Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Adds and Weekly Planner: Week 23 (4/1-4/7)

April 1, 2024

Thunder Dan Palyo gets you set for the upcoming week of Fantasy Basketball with a schedule breakdown and his top players to add off the waiver wire for Week 23.

The Fantasy Basketball season is winding down, with many leagues already finishing up last week. But there are plenty of other leagues still going, and just because my leagues are finished, I am not about to leave you without any advice in these final two weeks!

These last two weeks are incredibly challenging, which is why so many leagues have just chopped them off entirely. I'm going to dig deep and see if we can't find a few really good additions that you can make to help you finish the season strong.

Working the wire is an incredibly important skill and being one step ahead of your fellow league managers means always planning and keeping tabs on players who are starting to play better or earn more minutes. Every week, I will do my best to help you plan out your week and give you my top recommendations to add from waivers in both standard (10-12 team leagues) and deeper formats (more than 12 teams).

Week 23 Schedule Breakdown

Notes:

Most teams play four games this week with those who only play three games being Chicago, Denver, San Antonio, and Utah.

Monday-Tuesday B2B = NONE

Tuesday-Wednesday B2B = CLE, LAL, MIL, MIN, OKC, TOR, WAS

Wednesday-Thursday B2B = ATL

Thursday-Friday B2B = DAL, GSW, HOU, LAC, MIA, NYK, SAC

Friday-Saturday B2B = DET, MEM

Saturday-Sunday B2B = BKN, CLE, LAL, PHI

Standard League Adds For Week 23

The percentage of owned numbers in parentheses are from Yahoo!

Dalano Banton - PG/SG (44%)

You probably have to be in a fairly shallow league to snag him, but Banton remains under 45% rostered despite being extremely productive for the tanking Trail Blazers. His role is secure for the rest of the year, and he can pile up counting stats in a hurry.

Bruce Brown - PG/SG/SF (43%)

Brown is one of the last men standing in Toronto and can do a little of everything to fill up the stat sheet. He's usually not asked to score much, but with so many Toronto regulars out, he has shot the ball more down the stretch. He acts as the point guard fairly often, getting Toronto into their sets, and has five games with 5+ assists in the last two weeks.

Harrison Barnes - SF/PF (39%)

I've resisted recommending Barnes for most of the season, but I'm finally giving in. If you need scoring, Barnes is back on a good streak, scoring 20 and 24 points in his last two games. He often trades good games with Keegan Murray, but when he gets hot from outside, the Kings feed him, and he can post some big numbers.

Harrison Barnes went off during the third quarter 🔥

16 PTS | 6/6 FG | 4/4 3PT | 7 MIN (!!!)pic.twitter.com/Rjggg2xAXe

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 1, 2024

I don't have a ton of faith in him doing it 3-4 more games in a row, but he's worth a look if you need points and threes in the hopes that he can keep it up.

Keon Ellis - SG/SF (34%) 

The Kings are dealing with some injuries to Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter, meaning Ellis is getting as many minutes as he can handle at shooting guard. He's not an offensive-minded player, but he does have three-point range, knocking down four triples twice in his last five games. He is an excellent rebounder, however, and a steals machine. The production will be inconsistent, but you can't argue with the minutes here.

Corey Kispert - SG/SF (32%)

Kispert is playing huge minutes for the Wizards down the stretch, averaging 40 per game over his last four. He's largely only good for points and threes, but he did mix in a random 12-rebound game last week, too. He's scored in double-figures in seven straight contests and can help out a little in steals and assists.

Grant Williams - PF/C (28%)

Don't look now, but Williams is back to being a productive fantasy player in Charlotte. His last four games stand out as he's averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest with nearly two three-pointers. He's a very limited fantasy player, so points, threes, and boards are about all you are going to get.

Deep League Adds For Week 21

Jake LaRavia - SF/PF (17%)

Memphis continues to be a dumpster fire on a nightly basis, and it's tough to project minutes for anyone in the rotation other than a few of the regulars. But LaRavia has the type of skill set to contribute across the board when given the minutes.

Jake LaRavia vs Los Angeles Lakers

25 PTS
6 REB
4 AST
9/14 FG
7/9 3P#BackToTheGrind L pic.twitter.com/RFjuFSkwdt

— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) March 28, 2024

Just two games ago, he went 25-6-4 against the Lakers with seven made threes. You won't get that every night, but it goes to show what he's capable of doing on any given night.

Taylor Hendricks - PF (16%)

Hendricks needs to keep working on his offensive game, but he's getting the minutes we want and posting solid rebounding numbers while adding a handful of blocks. He will occasionally bust out for a big offensive game, but not all that often. With only three games this week for Utah, waiting to grab Hendrick til later in the Week for his Friday and Sunday matchup might be the right move.

Gradey Dick - SG (10%)

Gradey has been pretty inconsistent, even with starters' minutes, but Toronto just doesn't have many other guys left. If you are desperate for some scoring (and not much else), a four-game week from Dick could help push you over the top.

Haywood Highsmith - SF/PF (10%)

Highsmith has stepped up lately for an injury-ravaged Miami team playing 29 minutes per night over his last three games. He's been a nice surprise on offense, knocking down open triples and racking up boards in the process.

Scotty Pippen Jr. - PG (10%)

After a long hiatus, Pippen is back in the rotation for Memphis and has been really productive with his time on the floor. Despite playing just 23 minutes per game, he's scoring in double-digits while handing out over 2 assists per game and 2 steals. He's good enough that he can help out your team in limited minutes, so grab him if you need points, assists, and steals.

That's it for this week; good luck in your leagues, and thanks for reading!

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