🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Waiver Wire: Deeper League Pickups (Week 23)

Only the best of the best are left in most fantasy leagues that involve playoffs. Streaming becomes a a large part at this point, and if it's coming down to a block or two in these last couple of days, not even your first string player is safe from a cut.

We will take it a bit differently this week, as we will not be picking out three players to target based on their % Owned. Instead, we will be looking into two teams where injuries to their centers, both born in my neighbor country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will open up some frontcourt minutes for the rest of the season. Guys who should benefit from this unfortunate turn of events will be the focal point of our story today, since all of them are sitting on most waiver wires.

So if you made it this far into the fantasy post-season, and are looking to add some help from the free agent pool, welcome to Rotoballer's Week 23 deeper league waiver wire pickups for your fantasy basketball teams.

Holiday Special! Save 50% on any Premium Pass using discount code THANKS. Win more with our DFS, Betting and Season-Long Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! GAIN ACCESS

 

Jusuf Nurkic Injury Waiver Wire Adds

Portland Trail Blazers frontcourt

Jusuf Nurkic was insane since his trade from the Nuggets and it's a real shame that his injury will keep him out for the rest of the regular season, and in turn, the rest of the fantasy season. But one man's lose is another man's gain as there are a few players on most waiver wires who stand to profit from the extra minutes coming their way. The obvious beneficiaries are deeper league targets Noah Vonleh and Meyers Leonard, with Maurice Harkless being a much more attractive target, looking at a small bump, too. Portland plays one more game this week, on the five-game Saturday.

Meyers Leonard, PF/C (2% Owned)  is hard to trust with him playing more than 20 minutes only four times since Nurk arrived and scoring in double-digits just once in those 19 games, he is still the same player that averaged 8.4 points with 5.1 boards and 1.4 threes in 22 minutes per game last season. He is still the 11th overall pick from the 2012 draft who signed a four-year, $41 million deal just this past off season. With around 30 minutes up for grabs, Meyers might get a chance to hit a few threes and grab a few rebounds in around 20-25 minutes per game, so if you're in a really deep league and need those stats, he might be a good fit.

Noah Vonleh, PF (7% Owned) had a decent couple of games here and there in the last three weeks, even posting a double-double on March 18 against the Hawks. If Vonleh can get minutes at around the 30 minute mark, as he has done in the recent past even with The Nurk Alert around, you can count on him to produce decent rebounds on solid field goal percentages and a few steals too. He might hurt your FT% though. Anyway, he is a safer add than Leonard, but it depends on your team's needs.

Maurice Harkless, SF (29% Owned) won't necessarily directly get more playing time in this situation, since he doesn't play that much frontcourt minutes to begin with, but with Nurk out, Portland will certainly play more small ball and shift some players around to fill the void, so he should see a boost too. Harkless has been decent for the most of the season, flirting with top-100 value, but has slowed down in the last couple of weeks. But, in addition to more minutes and offensive touches being available sans Jusuf, Maurice's last game on March 30 against the Rockets looks promising to fantasy owners. He hit 8-of-13 from the field for 17 points with one three-pointer, six boards, two steals, three blocks and no turnovers in 32 minutes. If he can repeat that performance for his owners, I'm sure they would really appreciate it.

 

Ivica Zubac Injury Waiver Wire Add

Los Angeles Lakers frontcourt

Ivica Zubac was just coming into his own and getting used to the tempo of the NBA when disaster struck. He suffered a high ankle sprain which will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Zubac was playing over 20 minutes per game in the previous month, so his frontcourt teammates will have to pick up the slack. Furthermore, the Lakers play on both Saturday and Sunday, so they make for a great streaming option for the end of this, in most leagues Playoff Finals week.

Larry Nance Jr. PF (27% Owned) has already been given a larger role in the last four. He hasn't really been brilliant, but hasn't been too bad either with averages of 7.5 PTS on 40.0 FG% and 54.5 FT%, 6.8 REB, 1.8 AST, 0.3 STL, 1.0 BLK and 1.3 TO in 29 minutes per game. The absence of Brandon Ingram did help out a bit and he should be back on Saturday April 1, but with Zubac being out, his return shouldn't impact Larry's playing time much. Nance Jr. is a decent producer of rebounds and steals, so if you could use those stats and you don't mind his free throws he could be a good streaming option for your fantasy team.

Tarik Black, PF/C (9% Owned) is a per minute stud. His per 36 minutes season averages are 12.8 PTS on 50.8 FG% and 73.3 FT%, 11.6 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.9 STL, 1.3 BLK and 2.1 TO. He is averaging 14 minutes per game in the last month, so if a majority of Zubac's minutes were to go to him, he would be worth taking a flier on if you need elite rebounds and defenisve stats along with a few points on decent field goal efficiency.

