RADIO
Xavier Tillman Sr. is worth considering as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 20 of the 2022-23 NBA season.
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues
ROSTERED IN: 4% of leagues
ANALYSIS: The Memphis Grizzlies probably didn't plan to feature Xavier Tillman Sr. as much as they've been forced into doing of late judging by the playing time the big man got through the first three months of the season.
Tillman logged a total of 311 MP through January 16 (28 games) but he's played 439 since then in 17 games through Sunday's outing against the Clippers. He only started one game in the first span compared to 12 in the second. He only played more than 20 minutes in a single game then, compared to 14 such performances now. You see the trend.
The injuries to Steven Adams and now Brandon Clarke (to a lesser extent, but still) have opened the door for Tillman to rack up minutes, playing time, opportunities, and an unexpected bunch of games handed his way in which he's been a top 75 player in all fantasy leagues for up to two weeks now (after the All-Star break).
Since the start of February, Tillman is averaging a low-but-good 8-6-1 per-game stat line. He's had two double-double games in his last four. Since returning from the break (six games played), he's putting up (nearly) 11-8-3-1-1 nightly stat lines.
With Jaren Jackson Jr. healthy and Steven Adams eventually getting back to the starting lineup, Tillman's upside will inevitably go down a bit. Even then, though, he's more than earned a larger role in the rotation than the one he held for the first weeks of the season and that should keep him a viable streamer for those navigating the home stretch of the season in deeper leagues.
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