NBA Fantasy: Waiver adds to weave through weird week
There is no doubt this is going to be a weird week of fantasy basketball.
There will be lots of rests, fake injuries and players getting pulled five minutes into games to secure games played streaks, but also secure losses. It makes fantasy a nightmare.
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You need to be nimble this week and save some acquisitions for the Wednesday-Saturday period, when there are fewer games on and be ready to grab the unexpected players who jump into weird 40 minute night roles.
That said, at this point, there are some interesting guys available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues we can grab.
Aleksej Pokuševski, OKC Thunder
Poku is going to get pumped full of minutes this week and we already saw him notch a triple-double yesterday. I doubt he gets randomly rested.
Isaiah Roby, OKC Thunder
Like Poku, his role is relatively secure. The Thunder roster is bare bones so almost everyone who is playing is getting 30 minutes a night and Roby has been very useful.
Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets
Christian Wood is done for the season and we got a big double-double from Şengün yesterday in his first start since Wood was shutdown. They want Şengün to get all the minutes he can handle, so he is a must-add.
Theo Maledon, OKC Thunder
Maledon can have some rough shooting nights, but volume is going to be there for him replacing Josh Giddey and Sgai Gilgeous-Alexander. Tre Mann may have an impact if he plays, but Maledon is a solid pickup.
Brandon Williams, Portland TrailBlazers
Kris Dunn seems to have lost momentum in Portland, so it’s Williams getting the bulk of the minutes. He is iffy like so many young and low-level prospects are, but the big numbers can appear.
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
It surprises to see Vassell rostered in so few leagues. He isn’t blowing us away, but he has enough value to be on a roster. The Spurs will likely play him strong minutes the remainder of the season as well.
Keon Johnson, Portland TrailBlazers
Like Williams, Johnson isn’t a very good player, but he is being tasked with a big role and that can lead to some fantasy value. Johnson is starting for the Blazers and I expect that to continue after they acquired him in the Norman Powell deal.
Ish Smith, Washington Wizards
It’s very tough to trust Wes Unseld, but the last two games have seen Ish Smith get the bulk of the point guard minutes over Tomáš Satoranský, despite coming off the bench. If that holds, he will have quite a bit of value.
Isaiah Livers, Detroit Pistons
If you want to get a little deeper, Livers could be someone to watch. Jerami Grant is done for the year and I don’t expect to see Marvin Bagley III play. I also think Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Cade Cunningham are going to be heavily restricted. That could mean a big role for Livers.
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanra Hawks
With John Collins out and Danilo Gallinari always a risk to sit, Hunter should be able to increase his minutes and hopefully consistently provide some value for fantasy managers.
Damian Jones, Sacramento Kings
I highly doubt that Domantas Sabonis is returning this season, so, surprisingly, more people haven’t added Jones. He is the undisputed starting centre and has gotten 30+ minutes for three straight games.
Tyus Jones, Memphis Grizzlies
We won’t see Ja Morant in the regular season, most likely,m so Jones is the Grizzlies' starting point guard. He could get a random rest, like last week, but he should be rostered regardless, and fingers crossed that it doesn’t come down to that.
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