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 rosters.
In this weekly series, we identify players available in at least half of ESPN leagues at each position. Some of them are purely specialists, capable of helping in one or two categories. Others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings.
In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with priority of acquisition in mind.
Point guard
Rajon Rondo, Los Angeles Lakers (Rostered in 38.8 percent of ESPN leagues): While the scuffle and subsequent suspension were undeniably disappointing, his absence from the floor might actually have opened a window for value with Rondo now available in 60 percent of ESPN leagues. I don’t think Rondo’s starting status matters a ton, as he’ll provide assists and rebounds in bunches as a key distributor for the up-tempo Lakers.
Derrick Rose, Minnesota Timberwolves (29.9 percent): You might not believe Rose has much left after suffering several significant injuries, or that his midrange-fueled game is ideal for this era, but these potential elements might not matter if the coaching staff in Minnesota remains committed to deploying him in a heavy-usage role. Rose is averaging 13.3 shots per game and 28.3 minutes per game — there are only 60 NBA players averaging as many as 13 shots and 28 minutes. You’ll find the pickings are slim in most competitive leagues at what is a demanding point guard position, and sometimes opportunity is the most important metric.
Bryn Forbes, San Antonio Spurs (1.6 percent): One of just three Spurs averaging at least 30 minutes — joining DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge — Forbes is also lofting a career-high and team-high 5.6 3-point attempts per game. There isn’t much here beyond scoring and shooting results, but with this blend of minutes and shooting freedom, Forbes is a roster-worthy option for those in need of such production.
Deep additions (players available in at least 90 percent of ESPN leagues): An injury to Kris Dunn will see Cameron Payne earn an uptick in minute and touches for the next month or so. … Detroit’s Ish Smith can get hot in a hurry, and like Forbes, he is mostly offering scoring as his key consistent positive.
Shooting guard
Kent Bazemore, Atlanta Hawks (23.7 percent): Only the Houston Rockets are netting a higher percentage of their points from 3-point range than Atlanta has this season. Just this past week, new coach Lloyd Pierce wasn’t satisfied with his team approaching 40 3-point attempts in a game, suggesting that 50 is the ideal. Enter Bazemore, a key beneficiary of this philosophy, as he’s shooting 38 percent more 3-point attempts per game than last season and thus naturally enjoying a spike in scoring output. He offers both steals and 3-point volume, making Bazemore my favorite addition of the week across all positions.
Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks (23 percent): There are 10 players currently averaging at least 12 points and four assists per game while hitting at least 1.7 3PG on at least 40 percent from 3-point range. Those players include Stephen Curry, Kyle Lowry, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, Joe Ingles, James Harden, Chris Paul, D’Angelo Russell and Brogdon. While he’s not near these “peers” in scoring production, what binds Brogdon to this club is the capable passing rate and efficiency from beyond the arc. A savvy combo guard averaging a career-high 31.2 MPG, you’ll want to overlook modest scoring results and instead value Brogdon’s clean combo-guard production.
Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings (40.2 percent): Bazemore has far more defensive utility than Hield, but this sharpshooter is now hitting a stellar 43.1 percent of his 3-point attempts and is finally being fed a steady clip of minutes and shots after some wayward usage patterns the past two years.
Deep additions: Danny Green can help teams in blocks and 3-point production, yet little else. That said, blocks prove scarce and having them come from an atypical source can give you an edge in deeper leagues.
Small forward
Rodney McGruder, Miami Heat (24.9 percent): The cool kids are now calling steals plus blocks “stocks.” McGruder is averaging 1.4 stocks to start the season, but he’s not merely just a defensive player, with 2.6 3PG and 7.4 RPG to go with 16 PPG in a surprisingly torrid start to the season. Don’t let the potential minutes crunch throw you off the trail — the Heat really like what they have in McGruder.
Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks (9.1 percent): I’ve been drafting Matthews late in drafts for the past several seasons. The hope being that a low-risk investment could pay off big if Matthews ever starts to regain some of the form that made him nearly elite as a 3-and-D asset for the Trail Blazers. An Achilles injury at the end of his Portland career derailed much of his Dallas career to date, but this season, albeit with the requisite sample size warning, he’s enjoying a career high in scoring thanks to ranking fourth in the NBA in 3-point attempts.
Damyean Dotson, New York Knicks (0.7 percent): Available in almost every ESPN fantasy hoops league, managers everywhere are wholly ignoring a player averaging 14 PPG, 2.8 3PG, 6.8 RPG and 1.5 SPG in just shy of 30 MPG. Dotson appears to have already secured an enduring and rewarding role for the Knicks, making him a priority addition in competitive leagues.
Deep additions: Justin Holiday is essentially the shooting guard version of Payne in that you’re only sourcing 3-pointers and points with an otherwise hollow profile.
Power forward
Nemanja Bjelica, Sacramento Kings (14.7 percent): Maybe the Kings were wise to have poached Bjelica from the 76ers this past summer given that he’s 35th in the league in PER (player efficiency rating) and enjoying a strong overall statistical start to his career in Sacramento. There are plenty of shots and minutes for him as a featured stretch big for the Kings, making him worthy of more attention in fantasy formats.
Markieff Morris, Washington Wizards (22.8 percent): An impressive 28-point, nine-rebound performance this past week at Portland highlights just how impressive Morris can prove when at his best. While such big lines are often atypical for Morris, he’s steadily providing a steady blend of 3-pointers, rebounds and points.
Deep additions: Orlando’s Jonathan Isaac will post some lean offensive outings as a young forward, but his block rate should help keep him relevant in deeper leagues.
Center
Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors (38.9 percent): We’ll soon see a positive correction for Ibaka from beyond the arc, while his uptick in defensive rates this season is welcomed by those who fondly remember his elite fantasy days in Oklahoma City. While he’ll never be the defensive force he once was, Ibaka remains a helpful contributor at a shallow center position.
Montrezl Harrell. LA Clippers (18.8 percent): An awesome block rate and strong shooting efficiency drives value for Harrell in an important role for the Clippers. An efficient roll man in pick-and-roll actions, Harrell should provide more fantasy value than reputation might suggest.
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks (42.5 percent): Now a full-time stretch center helping free up the lane for the Bucks’ gifted wings, Lopez is the rare NBA player capable of averaging more than two 3-pointers and 1.5 blocks per game this season.
Deep additions: Zach Collins isn’t quite at the “BroLo” level of 3-and-D rates, but he is becoming a helpful source of blocks and is making his case for more minutes whenever the Blazers look to turn up the tempo.