Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players available in roughly half of ESPN leagues at each position (although I will make some exceptions). Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
Point guard
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic (Rostered in 33.3% of ESPN leagues): Deserving of more attention from fantasy investors, thanks to finally becoming comfortable in his role as the team’s lead distributor, Anthony has impressively averaged 5.2 dimes and 1.7 steals during the past week.
Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs (25.1%): With double-digit scoring in three of his past four outings and an impressive assist rate for a combo guard, White is beginning to make his stake as a worthy fantasy option. With a Wade-ian block rate for a guard, White offers enough versatility to help offset some modest scoring outings.
Derrick Rose, New York Knicks (48.8%): I’d likely be higher on Rose’s fantasy stock in New York if the team didn’t have such a rising talent in rookie guard Immanuel Quickley. Maybe the potential logjam won’t matter very much, given Rose’s familiarity with coach Tom Thibodeau, making this veteran guard a fine speculative addition.
T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers (24.7%): As I’ve mentioned many times already this season, assist production can be hard to find in free agency. So many of the top playmakers consolidate distribution duties in a league that continues to trend toward heliocentric stars. With this in mind, McConnell’s 6.7 APG on the season and awesome 10 per game this past week merits some attention from fantasy managers. Already among the league leaders in steals, you should look past McConnell’s weak scoring rate in favor of his defensive and passing prowess.
Shooting guard
Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets (46.6%): With an awesome 23.3 PPG this past week and a steady role as the team’s resident floor-spacer, Gordon has revived his fantasy value in the wake of James Harden moving to Brooklyn.
Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers (33.9%): What does this guy have to do to make his way onto your fantasy roster? Trent has been among the most prolific shooting specialists in fantasy since CJ McCollum went down and has averaged 19.3 PPG during the past week. With McCollum likely to miss several more weeks, Trent is an ideal addition for those seeking an infusion of efficient scoring and shooting.
Lou Williams, LA Clippers (47.5%): Finally finding his scoring touch after a somewhat dormant season, Williams has averaged 18.7 PPG the past three games and is getting to the line at an encouraging clip during this sample. With Paul George ailing, Williams could be on the early side of a scoring bender.
Small forward
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors (51.1%): A steady scoring force for the Raptors and enjoying an awesome surge in defensive production of late, Powell is a must-add in almost every format.
Josh Richardson, Dallas Mavericks (49.9%): Is Richardson finally rounding into form? With 15.3 PPG and strong defensive rates during the past week, that might just be the case.
Josh Jackson, Detroit Pistons (10.7%): With Detroit sending Rose to Manhattan, Jackson can comfortably assume his role as the team’s top scorer off the bench. Averaging 29.1 MPG and 19.5 PPG during the past four games, Jackson’s post-hype sleeper campaign is building momentum.
Power forward
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz (50.3%): An even more important rotation contributor with Mike Conley Jr. ailing, Ingles brings atypically strong assist and shooting production for a forward.
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers (43.8%): Perhaps this endorsement is a week or so early, but the moment we hear positive momentum regarding Love’s return to action, he will become a priority addition across all formats. Larry Nance Jr. is down for more than a month due to a finger injury, setting up a big role for Love once he’s ready.
Darius Bazley, Oklahoma City Thunder (26%): Slashing for 14 PPG and 8.5 RPG the past seven days, Bazley is a steady option on a young Thunder roster worthy of more attention.
Taurean Prince, Cleveland Cavaliers (9.1%): Speaking of Nance’s absence, Prince could benefit in the short term with a larger role for a somewhat shallow forward rotation in Cleveland.
Center
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets (36.3%): With at least six rebounds in nine straight games and clean scoring rates, Zeller is a productive starting center, who can help fantasy teams right away.
Kelly Olynyk, Miami Heat (20.2%): He won’t wow you in any single category, but Olynyk is a helpful player in that he’s able to combine enough shooting, scoring, and defensive savvy to surface as a worthy streaming option in deeper formats.
Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves (31.3%): Karl-Anthony Towns is working his way back to the floor after a bout with COVID-19, setting up Reid with strong scoring and rebounding opportunities.
Source : ESPN
