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Looking ahead into Week 9, owners should have a slight idea of what their team's strengths and weaknesses are. It's never too early to explore trades to boost your team's chances, especially in head-to-head leagues. With that said, we're here to bless you all with everything you guys need to stay ahead of your opponents in all your fantasy leagues. Below are our recommended waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of the fantasy basketball season, for those looking to beef up their teams. We wish everyone the best of luck in your leagues and may the odds forever be in your favor!
It's the best time to start exploring trades, and get out ahead before it's too late! Sell high, buy low - trying to look for ways to improve your team despite where you are in the standings will go a long way for you in case injuries and cold streaks happen.
As a reminder for most leagues, it's crucial to plan ahead. Waiver wire adds, scheduling and player injuries are all things to consider. Drop the dead weight, make an effort to improve your team by maximizing your weekly adds and utilizing streamer spots via the waiver wire. Don't be attached to short-term pickups when there is a hot player on the horizon, especially if a hot player can stick with significant minutes the rest of the season. Be wary of weekly streaming options and stay ahead of your opponents. 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 9.
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Week 9 Schedule
4 Games - Wizards, Raptors, Kings, Suns, Sixers, Thunder, Heat, Grizzlies, Lakers, Clippers, Pacers, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Celtics
3 Games - Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic, Trailblazers, Spurs, Jazz
Week 9 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
I write my columns based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Tomas Satoransky - PG, WIZARDS (3% Ownership)
John Wall (heel) is looking to be doubtful come Monday against the Pacers and could actually miss additional time. The Wizards will look to lean on Satoransky to run the team until Wall is healthy, and he's worth a look given that he's averaging 7.8 points, 5.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 3-pointers and is shooting 59 percent over his last five games. He could be a nice add to give you a boost in assists this week with the Wizards playing four games.
Josh Hart - SG/SF, LAKERS (45% Ownership)
Brandon Ingram (ankle) will miss at least a week due to an ankle sprain he suffered against the Spurs on Wednesday. Hart blew up for 16 points with four rebounds, three steals, two assists, two blocks and four 3-pointers in 32 minutes Saturday, and he'll look to get a couple more starts this week with Ingram out. The Lakers love his ability to play and guard multiple positions while also being able to hit 3-pointers at a high clip.
Monte Morris - PG, NUGGETS (11% Ownership)
Gary Harris (hip) will miss at least a couple of weeks and Morris will likely get a bulk of those minutes playing next to Jamal Murray. Given that assists are hard come to by, Morris is worth an add despite the Nuggets only playing three games this week. Morris struggled from the field on Saturday, connecting on only on 4-of-14 from the field, but still had 10 points with two rebounds, seven assists, five steals, two 3-pointers.
Juan Hernangomez - SF/PF, NUGGETS (48% Ownership)
Paul Millsap (broken toe) will probably miss at least a month, so Hernangomez will get a huge boost for the time being. The Spaniard scored 17 points with 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and three 3-pointers in a whopping 40 minutes on Saturday. Get him in your lineup as he has massive upside. His upside is similar to Nikola Mirotic.
Deandre Bembry - SF, HAWKS (9% Ownership)
Jeremy Lin (back) and Taurean Prince (ankle) will miss extended time, where Prince being out for at least the next three weeks gives Bembry a huge boost. Bembry is known for his multi-category contributions and he had a career-high 18 points, three rebounds, five assists, one steal, three blocks and three 3-pointers in just 19 minutes (!) of action on Saturday. Give him a look if you have some dead weight on your roster.
Kelly Olynyk - PF/C, HEAT (28% Ownership)
Olynyk went from DNP's earlier in the season to putting in double-digit scoring in five straight games. The Heat realized they need his offensive punch off the bench and he's likely going to stick with this role as the season progresses. He's always had top-75 upside when given the opportunity, and I'd look to add him with the Heat playing against a favorable match up against the Lakers on Monday.
Alec Burks - PF, KINGS (26% Ownership)
Burks being traded to the Cavaliers has revived his fantasy value, as he's now getting an opportunity to showcase his game. George Hill traded to the Bucks and Rodney Hood (foot) has opened the path for more minutes as he's now averaging close to 30 minutes per game over the last five games. He's also averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game over that span. He's not going to the difference breaker to winning your league, but he's definitely worth a long look given how well he's been playing.
Kyle Anderson - SG/SF, GRIZZLIES (64% Ownership)
Slo-mo has really worked his way into the standard league consideration after a brutal start. He's no longer battling a sore Achilles, and while the numbers won't wow you, he'll contribute in most categories to help you in many ways. He's doing enough in multiple categories to keep, even though he is boring to roster. Pick him up if you have dead weight on your roster.
