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 available in roughly half of ESPN leagues at each position (although I will make some exceptions). 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 leagues.
Point guard
T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers (Rostered in 42.1% of ESPN leagues): Leading the league in total steals, and impressively 18th in total assists, McConnell is arguably the most productive backup point guard in the entire league. You won't net many 3-pointers or points from this pesky defensive guard, but there are few better options for steals and assists on the waiver wire.
Goran Dragic, Miami Heat (40.0%): A back ailment kept Dragic from the Heat's recent loss to McConnell's Pacers, but when he's on the floor, the Slovenian guard has been a solid source of assists. Arguably the most proven point guard on Miami's roster, Dragic can help fantasy teams in needs of passing production.
Tomas Satoransky, Chicago Bulls (14.8%): Starting for Chicago has been a boon for Satoransky's statistical stock, as he's averaged 7.0 dimes and 1.6 steals in his past five appearances.
Shooting guard
Will Barton, Denver Nuggets (45.2%): During the past week, Barton has slashed for 18.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.3 combined blocks and steals. While he's languished at times this season, this play-making wing has been relatively awesome in recent outings and merits more attention from fantasy investors.
Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors (20.8%): Scoring at least 20 points in three straight games for the first time, Poole has enjoyed the best week of his young career. The return of Stephen Curry to the lineup is going to curb a good bit of Poole's shot creation, but it's worth seeing if he can become a competent complementary scorer in the games ahead.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans Pelicans (3.1%): Fresh from a 20-point showing on Sunday in place of an injured Lonzo Ball, there is some value in speculating that Ball could get moved by Thursday's deadline. If that does occur, Alexander-Walker would likely become a fixture in the starting lineup with fantasy-worthy numbers to follow.
Small forward
Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons (17.1%): A weak shooting outing over the weekend shouldn't dissuade you from rostering this rising rookie, as the Villanova product has flashed impressive shooting and rebounding chops in a heavy-minute role for Detroit.
Josh Hart, New Orleans Pelicans (19.8%): If the Pelicans part with JJ Redick and Ball this week, Hart could vault into an even more important role in the rotation. Already the league's leading rebounder off the bench this season, Hart's ability to deliver strong box scores without the need for many shots is helpful.
Talen Horton-Tucker, Los Angeles Lakers (15.1%): Having scored at least a dozen points in four of his past five games, Horton-Tucker could become a short-term fantasy star while LeBron James recovers from a significant ankle injury.
Jae'Sean Tate, Houston Rockets (17.6%): Another player who could see a real boost in value due to the trade deadline, Tate could take on more play-making and creation duties if the team deals Victor Oladipo.
Power forward
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers (55.3%): While he's rostered in a bit more than half of ESPN leagues, it's worth featuring Kuzma in this space, given the injury to James. This scoring forward will be tasked with a sizable uptick in both shot creation and play-making now that the Lakers are missing their two superstars from the rotation.
De'Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks (46.7%): Back to practicing after missing several weeks of action due to knee surgery, Hunter could help fantasy rosters down the stretch.
Markieff Morris, Los Angeles Lakers (3.5%): The void left by James could also benefit Morris, who can deliver solid shooting and rebounding results as the team's starting power forward.
Center
Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs (31.8%): Tied for eighth overall in the league in blocks for the season and with 11.5 RPG during the past week, Poeltl has become a productive pivot for both the Spurs and fantasy managers.
Dwight Howard, Philadelphia 76ers (27.2%): Enjoying a rebounding revival, Howard is actually posting the highest rebounding percentage of his storied career as a backup big for the Sixers. Even as Tony Bradley has been starting in place of Joel Embiid, it's Howard who can put together the relevant fantasy performances.
Moses Brown, Oklahoma City Thunder (15.1%): Two impressive recent double-double performances for Brown highlight just how productive the young center can prove whenever Al Horford rests.
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March 22, 2021 at 08:58PM
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Fantasy basketball waiver-wire finds - Jakob Poeltl, T.J. McConnell among key pickups - ESPN
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