This article is part of our Category Strategy series.
CATEGORY STRATEGY
Each week, this article highlights players who are widely available in standard leagues who can help in specific roto categories. While each player highlighted can help in a specific category, there's no guarantee for production in other areas.
POINTS
Aaron Brooks, PG, Bulls
Brooks is giving owners exactly what they should have expected when Derrick Rose went down with his latest injury. He has scored 20-plus points in three of his last four games, but has failed to hand out more than five assists since taking over as the starting point guard. While his starts have not translated into wins for the Bulls, it has not been because Brooks has struggled with his shooting. On the contrary, he has shot 48.6 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three-point range and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. That percentage from the field could trend down over the coming weeks, but the shots should still be there for Brooks, at least until Jimmy Butler returns, and even then, Brooks should still be useful in standard leagues. Corey Brewer of the Rockets is another option here.
REBOUNDS
Brandon Bass, PF, Celtics
Bass had 17 rebounds against Orlando on March 8, and while he probably won't do that again this season, it shows what his ceiling is. His playing time is not in question right now, and he has played at least 30 minutes in five straight games. While Bass may be the least dynamic fantasy option among bigs who play 30 minutes a night, the fact that he still sees those minutes means fantasy owners need to pay attention. Look for him to be good for about eight rebounds per game as long as he is seeing so much time on the court. For those who want an option with more upside but a lesser role, Thomas Robinson of the 76ers might be the polar opposite of Bass. Robinson has at least 11 rebounds in three of his last four games, but the most minutes he played over that stretch was 20, and he hovered closer to 18 per night. The performance is excellent given his limited run, but it seems unlikely to be sustained unless he sees an uptick in minutes.
ASSISTS
Ray McCallum, PG, Kings
McCallum has taken advantage of his newfound role as a starter, at least as far as assists are concerned. He is averaging 7.3 assists per game over his last four contests, which is much better than other options that are widely available on the waiver wire. He has struggled with his shot a little over that stretch, but getting seven assists per night from a player as unheralded as McCallum is more than most fantasy owners can reasonably ask for off waivers at this time of year. Darren Collison may be out for the rest the season, and with Andre Miller serving as the only other option at the point, McCallum's job seems pretty safe.
STEALS
Tony Allen, SF, Grizzlies
There are so many players available who are great at getting steals but struggle to shoot for a high percentage, so I'll just go with the guy who is the most proven among the bunch, and that is clearly Allen. When he is in the lineup, it seems more likely than not that Allen will accumulate at least two steals in the game. This is not the most scientific statement, but he is averaging 2.6 per game this month and two per game for the season. There seems to always be a hesitancy to own Allen in leagues because he is a specialist, but nobody ever lost a league because they owned the top non-point guard at getting steals. Iman Shumpert, Henry Walker and James Johnson also fit the bill here.
BLOCKS
Steven Adams, C, Thunder
Adams currently has a thigh contusion, but he compiled 20 rebounds and seven blocks in his first three games back from injury despite averaging just under 20 minutes per game over that span. It will be interesting to see how he performs down the stretch with this new cast of characters in Oklahoma City, but if the early returns are indications, he will be just fine. John Henson and Cole Aldrich are also considerations here, although neither of them seems likely to get to 28 minutes with any kind of regularity.
THREE-POINTERS
Dante Exum, PG/SG, Jazz
It's pretty cool that Exum has made his way from the Prospect Post and into a column that is intended to help those in single-season leagues. Despite shooting just 32 percent from downtown on the season, Exum has caught fire from long range of late, averaging 2.3 three-pointers while shooting 47.4 percent from long range over his last four games. That success rate won't continue, but the key takeaway should be that he has got to be feeling pretty confident about his shot right now, and that is one of the things he needs most. He has all the skills, and has displayed them all in games, but earlier this season it seemed he lacked the confidence to show those skills on a regular basis. This isn't necessarily someone to add in standard leagues, but he's definitely someone to watch. Randy Foye and Anthony Morrow are also options here.
