Priority basketball pickups: Khris Middleton, coming soon

Injuries have been the story of the week. We’re here to help, offering a five-pack of pickups for the week ahead. Under normal circumstances, all players discussed here will be available in a majority of Yahoo fantasy leagues. Add ’em as needed.

Khris Middleton, SG/SF, Milwaukee Bucks, 27%

This week, Bucks fans (and the fantasy community) received good news on Middleton’s recovery from hamstring surgery. He’s reportedly eyeing a return around the all-star break, which presumably means he’ll be operating near full capacity by March. Middleton has begun putting in work in practice. Last year, he averaged 18.2 points, 1.8 threes and 1.7 steals per game. The ascendance of Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo will of course impact his usage, but he’s still likely to remain a legit asset in his core categories. The upgrade from Tony Snell for Milwaukee is almost obscene. If you’re a head-to-head owner who can afford to look ahead to the money weeks, go get Middleton.

Next week’s schedule: It’s not about next week, guys. He’s a long-range investment.

[Try the $75K Baller for championship weekend, $10K to first]

Garrett Temple, PG/SG, Sacramento Kings, 18%

Temple is a vet with a well-documented skill set, so you should already know what you’re getting here (and what you aren’t). Rudy Gay’s season-ending Achilles injury opens up 33.8 minutes and 14.7 shot attempts per night, many of which will clearly belong to Temple. At worst, he’ll be a low-level asset in threes and steals. Matt Barnes gets a bump in value as well, although it should go without saying that no Sacramento wing can reasonably approach Gay’s usual level of production.

Next week’s schedule: at Det, at Cle, at Ind, at Cha

Raymond Felton, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers, 36% owned

It should be clear to everyone that Felton and Austin Rivers are the two players who gain the most value over the next two months, while Chris Paul (thumb) is sidelined. Neither can really offer a respectable impression of a healthy CP3, obviously, but both are in line for big minutes and respectable assist totals. In the seven games that Paul missed earlier this season, Felton was a 12-5-5 player. Expect him to produce similar lines until Paul returns in March.

Next week’s schedule: at Atl, at Phi, at GS

T.J. McConnell, PG, Philadelphia 76ers, 24% owned

It’s been an ownership roller-coaster for McConnell over the past 7-10 days. He was mass-added last week when it became clear that he’d leapfrogged Sergio Rodriguez in the Sixers’ backcourt hierarchy. But then, after McConnell tweaked his right wrist over the weekend, he was mass-dropped. The 24-year-old point guard was plenty productive in his 29 minutes against the Raptors on Wednesday, delivering 10 points, eight dimes and five rebounds, plus he produced a critical bucket in the closing minutes of Philly’s win. If you’re starved for assists, don’t leave him on the wire for another owner. He’ll pretty clearly run the show for the Sixers until Ben Simmons is in the mix — and even then, we’ll have to expect the rook to be on a tight minutes limit.

Next week’s schedule: LAC, at Mil, Hou, at Chi

Dario Saric, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers, 45% owned

Saric may not be as widely available as McConnell, but his ownership rate remains a bit too low, particularly with a four-game week on deck. He’s now consistently playing 20-plus minutes per night, and over his last six games he’s averaged 11.7 points, 6.0 boards and 2.2 threes. His per-36 numbers are plenty appealing, fantasy-wise, even if some of the advanced stats are less kind.

Next week’s schedule: LAC, at Mil, Hou, at Chi

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