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 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
Jose Alvarado, New Orleans Pelicans (rostered in 10.1% of ESPN leagues): The Pelicans have endured waves of impact injuries this season, including a devastating Achilles injury to Dejounte Murray. With their top two-way guard sidelined, the Pelicans have turned to Alvarado to run offensive sets and serve as the main point-of-attack guard defender. The results have been rewarding; gobs of steals and dimes are now part of Alvarado’s profile.
Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz (22.2% rostered): Earning a spot in this space for the past month, Collier continues to deliver old-school pure point guard production. A throwback in that he runs tons of pick-and-roll actions, Collier should continue to be a strong source of assists.
Bub Carrington, SG, Washington Wizards (8.3%): The Wizards are finally turning to their prospects to run the show. Having dealt off several veterans at the deadline, the rotation now affords Carrington touches and shots as part of a long development runway. There will be some lean nights, but also some slate-shifting moments from this Pitt product.
Shooting guard
Max Christie, Dallas Mavericks (27.4%): Empowered as a two-way force for the Mavericks ever since coming over in the Luka Doncic blockbuster, Christie is now a verifiable fantasy starter. With a major role in the rotation and real momentum for an expanded offensive gig in the weeks ahead, Christie is a meaningful addition to all fantasy rosters.
Kyshawn George, SF, Wizards (3.0%): With at least 30 minutes of playing time in four straight games entering the break, George has become a major part of the Wizards’ rotation. With an atypically strong rebounding rate, George is becoming a statistical sleeper as the sample grows.
Small forward
Ausar Thompson, PF, Detroit Pistons (48.0%): The Pistons have finally given Thompson the minutes and touches required for his amazing floor game to develop and flourish. A bouncy wrecking ball on both sides of the floor, Thompson brings immense value to fantasy rosters given elite defensive rates and a versatile offensive skill set.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves (57.3%): A dynamic defender who rarely flashed on the offensive side of the ball early in his career, McDaniels is now living up to his big contract as a viable two-way threat from the wing. Taking advantage of more work in the wake of injuries around him in the rotation, McDaniels has answered the call with newfound confidence.
Naji Marshall, Mavericks (8.5%): The Mavericks have created valuable roles for both Christie and Marshall. This is possible when superstar trades and injuries influence a rotation. Marshall can really clean the glass for a wing, which is helpful for when his shot isn’t falling.
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Power forward
Toumani Camara, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (20.9%): The All-Star break actually saw Camara’s roster percentage drop, opening a window of value for a two-way glue guy who embodies the new gritty and relentless identity in Portland. Don’t stress over the scoring column, as this dude delivers all over the box score.
Bol Bol, C, Phoenix Suns (13.9%): Given a chance to shine after being buried on the bench for much of the season, Bol’s wild block rate has resurfaced. Add in great rebounding opportunity rates and you have a fun fantasy addition.
Karlo Matkovic, Pelicans (1.2%): The sample is small, but the success we’ve seen from Matkovic when given more work has been impressive. The team has opened up a good deal of frontcourt minutes and usage, with Matkovic as a key beneficiary in recent games. A center-like block rate means Matkovic could become valuable if the minutes are real.
Center
Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks (50.5%): The Hawks didn’t deal Clint Capela at the deadline, but that might not matter for Okongwu, who has consolidated a massive role in the middle of the Atlanta defense. A better passer than Capela with a stickier role in the offense, Okongwu has real potential to finish as a top-12 fantasy option at the position.
Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat (21.5%): While his role isn’t as robust in recent games as in those first few starts, Ware remains an important part of Miami’s defense and rebounding strategies. Make room for Ware if you need boards and blocks.
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: Names such as Keyonte George, Gary Trent Jr. and Royce O’Neale all have proven to be positive 3-point contributors over the past 15 days. Bub Carrington, meanwhile, is 18th in added value from deep the past two weeks on the Player Rater.
Steals: Detroit’s Ausar Thompson is always getting his hands on the ball, even when the opponent has it. The Golden State Warriors are getting nice defensive stretches from Brandin Podziemski.
Blocks: Both Bol Bol and Karlo Matkovic are both fairly elite at swatting shots. I’m rostering these two for as long as they are playing big minutes.
Rebounds: Kel’el Ware and the Suns’ Nick Richards are seeing lots of rebounding chances and sustaining above-average conversion rates.
Assists: The entire list of point guards above qualify as plus passers with plus roles. You can also consider Keyonte George from the Jazz as helpful in this category.
Source: espn.com