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 our 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 at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. 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 men’s basketball leagues.
Point Guard
Spencer Dinwiddie, SG, Dallas Mavericks (Rostered in 38.6% of ESPN Leagues): It’s not always young prospects taking off in these final weeks of the season, as Dinwiddie is a well-traveled vet thriving in a high-usage role with the Mavericks. With Dallas running pick-and-roll actions through Dinwiddie, this recent spike in passing success appears sustainable.
Jamal Shead, Toronto Raptors (4.7%): With Toronto often resting key playmakers such as Immanuel Quickley, Shead has become a viable plug-and-play candidate in deeper leagues. Finding assists on the wire in such leagues is a difficult task, which makes Shead a viable pickup for the nights he’s elevated in the rotation.
Shooting Guard
Brandin Podziemski, PF, Golden State Warriors (29.0%): It’s a great sign that some of this combo guard’s biggest games have come with Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler on the floor. “Air Podz” brings relentless rebounding and cutting to the floor for a team that needs his “glue guy” energy. For fantasy purposes, Podziemski’s ability to do a bit of everything drives value.
Jared Butler, Philadelphia 76ers (9.9%): This team is trying to find affordable rotation players for next year and beyond. Butler has thrived recently, adding to the likelihood he’s a part of the roster in the fall. The most impressive element has been his ability to create for others off the dribble, an element we saw at Baylor but not with the Wizards very often. This could be a fun finish for Butler.
Small Forward
Ausar Thompson, PF, Detroit Pistons (41.2%): A gifted defender still finding his offense, Thompson’s ability to compile huge defensive lines drives interest in these big win-or-go-home weeks of the fantasy playoffs. A recent four-block outing reveals just how high the ceiling is when Thompson is at his best.
Matas Buzelis, PF, Chicago Bulls (11.0%): The Chicago Bulls becoming a must-watch team wasn’t on my prediction card for the stretch run, but here we are. Beyond the epic finishes of late, the Bulls are also getting big minutes from this athletic rookie forward. Is this recent opus against the Mavericks a sign of momentum? Be willing to use a roster spot to find out if that’s the case.
Justin Edwards, Philadelphia 76ers (28.7%): A popular name in this space the past few weeks, Edwards has become a positive fantasy option thanks to being vaulted into an important 3-and-D gig for the 76ers. Butler’s ascent has been fun, but he has more competition for minutes and touches from the likes of Quentin Grimes, while Edwards has consolidated a major wing role on both sides of the floor for this lottery-bound team.
Power Forward
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz (12.6%): The Jazz have hit on another deep pick in the front court, with “Flip” proving really productive at the NBA level even as a rookie. The team was patient in building up Filipowski’s minutes, but he’s now regularly playing a major role with nightly double-double upside.
Kai Jones, Dallas Mavericks (5.8%): You will need to look past the scoring column some nights to really see the value Jones can deliver; he’s a defensive maven who just had six combined steals and blocks in a matchup with the Bulls. The floor is admittedly low, but there is some real upside present given how much Dallas trusts Jones as a defensive threat.
Center
Alex Sarr, PF, Washington Wizards (43.6%): There are going to be some really lean scoring and shooting showings from this unique rookie. There will also be special block and rebounding results at times. The team is going to give Sarr all sorts of minutes down the stretch, suggesting this could be fun.
Adem Bona, Philadelphia 76ers (7.6%): This is a busy week in fantasy free agency for the 76ers, as Bona is yet another young talent getting extended run in hopes of being Joel Embiid‘s understudy next season. With a special second jump, Bona could finish with some stellar block and rebounding results in these final games.
Special Teams
This section focuses on specialists, players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.
3-pointers: Malik Beasley, of course, remains a major contributor from beyond the arc. For a specialist available in far more leagues, look to Podziemski or Milwaukee’s Gary Trent Jr.
Steals: Sacramento’s Keon Ellis is showing he can do more than merely defend, but steals remain his signature statistic. Shead has been really productive in passing lanes, as well.
Blocks: Bona has several games with multiple blocks in recent outings. With the freedom to chase shots around the rim, Bona is a league-winning option in rim protection.
Rebounds: Utah’s Filipowski has been cleaning the glass at an elite rate of late. You’ll also find positive rebounding production from Podziemski and Bona.
Assists: Shead is your man if it comes to sourcing assists in bunches. Utah’s Isaiah Collier remains helpful for dimes, as well.
Source: espn.com