Jerami Grant’s team sucks, but his fantasy prowess is undeniable

We have a full slate on a Monday evening. Thank god, because it’s a necessary distraction from the already played-out Conor McGregor memes. Tom Brady is about to play in his 10th Super Bowl, which is the same as the amount of games tonight. How does this keep happening?

Tonight’s picks begin with Bam Garnett.

Yahoo: $38 │ DraftKings: $8,500 │ FanDuel: $9,600

Don’t expect the son of Marilyn Blount to match his career-high 41 points from his first battle with the Brooklyn Nets two nights ago. However, Bam Adebayo — along with any other center providing a scintilla of offensive ability — remains poised for a big night against the small Nets. Adebayo erupted for 41 points, nine assists, and five boards in a 128-124 loss to Brooklyn on Saturday, and depending on where you throw your dollars, he might’ve gotten you over 60 fantasy points. Even if that drops by one-third, you’re in great shape tonight.

Other elites to consider: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Domatas Sabonis, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid if he’s active.

Yahoo: $51 │ DraftKings: $10,200 │ FanDuel: $9,800

Could y’all bring down James Harden’s price, please? His newly discovered uber-passive self is unplayable until further notice.

Even before being dealt from Houston to Brooklyn, he toned down his shooting attempts, seemingly out of boredom or apathy. In Brooklyn, it’s actually gotten worse (although his assists continue to elevate). His fantasy production is generally viable, but not for someone who remains one of the three or five or six most expensive overall plays, depending on your app of choice. He’ll probably explode at some point, but coming off an entire game where he only took eight shots, followed by two others in which he went 6-of-14 each time, we could look to other guards like Malcolm Brogdon, Zach LaVine, or Damian Lillard to produce. And yes, they’re all considerably cheaper.

As a bonus, since Harden was also discussed very recently, no need to jump on Jayson Tatum in what is expected to be his first game back from COVID protocol tonight. The Boston Celtics play the Chicago Bulls, though Tatum hasn’t played in over two weeks. Look to other swingmen for tonight.

Yahoo: $17 │ DraftKings: $5,400 │ FanDuel: $5,400

With Markelle Fultz out for the season, Cole Anthony has stepped in as a rookie starting point guard on a team most of you probably aren’t watching, which is unfortunate because Nikola Vucevic has been an All-Star caliber big again this season.

As for Anthony, he’s quietly become a productive real-life, and fantasy player, despite the polarization surrounding his concerning lone season at the University of North Carolina. It doesn’t appear to be much on the surface, but the Archbishop Molloy High School (Queens, New York) alum is averaging 11.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in his last six contests. He’s only shooting 37.5 percent from the floor but is salvaged by two things: His three-point shooting, which is 41.7 percent on four nightly attempts during this stretch, and his defensive statistics. He’s blocked a shot in each of his last five games, and he’s recorded one steal per game since becoming a full-time starter. Lots of prolific guards are expensive for justifiable reasons, so consider Anthony when looking for value as the Magic faces the Charlotte Hornets tonight.

Other sleepers to consider: Evan Fournier, Naz Reid, Jalen Brunson, and, yes, Kendrick Nunn.

Yahoo: $37 │ DraftKings: $7,800 │ FanDuel: $8,400

Yeah, I’ve come around on this, too. I didn’t believe it at first. In fact, if you made a bet with me that Grant would be more expensive than Brandon Ingram at any point this season, and the loser had to do several doses of a hard drug, I’d be attached to a bodega ceiling with a crushed banana in my back pocket while rapping the first verse to “100%” by Big Pun instead of writing this. (With a mask on, of course.)

Remarkably, though, Grant has shown us something beyond the nobility of betting on himself and cashing out while front-manning the most unwatchable team in basketball. He showed that even while shooting 3-of-19 two nights ago, you’d still get over 30 fantasy points from Grant, who finished with 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. The night before, he finished 4-for-15 but still came away with 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Everywhere you turn, Grant’s averaging around 40 fantasy points per game. His actual numbers stand at 24.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 0.9 steals per contest. His team sucks, so this is likely to continue. Fuck it, give Grant some run.