Thomas Robinson, PF/C (1% Owned) has only played in 41 games this season but is, quite similarly to Black, a decent per minute producer. In just under 11 minutes per game he has averaged 4.3 points on 54.2 % from the field and 48.9% from the line, 4.3 boards, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks and 0.8 turnovers. Robinson is the least likely to contribute to your fantasy teams, but if you're in a deep league and don't mind the low FT% and high turnovers, his boards and steals might prove vital to your last fantasy championship push.

 

NBA & DFS Premium Subscription

Get an edge on your NBA DFS competition, every single night of the week:

  • DFS Cheat Sheets and Lineup Picks: Access to 10 deeply researched lineup picks, and sample lineups - seven days a week! Includes advanced stats to unlock NBA player values, and boost DFS success.
  • DFS Optimizer Tool: Generate optimal DFS lineups in seconds. Use advanced features and stats for including/excluding players, cash games vs. GPPs, stacks and more.
  • DFS Value Picks: Our Optimizer helps you find, sort and filter the best lineup values and DFS sleeper picks. Premium stats like "Usage Rate" and "Points/$1K" give you a leg up on the DFS competition.
  • Daily NBA Projections: Our secret sauce - the Optimizer Tool provides DFS points projections for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo scoring.

 

Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool


Click here to see a full size version of the tool


Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet

 

Premium NBA DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet


Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rome Odunze

Ruled Out Before Kickoff
Puka Nacua

Rams Prioritizing Puka Nacua Extension
Collin Sexton

Unavailable Against Cleveland
Khris Middleton

Still Sidelined Versus Pacers
Alexandre Sarr

Out Again on Sunday
Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Inactive for Week 15 Against Giants
Quentin Johnston

Sitting Out With Groin Injury in Week 15
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Active for Week 15 Against Giants
Rome Odunze

Officially Active for Week 15 Against Browns
De'Von Achane

Cleared to Play Against Steelers in Week 15
Ayo Dosunmu

Unlikely to Play vs. Pelicans
Tyrese Maxey

Trending Toward Second Straight Absence
LaMelo Ball

Misses Third Straight Game
Kristaps Porzingis

Remains Out Versus 76ers
Drew Eubanks

To Miss Time With Thumb Fracture
Evan Mobley

Sidelined 2-4 Weeks With Grade 1 Calf Strain
Jake Ferguson

Expected to Play in Week 15
Chris Rodriguez Jr.

is a Game-Time Decision for Week 15
Rome Odunze

Bears Remain Optimistic That Rome Odunze Will Play Against Browns
Christian McCaffrey

Trending Toward Playing in Week 15
Davante Adams

Expected to Suit Up Against Lions
Josh Jacobs

Expected to Play in Week 15
Viktor Arvidsson

Not Expected to Play Sunday
Elias Pettersson

Unavailable Sunday
Jonas Brodin

to Miss Second Consecutive Game Sunday
Emil Lilleberg

Exits Early Saturday
Will Smith

Hurt in Saturday's Victory
Pavel Dorofeyev

Exits Win With Injury
Jalen Suggs

Injured on Saturday Night, Leaves Arena in a Wheelchair
Daniel Jones

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to be Ready for Training Camp
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on Reserve/Left Squad List, Out for the Season
Christian McCaffrey

Expected to Play in Week 15
Haydn Fleury

Cleared to Play
Simon Nemec

to Miss "Some Time"
Jake Evans

Back for Canadiens Saturday
Ilya Lyubushkin

Returns to Stars Lineup Saturday
Roope Hintz

Good to Go Saturday
Charlie Lindgren

Activated From Injured Reserve
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Available Against Oilers
William Nylander

a Game-Time Decision Saturday
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers' "Optimism Has Run Out" on Brandon Aiyuk
Philip Rivers

Will Start on Sunday Against the Seahawks
Jorge Polanco

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Mets
De'Von Achane

Expected to Play Monday Night
Rome Odunze

Bears Optimistic Rome Odunze Will Play in Week 15
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Return to South Carolina in 2026
Cason Wallace

