RADIO
The first week of the NBA season is coming to a close.
We've seen some stellar performances this week, with maybe none more impressive than James Harden dragging what was left of the Rockets to overtime against Portland on Saturday night. We also saw some surprising performances that came out of nowhere. Let's focus on those in this week's waiver wire pickup column.
Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns on how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, so be sure to check them out! Now, let's get prepared for Week 2. All players in this article are rostered at 50 percent or less.
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Week 2 Standard 9-Cat Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Malik Beasley - PG/SG - Minnesota Timberwolves (45% rostered)
Beasley's three-pointer isn't dropping consistently yet, as he's shooting 30.8 percent from deep. But that hasn't stopped him from averaging 20.5 points through two games, plus his 6.5 attempts from deep per game are bound to drop at a higher rate soon, making him a strong source of points and threes. He's been rebounding well for his position, plus has a steal in each game and isn't turning the ball over much.
Keldon Johnson - SF - San Antonio Spurs (40% rostered)
One of the surprises of this young season is Johnson, who is averaging 14 points and seven rebounds so far. You have to like him as a cheap source of points, rebounds, and steals, though efficiency concerns and a lack of three-pointers doesn't make him the most well-rounded guy out there on the wire. But he's getting a lot of minutes and shot really well on his limited attempts last year -- 59.6 percent from the floor on 89 attempts and 59.1 percent from three on 22 attempts -- and should see increased efficiency as the season goes along.
J.J. Redick - SG - New Orleans (34% rostered)
For fantasy managers who need a boost in three-pointers, Redick is probably your best option among players who are still readily available in most leagues. His nightly volatility isn't the most enjoyable thing and he won't be providing you much outside of points and threes, but he won't turn the ball over much and can shoot the lights out on any given night.
Patrick Williams - SF - Chicago Bulls (30% rostered)
I was suspicious of Williams having much of an impact as a rookie after he didn't get a ton of minutes at Florida State, but the Bulls seem to know what they're doing with him, as he's started both of his games. He'll have his ups and downs, but should provide decent scoring upside. The big get here is his defense, though: Williams can help you out in both steals and blocks.
Mason Plumlee -PF/C - Detroit Pistons (32% rostered)
The Pistons center situation was a tough one to figure out before the season. It isn't tough now, as it's Mason Plumlee's job. So far, he's averaging 10 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 71.4 percent from the floor. He's also already taken (and missed) a three, if you're looking for potential new developments in his game. Plumlee's a good passing big, so while those assists could go down, I'd mostly expect Plumlee to continue to give you more assists than you might expect from your center while flirting with points/rebounds double-doubles.
Shake Milton - PG/SG - Philadelphia 76ers (30% rostered)
Philly's sixth man this year, Milton is averaging 26 minutes per game and 9.5 shot attempts. That's helped him average 14.5 points, while also recording 1.5 steals per game. Milton's impact in some areas -- rebounds, assists, blocks -- are going to be lower than you'd like, so he'd be more valuable in a points league than in 9-cat, but if you really need points, steals, and threes and you want to bet on his current efficiency continuing -- he's shooting 52.6 percent from the floor -- then go ahead and grab him.
Lonnie Walker IV - SG/SF - San Antonio Spurs (19% rostered)
Walker has started in both games so far for the Spurs and while he isn't getting the same hype that Keldon Johnson is, he's still having a nice start to his third NBA season. Walker is averaging 15 points per game along with five rebounds. The big thing for fantasy managers, though, is the three-pointers, as he's hitting 2.5 per game on 41.7 percent shooting. His volume is way up so we should worry that the efficiency dips, though he did shooting 40.6 percent from three last season on 1.7 attempts per night, so maybe Walker continues to be an elite three-point shooter.
Josh Jackson - SG/SF - Detroit Pistons (15% rostered)
Remember when Jackson was the fourth pick in 2017? And then he struggled through a couple of disappointing seasons with Phoenix before being traded to the Grizzlies, and then eventually signed as a free agent in Detroit before this season. So far, he's averaged 24 minutes per game off the Pistons bench, averaging 12.5 points, seven rebounds, and one steal per contest. He's a cheap streaming play who will probably eventually falter and need to be dropped, but for now, he can get you points, rebounds, steals, and a three per game.
Nicolas Batum - SF/PF - Los Angeles Clippers (11% rostered)
An unexpected starter for the Clippers, Batum is showing he might still have a little something left in the tank. He's playing 32.5 minutes per night, his most since 2016-17, and while he isn't doing a ton of scoring, his eight points per game won't kill you when you think about what else he's doing so far: eight rebounds, five assists, and 1.5 steals per game, plus 1.5 three-pointers. If you have your points shored up and need help in those other categories in a deeper league, Batum might be your guy.
Furkan Korkmaz - SG/SF - Philadelphia 76ers (1% rostered)
Speaking of deep-league guys, here's one for you: Furkam Korkmaz. In deeper leagues, getting help in a couple of key categories can be huge, and Korkmaz is making two three-pointers per game so far and providing 0.5 steals and one block per contest. He could fill a small need, maybe.
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