RADIO
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 9.
After an exciting start, it's Week 9 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): Brooklyn, Phoenix, Sacramento
Teams that play three games (TARGET): Chicago, Indiana, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, Sacramento, Utah
Shallow League Streaming Options
Dillon Brooks - SG, SF (42%)
Dillon Brooks isn't as good as he thinks, but he's still worth monitoring weekly in fantasy basketball. Aside from an abysmal 0-6 three-point shooting performance against the lottery-bound San Antonio Spurs -- okay, no, I can't lie, he's on a rather rough shooting patch from the perimeter in his last five outings in light of his 31 percent shooting from the three-point mark. Still, despite the terrible shooting stretch, the delusionally confident wing averaged 14.6 points in the aforementioned period, accumulating 22.8 fantasy points in the process.
The Houston Rockets play the Atlanta Hawks on December 20, and you know what that means: bet the over. Even if Brooks struggles against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, a bounce-back performance at the expense of the 27th-ranked defense rating team seems likely.
Norman Powell - SG, SF (37%)
The sky is blue, oranges are orange, and Norman Powell is available for your streamer needs. Up four percent from last week, the Los Angeles Clippers backup wing has a busy early-week schedule in Week 9. Two of the three teams facing the Clippers don't sit high on the defensive rating pyramid. Playing against the Indiana Pacers on Monday and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, Powell has ample opportunity to come through for your fantasy needs.
Norman Powell gave the Clippers the breathing space they needed 👀pic.twitter.com/UVc95usvMB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 15, 2023
Isaiah Hartenstein - C (43%)
Although the absence of offensive rebound machine Mitchell Robinson will hurt the New York Knicks, there is another player on the bench ready to hit the boards and reject opponents at the rim. Never mind the signing of "he's still in the league?" Taj Gibson. That transaction was merely a trojan horse with the real threat inside: Isaiah Hartenstein, who is averaging a season-high 29.7 fantasy points in his last five games.
Isaiah Hartenstein with the rejection on Booker's dunk attempt, and the Knicks continue killing Phoenix in this fourth quarter pic.twitter.com/f9T97SXJwq
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) December 16, 2023
With the Knicks set to play two games early in the week, Hartenstein has his work cut for him, as he potentially will battle Anthony Davis and Nic Claxton, respectively. If your fantasy team requires a defensive supplement, Hartenstein is your guy. Aggregating 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over his last five outings, Hartenstein proves why he's worth Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau's time and, more importantly, your precious fantasy roster spot.
Patrick Williams - PF (41%)
Patrick Williams is one of the more enigmatic players in the NBA. Williams hasn't entirely seized the opportunity in a contract year in which the Chicago Bulls star player Zach LaVine is currently out due to injury; however, the Bulls are 5-3 in their last eight games, and Williams, to his credit, produced some noteworthy stats, albeit at a less-than-efficient clip. Although Williams averaged 13 points in the eight-game stretch, he converted a lowly 51.50 true shooting percentage.
With three games early in the week for Chicago, taking a flier on Williams can help your roster. Perhaps Williams won't blossom into a star or even a pseudo-star, but his play validates streamer status at this stage of his career.
Deep League Streaming Options
Malaki Branham - PG, SG, SF (14%)
The San Antonio Spurs stink, which bodes well for NBA sophomore Malaki Branham -- the more garbage time, the better. Thankfully, in fantasy basketball, winning actual games doesn't mean much to the typical fantasy manager. Branham, win or lose, has impressed recently, sporting an average of 13 points on 38.9 three-point shooting in his last five performances, ultimately leading to an eyebrow-raising 23.7 fantasy points per contest.
tough bucket from @MalakiBranham 😤 pic.twitter.com/AdmXjv2pIk
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 17, 2023
Win or lose, Branham will find his way on the court and perhaps on your fantasy roster.
Corey Kispert - SG, SF (9%)
The Washington Wizards are so bad that the league didn't even bat an eye on them when reports of the franchise's pending move to Virginia were released. Again, in fantasy, wins and losses don't hurt your bottom line as a fantasy team manager. Regarding your streamer needs, Corey Kispert offers alight relief in the three-point shooting department at an above-league average of 38 percent.
The lowly Wizards play two teams this week who lack the defensive fortitude to disrupt Kispert's shooting stroke: the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers. Take a peek at Kispert for a few games, at least for the three-point shooting.
Talen Horton-Tucker - PG, SG, SF (20%)
The Utah Jazz point guard situation explains their 9-17 record. While Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker have positive aspects to their games, neither warrant a starting point guard spot, at least not on a winning team. Nonetheless, Tucker has produced a stat line worthy of a part-time roster spot. Horton-Tucker scored 65 points in his last five games without shooting the three-ball particularly well, evidenced by his 20 percent mark from such range.
However, despite the terrible outside offense, Tucker also racked up 17 assists and eight steals during the aforementioned stretch. Ultimately, if your team doesn't lack three-point shooting, take a chance on Horton-Tucker.
Taurean Prince - SF, PF (11%)
Taurean Prince should be on every streamer candidate list this week, as the Los Angeles Lakers play three games in four nights. Aside from scheduling, Prince made beeps on fantasy sonars last week, scoring double-digit points in his past four outings. As LeBron James' reliable three-point shooting security blanket, Prince continued his valiant efforts, averaging four made three-point shots per game in the aforementioned period. Prince will boost your three-point numbers and is likely available in your league.
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