Fantasy Basketball Pickups: Moses Moody seizes his opportunity

The Warriors were without several rotation players due to injuries in Tuesday's game against the Pelicans. Stephen Curry was the biggest name as he is sidelined for at least both games of this back-to-back game against New Orleans due to an ankle injury he suffered on Sunday. De'Anthony Melton and Andrew Wiggins were also sidelined as both struggled with back injuries. In the former's case, he missed a significant portion of last season due to a similar injury. The loss of Curry and Wiggins freed up two spots in the starting lineup, and there would be a third change with Steve Kerr moving Jonathan Kuminga to the bench due to space constraints.

The substitutes: Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield and Moses Moody. While the top two are in over 50% of Yahoo leagues, Moody jumped in at 10% on Tuesday. He was solid as the Warriors erased a 20-point deficit en route to an 18-point win, scoring 14 points with two rebounds, one assist, one block and four 3-pointers in 17 minutes. The playing time is worrying, but credit to Moody for taking his chance. Lindy Waters III's play was one of the reasons Moody's minutes were less than expected.

Playing in less than one percent of Yahoo leagues, Waters recorded 21 points, a career-high nine rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block and three 3-pointers in 31 minutes. It was an excellent night for Waters, who provided much-needed production (and energy) from the bench. While this performance should earn him another appearance in Wednesday's rematch, Waters is not a must-play player in fantasy leagues. Hield (28/1/1/2 with seven 3-pointers) scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, while Podziemski (19/3/5/1/2 with three 3-pointers) posted a full stat line. Look for their respected roster odds to increase ahead of Wednesday's 11-game slate.

Kuminga had his best game of the season, playing 28 minutes and scoring 17 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and one three-pointer. Managers who still have him in the squad should not panic as the protocols will be in place to ensure he can make an impact.

Let's look at some more players whose performance has had an impact on fantasy basketball:

Christian Braun (40%)

Braun didn't have stellar stats in Tuesday's overtime win in Brooklyn, but this was another solid performance from Denver's fifth starter. He played 39 minutes and finished with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers. Braun plays 39 minutes, showing the confidence that Michael Malone seems to have in him and the ongoing problems of the bench. While not a must-have in standard leagues, fantasy managers have something to consider regarding Braun, who was among the top 50 players per game in the first week of the season, according to Basketball Monster.

Jordan Clarkson (37%)

After Tuesday's loss to the Mavericks, Jazz coach Will Hardy made two changes to his starting lineup. One was forced by Taylor Hendricks' serious injury (more on that below), while the other was about improving the team's offensive flow. Clarkson replaced Collin Sexton in the starting lineup for Tuesday's loss to the Kings, and the veteran guard was one of Utah's bright spots.

Clarkson shot 8 of 16 from the field and 3 of 3 from the foul line and had 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes. Fantasy managers won't get consistent defensive performance from Clarkson, but he has value as a starter. As for Sexton, he missed all seven of his shots from the field and posted four points, two rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes. He's still in 87% of Yahoo leagues, and that number is likely to go down after Tuesday's performance .

Kevin Huerter (25%)

After scoring two points in the season opener at Sacramento, Huerter scored 14 or more in three consecutive games. He followed Monday's 18-point burst with 14 points, five rebounds, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers against the Jazz. Given the other four players in the Kings' starting lineup, Huerter will be fifth in the pecking order. It's a pleasant surprise that Red Velvet is among the top 50 players in the first week of the season, but it probably won't stay that way all season long. However, there is a path to fantasy relevance: knock down threes at a respectable rate while contributing defensive value.

Russell Westbrook (23%)

After scoring 17 points on 5 of 25 shooting in Denver's first three games, Westbrook recovered from his panic in Tuesday's overtime win over Brooklyn. He shot 5 of 12 from the field and 10 of 10 from the foul line and collected 22 points, one rebound, five assists, one steal and two 3-pointers in 21 minutes. While Westbrook paid off for the managers who streamed him on a four-game night, he isn't considered a must-have player. Keep an eye on him, especially since Denver's bench has been underperforming so far.

Ziaire Williams (3%)

Tuesday's game was the first in a row for Brooklyn, which visits Memphis on Wednesday. Ben Simmons (back) did not play, which resulted in Noah Clowney being moved into the starting lineup. While Clowney had a rough night with Nikola Jokic, there was streaming value elsewhere on the roster. Williams had his best night of the season as he shot 7 of 8 from the field and had 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, one block and four 3-pointers in 22 minutes.

Ziaire was essentially a dart throw in fantasy, and the gamble paid off for those who dared. Simmons should be available on Wednesday, so there's no need to add Williams now. But Tuesday's performance put him on the radar for Brooklyn's next meeting on Sunday/Monday. On Tuesday, Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said Simmons would not play back-to-back on both ends “until further notice.”

Cody Williams (3%)

As mentioned above, Tuesday's loss in Dallas left the Jazz with the loss of Hendricks for the remainder of the season. Williams was the choice to fill the void against the Kings. The rookie played 30 minutes and finished the game with nine points, two assists, two steals and three 3-pointers. The Jazz also have Brice Sensabaugh, but he only played 16 minutes. Williams is definitely worth a mention now, especially since Utah's next game is Thursday and is part of a four-game slate.

Utah lost Lauri Markkanen to back spasms during Tuesday's loss, with his exit leading to more minutes for rookie Kyle Filipowski (1%). In 25 minutes, he had 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and two 3-pointers. Depending on Markkanen's future status, Filipowski could have some value in deeper leagues sooner rather than later.