Xavier Tillman (C, MEM) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 21

March 12, 2023

Xavier Tillman is worth considering as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 21 of the 2022-23 NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 10% of leagues

ANALYSIS: It's been 15 games for the Grizzlies since Feb. 1 and in 13 of those Xavier Tillman got the start at the C position. Steven Adams was expected back in a few days but a setback in his recovery was announced last Thursday and he will now be re-evaluated in four (!) weeks, potentially missing all of the regular season.

All of the above, paired with Brandon Clarke's injury leaving him out of the rotation too, means that Xavier Tillman is the clear go-to starter in the paint for Memphis ROS. And hey, Tillman has not been a world-beater but he's more than a capable player and a viable fantasy option for those hurting for help at the four and five spots.

After the AS break, Tillman has started all but one of the eight games he's played. Even including the one in which he came off the pine (he put up a nice 8-12-2-2-1 packed line), Tillman has averaged a strong 11-8-3 per-game line to go with nearly 2+ stocks per game.

And it is not that Tillman is getting either 1) ample playing time, as he's "only" getting around 30 MPG, nor 2) massive usage rates, as he's averaged a subpar 15.7 percent USG% in his last seven starts through Thursday. Obviously, the per-minute production can't get much higher than his current 1.02 FP/min after the break.

Tillman comes with the added bonus of bringing the nightly chance of getting a dub-dub (he's got three in his last five games, and that 8-12 in the game he played off the pine), and also has the upside of barely turning the ball over for those GMs managing in 9-cat leagues.

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