RADIO
Daniel Lubofsky looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to pick up off waivers in Week 9.
Despite the NBA's best attempt to minimize the wear and tear players accrue over a long 82-game season, injuries have continued to flare up at every turn in 2019-20, affecting some of the game's best talents.
We know of the injuries suffered to Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson, but Kyrie Irving hasn't played in over a month. Luka Doncic badly sprained his ankle and will likely remain out several weeks. Devin Booker has missed three straight outings and both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis are dealing with lower-body ailments of their own. All this makes you rethink your stance on Kawhi Leonard's load management system, but that's a topic for a different conversation.
To combat and possibly even take advantage of these injuries that are no doubt affecting plenty of fantasy rosters, here are five potential pick-ups options for the ninth week of the fantasy season.
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Week 9 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Pickups
Elfrid Payton - PG - New York Knicks - 31% owned
It took a while for Elfrid Payton to make his way back onto the court, 17 games to be precise, and he wasn't exactly lighting things upon immediately upon returning. But as interim head coach Mike Miller establishes his lineups, Payton's recent play seems to make him a fixture of New York's gameplan moving forward.
Across the Knicks last four outings, Payton is averaging 11.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in 25.6 minutes a night. The most impressive part of this stretch? He hasn't committed a turnover in three games, racking up a total of 24 assists over that time.
Payton severely lacks contributions and efficiency from both beyond the arc and the free-throw line which could make him tough to stomach depending on the construction of your roster.
Still, amongst a crowded point guard rotation in New York, Payton has stood out after helping the Knicks to a 3-1 record that directly coincided with his bump in minutes. Given those contributions, Payton's earned his spot in the rotation, and there's no reason to think he'll lose it anytime soon.
Jalen Brunson - PG - Dallas Mavericks - 31% owned
Jalen Brunson had had some impressive outings and solid stretches this year, but the consistency simply wasn't there in part due to the fluctuating minutes he received on a game-by-game basis.
Over the Dallas Mavericks' last two outings, things have been different for the sophomore guard. Luka Doncic sprained his ankle and Brunson stepped into a more prominent role, averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 33.3 minutes a night.
Doncic is likely to be out at least the next two weeks, leaving Dallas' lead guard spot wide open for the taking. After back-to-back quality performances, Brunson seems like the ideal candidate, and it's best to scoop him up and ride that wave of production for as long as it lasts until Doncic returns.
Delon Wright - PG/SG - Dallas Mavericks - 48% owned
Delon Wright hasn't seized the opportunity afforded by Doncic's absence quite like Brunson has, but there's still plenty to like as a potential pick-up.
For starters, Wright is coming off a surprising win against the Bucks where he dropped 13 points, four steals, three rebounds, and two assists in just 19 minutes of action. This came in just his second game back after a groin injury afforded him all of four minutes over Dallas's last three games.
Brunson might be the ideal target of Maverick floor generals, but Wright will certainly get his fair share of touches as the minutes continue to trend upward and is worth a look because of it.
Marvin Williams - SF/PF - Charlotte Hornets - 17% owned
Marvin Williams had missed the Charlotte Hornets' previous five games on account of a sore right knee but returned to the lineup on Tuesday to contribute 16 points to go with three rebounds and two blocks in just 25 minutes.
The Hornets are razor-thin along the wing at the moment. Nicolas Batum has missed five of the last six games. Rookie standout PJ Washington has been absent for back-to-back outings after undergoing finger surgery with no timetable for a return.
That leaves Williams -- along with Miles Bridges -- to pick up the slack at the offensive end.
The efficiency from Williams might not be as sparkling as it was in his return against Sacramento where he shot 5 of 8 from the field and 3 of 5 from distance, but the counting stats will more than make up for it as long as the minutes remain steady.
Jerami Grant - SF/PF - Denver Nuggets - 21% owned
Jerami Grant's numbers are down from a career-best season a year ago, but that's in large part due to the noticeable drop in minutes per game of 9.8.
Over the Denver Nuggets last three games, however, Grant has seen his minutes hover around the low-30s on account of the quad injury suffered to Paul Millsap, who has missed the last two games after leaving a matchup with the Blazers after just 15 minutes.
Across those three games -- which included two consecutive starts -- Grant has averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 57.7 percent from the field.
His three-point stroke has remained constant through the diminished role to the tune of 38.4 percent on the season, adding another layer of contributions to his athletically-based game.
Millsap could return at any point and reclaim the starting power forward spot. Until that day comes, Grant has capitalized on his opportunity to function as a serviceable option for those in need of help at both forward spots.
