Fantasy basketball is a game of matchups. The waiver wire can be the difference between winning and losing your league, as some players put up ridiculous numbers across multiple categories or solid contributions in one area for their new team. This week we highlight some low-ownership fantasy basketball pickups with potential to provide excellent value down the stretch on both ends of the floor:
This waiver wire is a deep dive into the fantasy world to find out which players should be targeted in your lineup. These are my top five picks for this week’s matchups.
“Fantasy basketball waiver wire explained” is a website that allows users to find players on the waiver wire. The site has many different categories, such as “Top Waiver Wire Pickups.”
Working the waiver wire is critical to fantasy basketball success. With so many games, injuries, and rotation swaps over the marathon season, we’ll need to rely on free agency metrics to optimize our fantasy squads.
A willingness to consider competition for the last few slots on your fantasy basketball squad may pay well. Consider your end-of-bench guys in direct rivalry with the talent available in free agency while creating this fluid group of statistical contributors.
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The purpose of this weekly series is to find players at each position that are available in at least half of ESPN leagues. Some candidates are experts who can assist in one or two areas, while others provide a wider range of statistical services. I’ve arranged players at each position in the breakdowns below by priority of acquisition rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
the position of point guard
Orlando Magic’s Cole Anthony (Rounding up 52.2 percent of ESPN leagues): Last week, Anthony had a statistical outburst against the Knicks, scoring 29 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds on his way to a triple-double. Anthony has scored at least 20 points in two of his three games since then, while also maintaining an unusually high rebounding percentage for a guard. The Magic look to be focused on developing their young players this season, so Anthony should have the opportunity rates needed for a successful year.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey (33.9 percent): Giddey’s outstanding performance against the Lakers in a thrilling comeback placed him on the map as a fantasy powerhouse. Giddey has sliced for 13.5 points, 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 combined steals and blocks while still being underrated by the fantasy pool.
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers (49.1%): Rubio, who is tied for ninth in total assists with Ja Morant entering Sunday, has scored at least a dozen points in every game this season but one. Rubio is firmly established as the Cavaliers’ third guard, with ample rebounding and steal output to compliment his passing volume, and he provides T.J. This job has McConnell-like importance.
2 Related
Guard for the Shooting
Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane (37.3%): Bane is an undoubtedly dangerous shooter, with a lifetime 3-point percentage of 43.2 percent. Bane is quickly becoming a must-add option at a shallow position after a large increase in scoring production from last season and improved efficiency despite a significant increase in volume.
Memphis Grizzlies’ De’Anthony Melton (17.1 percent): Melton’s high scoring performance in the first week of the season was aided by unsustainable shooting success, but he has kept his fantasy worth afloat with nine steals and four blocks in his past three games.
Chicago Bulls’ Alex Caruso (29.0 percent): It’s difficult to see Caruso maintaining consistent value until Coby White returns to the lineup, but the defensive guard’s excellent steal percentage has him with multiple swipes in every game this season save one. Caruso holds a roster spot as long as he plays at least 30 minutes every game.
Small Steps Forward
Denver Nuggets’ Will Barton (40.2 percent): Due to the absence of Jamal Murray, Barton will be charged with additional playmaking and creating tasks for Denver. Barton is presently leading the squad in drives per game, a category in which Murray was a clear leader last season. With at least five assists in three games, Barton’s ability to locate his own shot while also assisting teammates is unusual for a winger.
Toronto Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr. (23.4 percent): Trent is shockingly leading the NBA in thefts entering Sunday’s schedule, after turning it on as a source of shooting and scoring output in previous games. Trent might give valuable 3-and-D value if his shooting begins dropping closer to his career pace.
Philadelphia 76ers’ Matisse Thybulle (5.4 percent): According to The Athletic, there have only been six performances in the previous two seasons with at least three thefts and three blocks in fewer than 25 minutes, and Thybulle now has two of those six. Despite playing approximately 20 minutes in most games, Thybulle is eighth in total thefts heading into Sunday. Thybulle is averaging 1.5 blocks per game with his characteristic recovery blocks on jump-shooters. You won’t get much offense, if any at all, but defensive rates like these have always been beneficial in roto settings.
Keep moving forward.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (37.5 percent), Charlotte Hornets: This one is more about chance and talent than actual output, which has been the problem with Oubre from an NBA standpoint at times. That is to say, he isn’t playing particularly well or consistently for Charlotte, but he is averaging 32 minutes per game and seven 3-pointers per game, indicating a potentially worthwhile fantasy profile for a player who has shown some entertaining defensive rates in the past.
Atlanta Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter (16.2 percent): Hunter, like Oubre, is being pursued for his potential rather than his present output, although there are some positive aspects to his profile. Before suffering a knee injury last season, he was showing various indications of becoming a two-way difference-maker, so getting ahead of a possible return to prominence might pay off.
Carmelo Anthony, Los Angeles Lakers (44.0 percent): When he’s hot off the court, Anthony’s job with the Lakers has some fantasy appeal; he’s already scored at least 24 points twice as a microwave with the second unit. The problem with fully trusting Anthony in fantasy is how low his floor is for a guy who doesn’t contribute much in the way of offensive production.
Center
Orlando Magic’s Mo Bamba (58.5 percent): The idea is to talk about players that are available in more than half of ESPN leagues, but Bamba deserves an exception considering how undervalued he is right now; as of Sunday, he was seventh in the NBA in blocks while hitting over 45 percent of his 4.1 three-point attempts per game. A career-best rebounding rate completes a strong fantasy profile. Perhaps things will change once Jonathan Isaac returns to the lineup, but for now, Bamba is the Player Rater’s fifth-best center and should be rostered in virtually every fantasy league.
Kelly Olynyk of the Detroit Pistons (38.6%): When Olynyk is receiving consistent minutes, we should be beyond the point of debating his statistical worth. He’s an unusual center in that he makes threes, assists, and steals more than he blocks. Keep a watch on Olynyk, particularly now that Detroit is carving out extra time for the stretch run.
Mason Plumlee (38.7%), Charlotte Hornets: If you’re looking for a center, Plumlee gets lots of minutes and has at least 10 rebounds in four of Charlotte’s six starts. Plumlee has at least one steal in all but two games and at least one block in all but one appearance this season, so there’s some defensive value to consider.
The “fantasy basketball pickups today” is a blog that helps you find the best pickups for your fantasy team. It includes player analysis, waiver wire, and trade advice.
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