Off Injury Report Saturday
Keyonte George

Erupts for Career-High 39 Points Against Memphis
Bones Hyland

Exits Early With Knee Contusion
Isaiah Joe

To Miss Fourth Straight Game
Isaiah Hartenstein

Removed From Injury Report
Austin Reaves

To Be Re-Evaluated In One Week With Calf Strain
Logan O'Connor

Still Not Ready for Season Debut
Lukas Dostal

Activated From Injured Reserve
NJ

Arseni Gritsyuk Ruled Out for Weekend's Action
Connor Bedard

Ruled Out for Saturday
Zeev Buium

Canucks Acquire Zeev Buium From Wild
Marco Rossi

Moves to Vancouver
Quinn Hughes

Traded to WIld
Joel Embiid

Available Against Indiana
Ja Morant

Back on Friday Night
Tre Jones

is Returning on Friday
Coby White

Cleared for Action Versus Hornets
Jake Ferguson

Listed as Questionable for Week 15
Tre Johnson

to be Limited in Return on Friday
CFB

Washington State Expected to Hire Kirby Moore as Next Head Coach
CFB

Kyle Whittingham Stepping Down as Utah Head Coach
Manel Kape

Set For UFC Vegas 112 Main Event
Brandon Royval

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos

Set For His Third UFC Fight
Giga Chikadze

In Dire Need Of Victory
Cesar Almeida

Set To Welcome Cezary Oleksiejczuk To The UFC
Cezary Oleksiejczuk

Set To Make His UFC Debut
Maikel Garcia

Royals Agree on Five-Year Extension
Melquizael Costa

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Looks to Win Second Consecutive Fights
Marcus Buchecha

Looks To Bounce Back
Kennedy Nzechukwu

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 112
King Green

Returns At UFC Vegas 112
Lance Gibson jr

Lance Gibson Jr. Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 112 Main Card
CFB

Sherrone Moore Charged with Home Invasion, Among Other Charges
CFB

Freddie Kitchens Fired from North Carolina Coaching Staff
CFB

Bryce Underwood Could Leave Michigan Without Buyout
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Padres Not Considering Trading Fernando Tatis Jr.
Tarik Skubal

Tigers Engaged in "Serious Talks" Around Trading Tarik Skubal at the Winter Meetings
CFB

Chris Brazzell II Declaring for NFL Draft
CFB

Fernando Mendoza Named AP College Football Player of the Year
Raisel Iglesias

to Remain the Braves Closer
Robert Suarez

Agrees on Three-Year Deal With Braves
CFB

Sherrone Moore Remains in Police Custody
CFB

Joe Klanderman Joining Baylor Coaching Staff
CFB

Kentucky Hiring Jay Bateman as Next Defensive Coordinator
Si Woo Kim

Closes 2025 With Strong Finish Among Putting Woes
Akshay Bhatia

Looks to Rebound in 2026 After Down Year Off the Tee
Brian Harman

2025 Season a Step Back Despite Spring Win
Sam Burns

' Elite Putting Headlines a Solid 2025 Season
Sepp Straka

Ends Stellar 2025 Campaign on a High Note
Robert MacIntyre

Closes Out a Steady 2025 Campaign
CFB

Chip Kelly Interviews for Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator Job
CFB

Louisville Receiver Chris Bell has a Torn ACL
Min Woo Lee

Breaks Through to Win in Texas This Year
PGA

Alex Noren Wins Twice on European Tour This Year
Wyndham Clark

has Up-and-Down 2025 Golf Season
CFB

Michigan Fires Head Coach Sherrone Moore
Corey Conners

Comes Close to Winning Again in Very Good 2025
Justin Rose

Turns Back the Clock in 2025
CFB

Jim Knowles Expected to be Hired as Tennessee's Defensive Coordinator
Harris English

Enjoys Solid Finish at Hero World Challenge
CFB

Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles Not Being Retained at Penn State
CFB

Indiana's Stephen Daley Done for Season After Post-Game Injury
Pete Alonso

Orioles Finalizing Five-Year Deal
Kyle Finnegan

Tigers, Kyle Finnegan Agree on Two-Year Deal
Bo Bichette

Red Sox Out on Bo Bichette For Now
Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies Extend Manager Rob Thomson Through 2027 Season
Michael King

the Mets' Top Rotation Target?
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Move Back to Leadoff Spot
CFB

Florida, Wisconsin Among Suitors for QB Transfer Kenny Minchey
CFB

Bryan Harsin, Justin Wilcox Candidates for Washington State Head Coach Job?
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Agrees to Deal With the Dodgers
Kyle Schwarber

Returning to Phillies on Five-Year Deal
CFB

Ole Miss Hiring John David Baker as Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Ty Howle the Top Target for Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Job
Shohei Ohtani

to be Used More as Traditional Starting Pitcher Next Year
Yordan Alvarez

to Become Full-Time DH in 2026?
Mason Miller

Padres Plan to Keep Mason Miller in the Bullpen
Ranger Suárez

Orioles Interested in Signing Ranger Suarez
Anthony Volpe

Yankees Don't Expect Anthony Volpe to be Ready in April
Gerrit Cole

Targeting a Return in May/June
Rory McIlroy

Ends 2025 as the Year's Most Unburdened Player
Aaron Rai

Needs to Figure Out Putting Woes This Offseason
Jordan Spieth

Plays Better on Paper in 2025 Than Results Show