now that intrigue is being validated because Huff has been moved into the Pacers’ starting position due to his strong play of late, and as such, he’s someone people should really pay attention to.
If you’ve never heard of it Jay Huff until recently you have been forgiven. He’s a 27-year-old journeyman who is already on his fifth different team in his fifth NBA season; entering this year, he had scored 20 points in a game exactly once in his career. But the thing is, Jay Huff has out of nowhere been the best shot blocker in the NBA with Victor Wembanyama out. Crazy, right? Despite coming off the bench most of the time, Huff is averaging 2.3 blocks per game and has 20 swats in his last six games. That’s remarkable, not only because he’s never been close to being that type of shot blocker until this season, but also because he hasn’t even played 30 minutes in a game this year. What’s also nice is that he’s also a three-point shooting center and has made fourteen three-balls in that six-game span, so it’s not even like he’s been negative in other categories.
The trade-off is that Huff isn’t great in any category except blocks. During his strong six-game stretch, Huff averaged 12 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game; even if you include his long-range shooting, these are numbers you could easily find elsewhere on the wire. The other wrinkle, too, is that because Isiah Jackson (whom people had ironically pegged as the Pacer who would become this year’s shot-blocker extraordinaire) is still around and still in a timeshare with Huff, Huff’s minutes likely won’t increase any more than they already have — meaning Huff has virtually no upside as anything other than a sudden shot-blocking maestro.
But that’s the point: as long as he is a shot-blocking maestro, and as long as Huff is literally the best shot blocker in the league right now, you should strongly consider adding him if you’re languishing in the blocks category. His other production may be that way, but it’s also been more than enough to justify putting him there as long as he gets three or four blocks almost every time. You don’t have to commit to Huff, but he’s single-handedly capable of winning an entire fantasy category for you as long as he’s in the Pacers’ starting lineup, and as long as that’s still the case, it’s not a bad idea at all to at least stream him.
Other notes:
Reed Sheppard posted a 9-6-4-4-2 game on Sunday after scoring a career-high 31 points. As great as the Rockets are, they don’t have much depth and that means Sheppard should get about 30 minutes a night for them the rest of the time. He’s still available in 56% of Yahoo leagues and you should add him if you can.
In just 19 minutes, Jusuf Nurkic collected 14 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and a block against Houston. He only got 19 minutes because Utah was destroyed, and it’s because of logistical issues like this (I’m also concerned about how much success he’ll have with Utah at the end of the year) that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to try to sell him high if you can. That said, he should play in 12-team leagues as long as he’s in Utah’s starting five.
Zach Edey had 32 points, 17 rebounds and 5 blocks on Sunday. It’s kind of ridiculous that he’s available in 52% of Yahoo leagues because he seems primed for a huge jump. Grab him if you can, idiots.
Speaking of players you should run and not walk to add if they’re still just sitting on your waiver wire: Keegan Murray. He’s averaging 18-7-2-2-1 this year, but the most drool-worthy factor about him is that if the Kings actually go on the fire sale they’re reportedly considering, Murray could easily finish the season as the top dog in Sacramento. Considering he can also contribute in defensive categories, he’s simply a phenomenal fantasy prospect to invest in right now.
Derik Queen had 15-7-3 on Sunday. His numbers were down from his previous four games, but on a 3-18 Pelicans team unable to stay healthy, he should still get a ton of opportunities to produce.
Peyton Watson was 11-5-3 against the Suns. There isn’t much upside for him in the longer term as he will be banished to the bench as soon as possible. Christian Braun And Aaron Gordon come back, but Watson is getting 34 minutes almost every night and has been solid. Not you under any circumstances need to select him, but he’s a good streamer until Denver’s other bodies return.
Grayson Allen played his first game in a few weeks and scored 10. I know it’s weird to say this about Grayson Allen, but he’s been quietly extremely good this season and should be added without hesitation if you still need points, threes or steals. Remember, he had a 10-three performance just a few games earlier.
Jonathan Kuminga also made his return on Sunday, tallying 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench. He will likely return to the starting lineup soon, but his production will remain inconsistent as long as he plays in Golden State.
Kevin Porter Jr. also made his return and had 13-6-4-1-1 against the Nets. It is an unpleasant development for Ryan Rollins owners, as Rollins has been sensational in Porter’s absence, but Rollins should still get plenty of minutes from here on out.
Could Knueppel had 20-6-4-2 in 37 minutes against Toronto, proving he can still fill the stat sheet even if the rest of the Hornets are all healthy for once.
Jaden Ivey had only 9 points this weekend. He’s a good player, but the combination of him returning from a serious injury and the Pistons absolutely rolling in his absence means you don’t need to use him at all.
Danny Wolf had by far the best game of his young career on Saturday, with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 threes in 30 minutes against the Bucks. Wolf, who took Brooklyn with the 27e pick in the draft a few months ago, had only played 21 minutes total prior to this game. This makes him worth having on your watchlist, if nothing else.
#Huff #StatStuffer