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The NBA is back, y'all! Hopefully the first week of fantasy basketball treated you well. If it didn't — well, we're here for you.
These recommendations are for 9-cat leagues, but if you play in another format, there's a good chance that the information here can still help you. We'll be looking at centers, forwards, and guards whose low rostership and upside make them ideal players to get onto your fantasy team.
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 1. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
9-Category Leagues Waiver Wire
Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Desmond Bane, PG/SG - Memphis Grizzlies
44% rostered
Great start to the year for the second-year guard, who is playing 30 minutes per game and so far is averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 3.0 threes per game. Bane could eventually see fewer minutes when Dillon Brooks is back, but with how Bane is playing, even that might not be true. This is my highest priority addition of the week, and someone who should probably already be on a roster if your leaguemates have been paying attention.
LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C - Brooklyn Nets
36% rostered
Just a few months ago, Aldridge was retired from the NBA.
Now, he's playing big minutes for the Nets. After struggling big time in the opener, he delivered a strong game against Philly, scoring 23 points on 10-for-12 shooting with five rebounds and two blocks. Sure, he won't do that every night, but with no Kyrie Irving for the foreseeable future, the Nets need some scoring outside of James Harden and Kevin Durant, and Aldridge looks like he has as good a chance as anyone to be the guy who gives them that scoring.
Cam Reddish, SG/SF - Atlanta Hawks
32% rostered
Look, I'm not a big fan of Cam Reddish, but I'm willing to admit that he can help fantasy managers who need points and threes, as he's averaging 19.5 points and 3.0 threes per game through two contests.
The lack of assists are troubling, but he helps enough in other areas to make him rosterable in the majority of leagues, even if the Hawks are in a position where they have a lot of mouths to feed. Kevin Huerter is looking like the odd man out right now though, not Reddish.
Franz Wagner, SG/SF - Orlando Magic
21% rostered
The rookie has had to play 30-plus minutes immediately for the Magic, because the team is without Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke.
Through two games, he's averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 threes per game on 57.1 percent shooting. Solid numbers that can help you out in multiple categories, and the minutes should remain up for awhile.
Eric Gordon, SG/SF - Houston Rockets
18% rostered
Gordon is coming off the bench in Houston and there's been plenty of rumors about the team trading him, but at least in the early going, he has a nice-sized offensive role.
Gordon is averaging 18.5 points per game so far, despite playing just 24.5 minutes. His efficiency is way up, something that almost certainly won't continue. But still, he's a cheap source of points and threes, making him rosterable in a lot of leagues, even if he isn't necessarily giving you all of the other things you might want.
Obi Toppin, SF/PF - New York Knicks
15% rostered
Weirdly dropped in our staff league, Toppin has shot over 60 percent in both games, scored in double figures both times out, and has a block in each game. The rebounding might be a little inconsistent, but the Knicks are pairing Toppin with Julius Randle and it's going fine, so I expect to see plenty of him on the floor going forward.
And hey, Toppin even hit a couple of threes last game! Lot of nice value here in deeper leagues.
Dwight Powell, PF/C - Dallas Mavericks
4% rostered
Center is shaping up to be a tough position to find on the wire this year, so we're dipping down to a pretty low-rostered guy here who can help you out: Dwight Powell.
Specifically, Powell is a center for the fantasy managers who doesn't need rebounds, because he only averages three of them per game. But what Powell does bring is efficiency, as he's shot 59 percent or better in four consecutive seasons. He struggled against Atlanta, but was 3-for-3 against the Raptors.
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