Kevin Love (PF/C, CLE): Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

Kevin Love is worth considering as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 3 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Kevin Love and the Cavs have played six games through Friday. Love is one of the highest fantasy-point scorers coming off the pine in the L on a per-minute basis. And that is even while stinking in a few of the games played to date. Love knows he's playing for his own "rehabilitation" and a chance at grabbing the attention of a contender willing to bet on him and take his huge salary adding him for a postseason run. We'll see, though signs haven't been bad at all so far.

Love is averaging an above-average 1.03 FP/min so far this season (league average at 0.90). He's had four top-65 finishes in DK slates. He's nearly putting up a 10-6-2 per-game line while playing a very low 21 MPG off the pine. Makes sense, though, and he knew it the minute Cleveland drafted Evan Mobley and traded for Lauri Markkanen prior to the season's tipoff. As part of the second unit, though, Love has been able to retain his value as he's getting a palatable  22.3% usage rate and attempting 8+ FGA on a daily basis.

Love's upside is definitely capped in Cleveland (I mean, the Cavs have gone all the way back to the 1980s with their three-headed monster of a big-man trio) as he's just not on par with the Cavs youngsters. But Love hasn't lost his touch, and he's great at rebounding. Love has scored 10+ points in three of his six games (including a triple each time), has yet to grab fewer than 3 boards in a single game, and he's pulled down 6+ in four games (10+ in two of those). The assists are coming steadily but in low volume, and Love is a lock to avoiding turnovers and high fouls.  The FG% has sucked (32.8%) but three freebies are a constant and scored at a high clip (93.3% on 4.2 FTA per game).

More Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (2024-25): February 3 - February 9

If you're like me, you woke up to one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history (Luka for AD) and are still trying to make sense of it. It will likely be the biggest trade of the week, but it won't be the only deal made this week as Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. […]

Dan Palyo February 2, 2025

League Winners: Second-Half Trade Targets and Stashes - 2025 Fantasy Basketball

Things have not gone as planned for fantasy basketball managers who drafted players like Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. But there's plenty of basketball left to be played and it's time to reassess how we view players going forward. If you want to win that fantasy basketball league championship, worry less about where your players […]

Dan Palyo January 30, 2025

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (2024-25): January 27 - February 2

We flip the calendar to February this week and edge closer to both the All-Star break and the NBA trade deadline. Some of the moves you can make in the next few weeks could greatly impact your team's ability to compete for a fantasy championship in March or April! Most leagues have a weekly moves […]

Dan Palyo January 26, 2025

League Winners: Players To Stash For the Stretch Run - 2024 Fantasy Basketball

The All-Star Break is upon us and while it's nice to have some time off from setting lineups, making DFS lineups, and placing bets. It's also a nice time to look ahead and what moves you can make to put your team in the best position possible to win a fantasy basketball title. Remember, the […]

Dan Palyo February 19, 2024

Trendon Watford (PF, POR) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (reporting on Sunday morning), the Portland Trail Blazers are leaning toward shutting down Damian Lillard for the remainder of the season. The Blazers, mind you, have been without Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Lillard, and Jusuf […]

Antonio Losada March 27, 2023