Waiver Wired

That's right. It's Back

There is nothing I miss more than combing through the Waiver Wire and highlighting the top fantasy basketball pickups to help my readers get the jump on their competition. Well guess what folks, we’re officially back and I’ll be dropping this column every single weekend on top of other content throughout the week. Let’s dig in for what will be a combined two-week matchup due to the All-Star Break.

Week 18 and 19 Games Played:

5 Games: CHI, CLE, DEN, GSW, OKC, WAS

4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, DAL, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA

3 Games: DET, MEM

February 11th Fantasy Pickups

Every player mentioned will be roughly 40% rostered or below, so you won’t find the obvious names like Mark Williams, Zach Collins, etc. I will do you a solid and list them in the order that I’d prioritize them, and always assume that I’m talking about 9-category leagues and adjust from there.

Jeremy Sochan (32% rostered)- Sochan was a massive winner at the trade deadline, but nobody talked about him because of his injury. As I’m writing this, Sochan is closing in on a return and has a questionable tag vs. Atlanta.

In his last seven healthy games, the rookie averaged 18.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 triples on 50% from the field and 84% from the line. However, he averaged just 0.4 steals and 0.1 blocks in that span, doing his best impression of Collin Sexton. I do expect improvement from him though, as he averaged 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 25 minutes at Baylor. He calls himself a “disruptor” and claims to be cut from the same cloth as Draymond, so let’s see if he lives up to it.

Josh Green (30%)- Dorian Finney-Smith was a massive player for the Mavericks for what he brings defensively, so the Mavs are going to need Green to pick up most of that slack. So far he’s been up to the task, providing value on both ends of the floor with ninth-round fantasy numbers over his last nine games. In that stretch, Green averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 triples on 56% from the field and 81% from the line.

Green was probably the buzziest name during Dallas’ training camp and we’re starting to see why. He can jump out of the gym and he’s improved his shooting mechanics and his handle. He’s a legit two-way wing and I’m going to be floored if the Mavs sign Terrence Ross and take away minutes from Green.

Kyle Anderson (35%)- His ownership dropped a whopping 17% because he borrowed Derrick Favors’ back spasms for a week. Slo-Mo returned and played 17 productive minutes on Friday, scoring 12 points with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and two triples. Just a couple weeks ago, he was getting workloads with minutes in the mid-to-high 30s. With Karl-Anthony Towns following the Jonathan Isaac rehab plan, Anderson’s window for fantasy value remains wide open.

Malaki Branham (19%)- Somebody check on Gregg Popovich because seeing him play rookies like this is making my head hurt. Branham has taken advantage of multiple injuries in San Antonio and has operated as the man lately, averaging 18.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.2 blocks and 2.4 triples. I’ll warn you that I’m not totally buying into the hype just yet because he’s hitting 30% from beyond the arc this season and his heavy usage lately has hidden his lack of production in other areas. This is a case of riding the hot hand and re-evaluating on the fly.

Tari Eason (28%)- To the dismay of fantasy owners everywhere, Eason’s workload in the first game after the trade deadline remained unchanged, as the rookie saw a measly 19 minutes. It’s almost embarrassing that coach Silas still has a job at this point. There is zero effort on that team and they have the 28th ranked defense. I was honestly shocked they weren’t last. Congrats Detroit and San Antonio, I guess.

This reminds of the De’Anthony Melton situation when he was with the Grizzlies, because we have an elite fantasy producer who is being held back by a clueless coach. Despite everything working against him, Eason is somehow chilling around the top-150 in 9-cat in only 19 minutes per game with 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks. He’s doing just enough to warrant a luxury stash designation.

Larry Nance Jr. (31%)- He seems to be the preferred option for the Pelicans these days, as Nance continues to see a larger share of minutes than Jonas Valanciunas. Over the last two weeks, Nance has been a 10th-rounder with 10.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks and 0.3 triples on 63% from the field and 57% from the line.

Isaiah Hartenstein (28%)- He’s not 100 percent healthy and it’s fair to call him a disappointment this season. However, the Knicks keep throwing him out there because the alternative is Jericho Sims with Mitchell Robinson still on the shelf. Hartenstein has limped his way to 10th-round numbers in his last six games with 6.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.2 blocks in 27.3 minutes, hitting 60% from the field and 62% from the line.

Mo Bamba (27%)- This is nothing but a lottery ticket, but when someone with this kind of upside comes along, you have to take a gamble. Bamba led the Magic in fantasy value last season (5th-round value) in only 25 minutes per game, averaging 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 triples on 47% from the field and 78% from the line. All we need is for Bamba to get close to 20 minutes and we’re in the money. Is that really asking too much on a team with Anthony day-to-day Davis?

And if this picture of Bamba in front of a UHAUL truck is any indication, you already know he’s motivated for a change of scenery.

Jaylen Nowell (16%)- The preseason sleeper is finally back on the upswing. Minnesota is now using Jordan McLaughlin as their backup PG, and that’s been for Nowell who suddenly seems at ease on the court. Over his last four games, he’s averaging 17.8 points in 23.0 minutes with 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.8 triples on 58% from the field. Most of those games were blowouts, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Santi Aldama (19%)- Santi hit his head really hard and now believes this is the NBA preseason all over again, as he looks like prime Dirk Nowitzki all of a sudden. In his last four games, Santi is an 8th-rounder with 14.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 blocks and 2.5 triples in 25.8 minutes. Until Steven Adams returns to the lineup, Santi offers some intriguing upside in the short term. His numbers won’t be quite this good though as the Grizzlies haven’t had their full rotation for all these games.

Ayo Dosunmu (29%)- His ownership has spiked 10% in recent days despite being allergic to steals. Over his last six games, Ayo is putting up 11th-round numbers with 12.7 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 triples in 31.3 minutes. There are rumblings that Lonzo Ball will be shut down for the season soon, but you probably saw that one coming.

Talen Horton-Tucker (7%)- If I had to come up with a list of potential silly-season heroes, THT would be starred, highlighted and underlined. He’s a stat magnet when the minutes are there, but I’ll warn you now that he can Titanic your FG% and FT% in a way that would make Russell Westbrook jealous. The Jazz have talked about being smart with Collin Sexton’s minutes because of his knee, so that’s another thing going for THT down the stretch.

Jaylin Williams (4%)- If you’re playing the long game and can be a little more patient, Jaylin is someone you should consider tossing at the end of your roster. In only 20.7 minutes over his last six games, he’s a 10th rounder with 9.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 triples. He’s the only true center on the roster with Mike Muscala gone, so that obviously helps his case.

Josh Okogie (8%)- Who had this on their bingo card for 2023? Okogie has completely lost his mind in his last two games, averaging 21.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3.0 steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.0 triples. Context matters and I have to mention that Devin Booker missed one of those games, but man, that wing rotation in Phoenix is wide open right now and Okogie should at least have your attention. He’s off until Feb. 14th but I’ll definitely be looking to add if he impresses against the Kings.

Drew Eubanks (14%)- It’s not April yet, so we can’t count on Eubanks to turn into Larry Bird for a bit longer. Our heroic 2021-22 silly-season stud is simply just a streaming option until the Blazers get Jusuf Nurkic back. Eubanks is averaging 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 0.5 blocks, but more touches are coming his way with Jerami Grant in the concussion protocol.

Terance Mann (10%)- He’s been on quite the tear by his standards, posting 8th-round fantasy numbers over his last four games with 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.5 triples. But we also have to be realistic… Bones Hyland and Eric Gordon are here to complicate things for Mann, and he doesn’t quite have the stat profile to stay afloat if his minutes go to the lower 20s.

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