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
Keyonte George, SG, Utah Jazz (rostered in 46.3% of ESPN leagues): It’s time to simply add George to your roster(s). He’s not just a bucket, he’s among the better combo guards in the league when it comes to creating for others. This is more than a Jordan Clarkson impersonation; rather, George is showing he can be a significant creator for the team going forward.
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Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers (36.4%): Growth hasn’t been linear with Henderson, with his moments of production coming in stretches rather than some steady progression. Lately, the team is turning over more offensive power to Henderson in hopes he can take this runway and ascend to a new tier at a highly competitive position in the modern NBA. Simply put, the team needs to learn what they have in Henderson. His playmaking is impressive enough to give him a look in deeper fantasy formats.
Davion Mitchell, Miami Heat (5.0%): You might not have noticed a shift in the Heat rotation, one that has Mitchell starting at point guard for Miami the past nine games. Pushing Terry Rozier to the end of the rotation and thriving as a point-of-attack bulldog on defense, Mitchell has become intriguing in category formats given his ability to compile dimes and steals in this elevated role.
Shooting guard
Donte DiVincenzo, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (44.0%): The team was patient with a lingering toe injury and the early results are emboldening; DiVincenzo has been a menace on defense and has shown growing confidence and production on offense. This is a league-winning type of addition to your roster.
Shaedon Sharpe, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (39.9%): Epic dunks and beautiful deep 3-pointers are all part of the package with Sharpe. Defense? Not so impressive, but his offensive bag is so impressive that it can offset such issues. Fresh from a great weekend of production, Sharpe enters this new week ready to elevate your fantasy team’s shooting and scoring results.
Quentin Grimes, Philadelphia 76ers (12.7%): The 76ers have plenty of shots and touches to go around in the wake of losing their high-usage superstar center. Injuries to Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are also newsworthy. We just saw Grimes erupt for a career outing in prime time against the Warriors, so it’s clear the ceiling is compelling. The floor, meanwhile, becomes more stable now that Grimes is established as the team’s best off-ball option when Maxey is running the show.
Small forward
Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Utah Jazz (1.1%): This is a unique week at the wing in that we identify two players available in nearly every league for the cost of a roster spot. The Jazz have turned over their backcourt work to the duo of George and Isaiah Collier, while there hasn’t yet been a wing to emerge as part of the bigger plan. Sensabaugh is starting to change that, with more playing time and more statistical success in recent games. Give him a look in deeper formats.
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Aaron Nesmith, Indiana Pacers (2.7%): Last season saw Nesmith become a trusted two-way starter for the Pacers. This season, injuries have been the main story. Now back on the floor and earning big minutes again, is this recent surge an outlier or trend? I think the larger sample suggests Nesmith is worth your time.
Power forward
Bol Bol, C, Phoenix Suns (18.1%): The Suns have finally admitted that despite Bol’s issues with ball security and even shot selection, his rim protection and rebounding are important factors to a rotation that lacks size. We also still dig Portland’s Toumani Camara as a glue guy, but Bol likely brings a higher ceiling given his block rate and rewarding role.
Kyle Filipowski, Utah Jazz (3.0%): Continuing on the premise that the Jazz are seeking long-term frontcourt solutions, “Flip” is getting a look as a complementary big for a team willing to give him a fun role. With a strong rebounding rate and atypically strong assist clip, I will give this Duke product a look whenever the team sits John Collins or Walker Kessler.
Center
Zach Collins, PF, Chicago Bulls (10.9%): The Bulls are getting some pretty stellar production from Collins as he works as both a four and five for the team in different looks. Collins becomes a must-add option when he’s starting for Chicago, as the mix of assists and rebounds proves difficult to match.
Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers (10.6%): We sort of know the deal with Drummond by now, right? He’s going to gobble up rebounds and can even produce elite steal results, but scoring, passing and spacing aren’t showing up in special ways. This said, with the knowledge Joel Embiid is done for the season, Drummond becomes a viable specialist.
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: Even if you’ve been following the season closely, it might shock you to note that Malik Beasley is tied for the league lead in made 3-pointers with Anthony Edwards. He’s the special specialist. After that, we find Utah’s George ninth in added value via 3-pointers the past 15 days, per the Player Rater.
Steals: Detroit’s Ausar Thompson has been the most larcenous defender in the game the past 15 days. If you can handle not getting much beyond steals, Kris Dunn has become an elite option in swipes. Portland’s Toumani Camara remains special in this category.
Blocks: The Nets are getting swats from Day’Ron Sharpe, while the Grizzlies are getting real rim protection results from Zach Edey.
Rebounds: Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. is rising in regards to cleaning the glass. Miami is still trusting Kel’el Ware to work the paint, with defensive rebounding as a key role.
Assists: Utah’s Collier is fifth in the entire league in added value via dimes the past two weeks. George is in the top 30. Finding dimes is really difficult down the stretch, so act accordingly.
