De'Andre Hunter (SF, ATL): Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

February 23, 2020

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 19 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 23% of leagues

ANALYSIS: I wonder if De'Andre Hunter is the most overlooked starter going under the radar in fantasy leagues these days... Must be close if it's not the case. Owned in less than a fourth of all Yahoo leagues, Hunter has started all but two games for the Hawks this season. He's playing more than 31 minutes per on the year and 35+ in February (six games played). Not only that, but he's also producing numbers all across the board on a rather low usage rate, which makes him a very valuable player with upside to reach higher ceilings if either of the big-time eaters (Trae Young, John Collins) happen to miss the slightest of time.

Hunter's season started slow (top-95 player in November), improved in December (top-75), suffered a bit in January (top-90), but seemed to get back as of late with the rookie playing at around top-60 levels going in his last 10 games going back to late-January. In his last nine outings, Hunter is averaging 14.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 1.3 spg while shooting 47.3% from the floor and hitting 2.3 triples per game. In fact, Hunter has scored at least one long-ranger in every one of those games, and two or more in eight of them.

The scoring numbers are always there for Hunter, who is a lock to give you 10+ points nightly and 15+ more often than not. He's able to pair that with great rebounding and he normally adds a bunch of assists+steals every game. His three-point scoring prowess is noticeable too, which is great as he doesn't get many chances of offense (17.6% usage rate on the season). He should keep starting and logging minutes while improving his performance levels as he gains experience, so I'd advise getting him in any and every league.