Fantasy Basketball: The Week’s 4 Best Pickups (4.8)

Basketball demands we break down its players not just by stats, but by the time and place they occur. That’s not the case in NBA fantasy hoops, though, where cold calculations rule the day and the matchup. Who are the Fantasy Doctor’s choices for this week’s best pickups? Hit the jump to find out.

FRESH PICKINGS
WILSON CHANDLER (55 percent owned in Y!, 34 in ESPN)
Danilo Gallinari‘s season-ending injury came as quite a blow to the Nuggets, but fantasy owners can easily swap Gallo for Chandler and not miss a beat. He plays the same exact role as the Italian, starting at the three with the capability of sliding to the four if Denver wants to play small, and is probably better defensively. Chandler started and played almost 30 minutes on Saturday night, dropping in 21 points with six rebounds, three assists, three treys, and a steal. I know losing Gallo hurts, but Chandler isn’t a bad consolation prize.

COREY BREWER (27 percent owned in Y!, 31 percent in ESPN)
If Wilson Chandler is the consolation prize to Danilo Gallinari, then Brewer is the runner up to Chandler. Expect Brewer to see an uptick in minutes, and although his fantasy game is predicated mostly on steals, his game is much more well rounded than it used to be. In three April games so far, Brewer is putting up 19.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 treys, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks while shooting 45 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free throw line. He makes for a better play in rotisserie leagues, but is useful in any format, making him a great add down the stretch of your fantasy playoffs.

BENO UDRIH (27 percent owned in Y!, 34 percent in ESPN)
Surprise! A member of the Orlando Magic has made it to the pickups list for the 1000th time this fantasy season. Jameer Nelson‘s injury has opened up the door for Udrih, who’s no stranger to the fantasy game. Udrih helped bring fantasy teams to the championship when Tyreke Evans went down in Sacramento late in the season a few years ago, and he’s looking to do it again. Over the last six games, he’s averaging 16.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.8 treys and 1.6 steals. I can’t imagine the Magic would rush Nelson back, meaning Udrih’s job should be relatively safe for the rest of the year.

BRANDAN WRIGHT (23 percent owned in Y!, 18 percent in ESPN)
I usually advise people to stay away from players like Wright, who we’ve been waiting on to fulfill their full potential for over five years, but he’s been solid of late and deserves an add in deeper leagues. Over his last five games, Wright is averaging 14.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 1.8 blocks. There might be options with higher upside out there, but as a last resort, I can’t knock anyone picking him up.

LAST CALL
These guys have been mentioned in previous editions. Go grab them if they’re still around.

Andre Drummond
Hasn’t played more than 23 minutes since returning, but he’s proven he doesn’t need a lot of time to put up stats.

Martell Webster
Playing time has been cut recently, but there are much worse scorers out there.

Spencer Hawes
Playing hotter than any waiver wire big man you’re going to find.

Gerald Henderson
There’s no reason for Henderson to be on the wire at this point.

Tobias Harris
With Mo Harkless getting banged up, Harris might see even more time.

Gordon Hayward
Mr. Rotisserie won’t hurt you in any category.

Danny Green

In fantasy, you can call Green a poor man’s Gordon Hayward who shoots more threes.

Kevin also writes for the brand new TurnOnTheKnicks.com. Catch them on Twitter at @TurnOnTheKnicks

Who’s the biggest fantasy x-factor coming down the stretch?

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