Richaun Holmes -PF/C, SUNS (16% Ownership)
The steals and blocks are undeniable, and he should be picked up in most leagues because it's been that consistent. He's averaging 2.2 blocks and 1.4 steals over the last five games, all while still being able to average 10.0 points on 67 percent shooting in only 18 minutes of playing time. That span has him inside the top-100 in nine-category leagues, and that should be a good enough indicator he's worth owning, especially if you need a big man. If anything ever happens to Deandre Ayton, Holmes would become a very hot pickup. He's loaded with upside, and the departure of Tyson Chandler has given Holmes a stable backup role on the Suns.
Markieff Morris - PF/C, WIZARDS (68% Ownership)
Dwight Howard (butt) will likely need to have surgery, giving Morris a clear-cut path to minutes. He was a borderline player to own because of his inconsistency, but the Wizards will now have no choice but to give Morris more minutes because Thomas Bryant is not ready to take upon a bigger role to play over 20 minutes per game given his inexperience. Morris is averaging 16.2 points and 8.6 boards per game. Give him a look.
Terrence Ross - SG/SF, MAGIC (54% Ownership)
Ross has re-emerged as a reliable enough threat to be considered as a standard league add again, and he'll continue to bomb away from deep for a Magic team that is now suddenly looking into sneaking into the playoff hunt. The Magic loves his scoring ability off the bench, and he's been hot enough that he needs to be on rosters if he's going to continue hitting shots.
Trey Lyles - PF, NUGGETS (15% Ownership)
Paul Millsap (broken toe) will probably miss at least a month, and Lyles logged a whopping 38 minutes of action on Saturday. He didn't have the greatest game, shooting just 2-of-13 from the field but still managed to rack up nine points and 10 rebounds with a steal and a block. He'll get plenty of opportunities with Millsap out, and the Nuggets running one of the NBA's most potent offenses helps his outlook.
Week 9 Deeper Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
Joe Harris - SG, NETS (52% Ownership)
Harris is healthy again, and the Nets continue to give him big minutes. He's going to be a resourceful source of 3-pointers as long as he's logging close to 30 minutes per game, and his percentages won't hurt you anywhere. He's worth a look in all 14+ team leagues.
Jakob Poeltl - C, SPURS (28% Ownership)
Poeltl has finally shown some signs of life, and with Pau Gasol (stress fracture) nowhere near a return, he'll get a chance to rack up stats especially in garbage time. The Spurs aren't very good nowadays, so the Spurs could play him more to see what they received in the other part of the DeMar DeRozan trade. He'll be inconsistent and he plays for the Spurs, so expect plenty of headaches along with some popcorn numbers stat lines on some nights.
James Johnson - SF/PF, HEAT (34% Ownership)
The Heat is battling a lot of nagging injuries with Goran Dragic (rest), Josh Richardson (shoulder) and Tyler Johnson (hip) so Johnson and Winslow is getting a handful of opportunities to produce more. He's slowly come on and should be on the radar in even standard leagues given his multi-category contributions. Johnson's averaging 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game over his last five contests.
Justise Winslow - SF/PF, HEAT (20% Ownership)
Similar to James Johnson, Winslow is also picking up the slack due to multiple injuries on the team. He had one of the best and most complete games of his career, dropping 21 points (7-of-16 FG, 6-of-8 FT) with nine assists, six rebounds, two assists and one three-pointer in 39 minutes Saturday. Obviously he won't be this good every night, but he should be picked up to see how it goes. Although his value is likely to be suited for deeper leagues once the Heat gets some of their healthy bodies back.
Kevin Knox - SF/PF, KNICKS (26% Ownership)
Knox's hype coming into the season has quickly diminished. He has struggled with his shot and shot selection, where his inability to make it up for other parts of his game makes him an unappealing fantasy asset. He should get better as the season goes on because the Knicks will soon realize their rookies are the only thing that can boost the moral of this quick and tanking franchise. Knox will need to get better with taking better shots, while contributing in assists, steals, and blocks before we consider him as a standard league option. Knox had one of his better games of the season on Sunday, where he scored 23 points to go along with a career-high 14 boards. He offers a hint of upside given that the Knicks will get blown out of games a lot this season and he'll be playing in a majority of those garbage time minutes.
Emmanuel Mudiay - PG/SG, KNICKS (32% Ownership)
Mudiay has played well as of late for the Knicks, having reached double-digit scoring in four straight games. His fantasy game is very similar to Reggie Jackson, as the assists to turnover ratio is mediocre at best and the percentages will prevent him from being a top-100 asset. There's no telling if he'll continue to start, and it's anyone's guess given Fizdale's constant jerking of the rotation. He's worth a look if you can deal with the volatile production.
More Fantasy Basketball Analysis
By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.
