De'Anthony Melton (SG, PHI) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 6

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ROSTERED IN: 15% of leagues

ANALYSIS: While every casual NBA fan was confused reading stories about Giannis fighting an A-frame ladder on Friday, the actual news we were caring about for our fantasy endeavors was much more troubling: Tyrese Maxey went off the court injured after just 21 minutes of play and never returned to the game.

It has now been announced that Maxey will miss between three and four weeks while recovering from a foot fracture. Now, if you're reading this, I beg you to stop doing so only for you to rush to your WW pool of players, smash that Add button next to De'Anthony Melton's name, then return to finish reading this little post I wrote.

Okay, now that you're back, it's fair to discuss what Melton has done with Maxey partially or entirely out for the past two games Philly has played (that one against the Bucks and an affair with the Wolves on Saturday): 10-7-6 with a USG% of 17.2 percent, and then 19-5-6-5-1 at a 24.3 USG%. See the difference and the upside?

Melton had started seven of his last nine games played getting back to his first time doing so on Oct. 28. It's been six-of-seven starts for him of late, and two in a row part of Philly's Friday-Saturday back-to-back run. That shouldn't change with Maxey out and James Harden still a couple of weeks away from returning, too.

Melton bagged five triples on Saturday night launching 16 FGA (second-most all season) and going 7-of-16 from the floor. The scoring is cool and the points will inevitable go his way because someone other than Embiid has to put the ball inside the net at some point.

That said, Melton's sweet appeal is to be found in the rest of the statistical cats: he's averaging 6 RPG, 4+APG, 1+ SPG, and 1 BPG in November alone playing around 31 MPG in the six games he's appeared in this month. The minutes, though, have gone all the way up to reach 36 and 37 in the past two games. Must-roster, must-start, must-everything for the next two-to-four weeks at the very least.

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