I Am Disappointed In A Lot Of You (Week 12 Waiver Wire Adds)

January 7, 2019

Week 12 fantasy basketball waiver wire adds for standard leagues. Take a look at three NBA players who are owned in less than 50% of fantasy basketball leagues and should be picked up.

Every time I come back to write this article, I really look for some players with really low-ownership rates. It never fails that three or four of the guys that NEED to be owned are below 10%. Luckily, Derrick White has been just about picked up in most leagues, but he's still at 38% right now and that's after MULTIPLE big games. You won't be getting any ridiculous lines from him, but his consistency in the Spurs lineups is something to be applauded. For years Spurs players, specifically, have been milking fantasy basketball players of all their "hope" and dreams of potential. Derrick White has come to take that narrative and shove it under the bed right where it belongs, next to the "Klay wants to be the guy" takes. Over the past week or two, he has been scraping at top 20 value and is still considered an unowned waiver wire option.

He offers upside in literally every category and he is one block a game away from being top 45 value from here on out. The Spurs will still rest players, so both DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge will see their fair share of games from the sideline, but Derrick White is going to be a consistent player for the Spurs and will be a foundation of their rotation. Out of every guard on San Antonio's roster, White is the only one who is able to defend at a high-level without sacrificing offense or ball-security. Do not expect his minutes to take a hit because White will be filling in box scores for some time.

Make sure to stay updated on injuries and return times, but as far as I'm concerned, these next three players will see the biggest benefit. As a reminder, for standard (10-12 team) league adds, we use a general rule of thumb of an ownership rate of under 50% on Yahoo. All position eligibility based on Yahoo leagues.

Standard League Adds for Week 12

Tyus Jones, G  – Minnesota Timberwolves

Ownership: 25%

5.3 PPG / 3.8 APG / .394 FG% / 1.4 SPG

The Minnesota Timberwolves know they have one of the better backup point guards in the league with Tyus Jones. He plays both sides of the ball despite being undersized, he's a sure-handed playmaker that can hit shots and most importantly, he has leadership qualities. Aside from fantasy, he does exactly what needs to be done to help his team win. This somewhat hurts his fantasy value because his upside is dependent on minutes, and with Jeff Teague nearing closer to his return his value is diminishing every game. In Teague's absence, Jones dominated and his ownership skyrocketed because of it. While you can sell-high on Jones, his foreseeable future looks bright with the Timberwolves lacking consistent guard options. He will continue to fill stat sheets in any game he gets the minutes for. While this is more of a sell-high if you can notification, it's hard not to like Jones whenever he is certain for minutes.

Moe Harkless, G – Portland Trail Blazers

Ownership 8%

6.2 PPG / 4.1 RPG / .9 SPG / .9 BPG / .465 FG%

The Trail Blazers haven't been struggling as of lately, but they still need that extra source of offense every night that Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum can't carry the weight. Normally, Evan Turner or Al-Farouq Aminu can convert enough threes to keep them ahead, lately, Moe Harkless' efforts on both sides of the ball have been that extra push they needed. For the time being, and I'd say for the next month at least, Harkless will continue this trend he has been on. He is not hitting or shooting as many threes as he has in previous seasons, but his defensive efforts have been producing more eye-catching results. Instead of just earning minutes through on ball-defense, he has been turning solid defensive possessions into steals and blocks, becoming more of a defensive playmaker. In his most recent games, he has taken at least eight shots so his upside moving forward is extremely high if he can combine his stats on defense with some threes.

Luke Kornet, C – New York Knicks

Ownership 29%

6.2 PPG / 2.3 RPG / .458 FG% / 1.6 3PM

Since Luke Kornet has been starting recently, it's safe to assume that they are going to stick him with consistent "development minutes" every night. He has the ability to convert from deep and although his defensive stats are lacking for a big, you can't deny the type of production he has posted recently. I wouldn't expect him to keep contributing in more than two to three categories, mainly three's, points, and boards, but looking at him you know it is possible for him to get blocks. He has a long way to go in terms of defense, but he still offers plenty of production with upside in both those departments. It's hard to look at the Knicks for anything more than low-end plays, so while Kornet does offer value, for now, don't have starting center expectations for him.

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