So everyone has COVID.

And if your team is anything like mine, half of your roster is out. Which is not great. It’s really hard to win a week when 11 of your 23 players are not playing games. Needless to say, we’re going to need to be wheeling and dealing on the waiver wire and streaming players whenever we can to stay competitive.

And boy, are these lineups WILD. G League guys are being called up to play big minutes, which is a great story and I’m happy for the opportunity, but it makes judging who is going to produce in the short and long term very hard. It has often been said dynasty basketball analyst is one of the hardest jobs there is, and this month is proving it. Joe Johnson and Brandon Knight are freaking back in the NBA and are getting isos called for them.

Since rosters are all over the place, here are a few guys you can pick up who’ve shown some nice flashes with their recent bump in playing time.

Miles McBride

Ah the Knicks, the lovable train wreck that I can’t quit. And the reason I can’t quit them is because of guys like Miles McBride showing off some great potential and making me think 2024 will finally be our year. The Knicks having issues at point guard is nothing new. I might be one of the biggest Pablo Prigioni fans on Earth, but having him be one of our three best point guards of this century is not a great look.

In stepped Miles McBride to a COVID shrunk roster and put up a 15/4/9 line with 4 steals AND NO TURNOVERS. WE’VE GOT OUR POINT GUARD OF THE FUTURE GUYS. And then he entered COVID protocols because we can’t have nice things. He was confident with the ball, hit a couple threes and attacked the rim.

Miles McBride with the nice move! ?pic.twitter.com/5PSXVxyIH0

— Knicks Nation (@KnicksNationCP) December 15, 2021

I’m aware his offensive game will take time to develop—though my Knicks fandom says he’s a star already—but McBride’s calling card is lockdown defense  The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie called him “one of the best on-ball defender in the class,” and defense is clearly the way to Tom Thibodeau’s heart. And the rotation. The Knicks have a very crowded backcourt, but with Derrick Rose out for 8 weeks and Kemba Walker’s removal from the lineup, there are minutes to be had.

Will Thibs keep him in the rotation after everyone is back? I’m hopefully he’ll get minutes, but probably not as many as everyone would like. But if Thibs surprises us, McBride will be a priority pick up. If you’ve got an open roster spot, now is the time to pick up McBride and stash him. Then we can BOTH pray Miles McBride becomes a Hall of Famer.

Josh Christopher

If you’ve been on Twitter over the last few years you’ve probably heard of Jaygup. He was a high school star that took the internet by storm. Just search his high school highlights on Youtube. Then he went to Arizona State, played alright, got hurt and was done with college after 15 games. He didn’t set the world on fire on college (14.3 ppg) and missing so much time had him fall off the radar a bit.

But now he’s in the league and getting playing time on the full-rebuild Rockets. He broke into the rotation at the beginning of December and has been scoring nearly 10 points a game in about 20 minutes per. His production has been a little inconsistent, which you’d expect of a rookie trying to find their role on in a rotation, but he has chipped in a few assists and rebounds each game.

People say it all the time but defense gets you on the court, I literally said it in the previous blurb, and Christopher has taken been putting in work to become a stopper.. He’s shown great effort on that end of the floor, which the Rockets sorely need since they’re the 28th-ranked defense in the league. Yes, he’s done all of this with star rookie Jalen Green out of the lineup, but the Rockets have no incentive to win at the moment, so sooner or later they are going to turn keys over to their young players. And it’s looking like sooner which means now is the time to pick up Christopher, before he starts showing off the skills he became famous for in high school.

Max Strus

Compared to the first two guys we talked about, Strus’ long-term value isn’t as high but he is a great *gulp* short-term add. I know, I know this is a dynasty site. And future value is king! But sometimes you need a little current production to ensure you have a chance to watch the seeds of your team grow into a beautiful, stat-stuffing garden.

And Strus is just that type of a pick up. He’s a gunner who can get hot in no time and has absolutely zero fear.

Max Strus was an assassin from 3 ? 32 pts, 7 rebs, 8-11 3PM off the bench ? @nba #maxstrus #miamiheat pic.twitter.com/CpTt9BlxOG

— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) December 18, 2021

He’s been a hot pickup since he dropped 32 on the Magic a few days ago, so there’s a chance he’s already been scooped up but if not go grab him now. The Heat are without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo so there are shots to be had. And Strus is taking them, averaging almost 25 ppg and 5 3-pointers over his recent three-game stretch. Yes the playing time and roster crunch has been the massive catalyst for these stats, but he did show last season he was capable by dropping 20 on the Pistons and Rockets. Of all the guys thrust into bigger roles because of COVID, Strus is one of the guys I have the most confidence in for consistent production.

But once guys start coming back, he’s going to turn back to a pumpkin so just be ready to jump ship quick.