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Lance Roberson looks at some early-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to target on waivers in Week 10.
After an exciting start, it's Week 10 of the 2023-2024 NBA season. While you want to have faith in the players you drafted, don't get too attached. You may feel confident about your draft decisions, but remember: stars are born and eroded every day. Take a moment to see what's on the other side of the waiver wire.
Most leagues limit how many players you can stream each week in daily leagues. If your league only allows three moves per week, you need to be very efficient with your moves and grab players who will help you maximize your games played and help you win an extra category or two of counting stats.
The goal of this article each Monday morning will be to help you plan your roster moves for the first half of the week. Planning is important, and I always include which teams play on optimal days for streaming in the very first section so you can look for additional players that I don't mention as well. All the rostered percentages used in this article are from Yahoo! Let's see who can help us start the week strong!
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Weekly Schedule: Monday to Thursday
Teams that play one game (AVOID): Atlanta, Sacramento, Toronto
Teams that play three games (TARGET): Dallas
Shallow League Streaming Options
Alex Caruso - PG, SG (37%)
Look out, the Chicago Bulls are in the playoff picture despite Zach LaVine being listed on the injury list. Sporting an 8-5 record without their "franchise" player, role-player extraordinaire Alex Caruso played a pivotal part in Chicago's turnaround. Averaging 9.8 points in his last five outings, Caruso's numbers don't hop off the page. However, the Bulls' next two opponents act as a fantasy production supplement in that their defense and hyper-paced offense inject a boost into their opponent's offense.
Chicago faces the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers, with Atlanta ranked 27th in defensive rating and Indiana 28th. As the two upcoming Bulls' opponents suggest a positive start fantasy-wise, expect another Chicago player in this week's streamer candidates list.
Duncan Robinson - SG, SF (48%)
One day, a brave author will put pen to paper covering the odyssey that is Duncan Robinson's career. While the start of his career warrants a deep dive, the drastic change from last season to now captures my curiosity. Robinson went from practically out of the Miami Heat's rotation to producing in the 2023 playoffs. Building on his 2023 postseason efforts, Robinson now averages a career-high 15 points. In his last 10 games, the three-ball converted at an ultra-efficient 48 percent on six attempts per game.
🧵 @CoupNBA breaks down how we stayed steady and pulled away in the 4th for last night's W over Atlanta:
1. Duncan's 11 straight points (21 total in Q4) were a mix of and-1 drives, floaters and triples. After that run, the HEAT stayed ahead for good. pic.twitter.com/q4CNNz8aTU
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 23, 2023
Playing the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day and the unremarkable Golden State Warriors on December 28, Robinson provides fantasy managers with two opportunities to spike their three-point stats early in the week.
Jaden McDaniels - SF, PF (48%)
Shockingly, the Minnesota Timberwolves are at the top of the Western Conference win-loss column. Although Anthony Edwards makes up for most of Minnesota's recent success, 23-year-old wing Jaden McDaniels deserves some attention, too. Scoring at least 20 points in two of his last three outings, McDaniels filled the void of the recently injured Karl-Anthony Towns.
Without any new information on Towns' knee injury, expect McDaniels to continue receiving the touches necessary to make him a hot commodity on any shallow-league streamer list.
Patrick Williams - PF (49%)
Making two appearances in as many weeks on RotoBaller's streamer list, Bulls power forward Patrick Williams continues proving why he deserves a roster spot on your fantasy team. Currently on a five-game streak of double-digit points scored, Williams has two upcoming opponents who invoke licking of the lips, as they allow many opportunities to prolong the scoring run. As mentioned earlier, the Bulls play the Pacers and Hawks early in the week.
Patrick Williams has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 15 games and is averaging 14.1 PPG on 63.6% TS over that span
The Bulls have won 8 of their last 11
On the season, Williams, 22, ranks in the 89th percentile for defensive EPM and the 86th for block rate#SeeRed pic.twitter.com/d8y73OQVA7
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) December 22, 2023
If Williams can score 25 points on the likes of the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers, imagine the possibilities against the defenseless Pacers and Hawks. Look for Williams to continue his streamer-worthy status in Week 10.
Deep League Streaming Options
Aaron Nesmith - SF, PF (25%)
Of all the feel-good aspects surrounding the In-Season Tournament runner-up Indiana Pacers, Aaron Nesmith's last five games merit at least a part-time fantasy roster spot for deeper leagues. Averaging 27.5 fantasy points in the aforementioned stretch, the backup Pacers wing produced an average of 13 points on 56 percent three-point shooting while also showing up on defense with a block and steal during the five-game run.
Aaron Nesmith knocks down back-to-back triples 🎯 pic.twitter.com/nJRhKumO37
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 22, 2023
Conversely, most of those stats came in garbage time, as the Pacers experienced four blowout losses in their last five games. However, Nesmith's recent numbers still pop for an otherwise unproven bench player.
Jonathan Isaac - SF, PF (4%)
The Orlando Magic boast the third-best defensive rating league-wide. Although former sixth-overall pick Jonathan Isaac hasn't lived up to the 2017 draft selection (mainly due to injury), he's helped the Magic in their elite defensive efforts. Reaching double-digit scoring figures in only three of 24 games indicates the value of Isaac's worth as a streamer candidate: defense.
Recording seven blocks in five games in addition to three blocks, Isaac provides a push to fantasy rosters void of the two primary defensive stats. I understand the trepidation in acquiring Isaac, especially in light of the aforementioned lack of offense, but such defensive numbers at least merit a quick rental.
Moritz Wagner - C (14%)
Magic starting center Wendell Carter Jr. recently returned from a 20-game absence due to a fractured finger, and apparently, he's not ready for relevant production. Typically, such a delay to return to form would hurt a young team. However, missing your starting center doesn't hurt as much when you have a fringe starter on your bench. Although not a consistent scorer, Moritz Wagner recently erupted for 21 points over the Milwaukee Bucks on December 21.
A game against the Washington Wizards is the NBA's elixir for losses, as the Magic suffered four in their last five games. Regarding fantasy basketball, Wagner should clean up quite nicely vs. the unserious Wizards.
Malaki Branham - PG, SG, SF (10%)
While the San Antonio Spurs don't offer much in the win-loss column, the lottery-destined team provides an interesting group of fantasy players, one of whom is sophomore guard Malaki Branham. Branham had quite the eight-game stretch for a role player, averaging 12.7 points, 3.5 assists, and three rebounds per contest.
Taking a flier on such a player isn't a costly move. Banking on Spurs wins could only lead to losing money, but they do play the Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers next on the schedule. With that said, I see Branham continuing his eight-game double-digit scoring streak against the two fellow lottery teams.
