Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 22

The fantasy basketball playoffs are here, which means the whole way you do waivers is a little different. There's no maybe I'll grab this guy in case he does well later in the year or well, I can roster this injured guy because I'll need him.

No! Drop those injured guys! Only make moves that help you win now! The pressure is about to be amped all the way up, and you can't afford to not roster the guys who can help you win right now. A lot of those guys are no longer available on waivers, but some still are, and you need to make sure you've got those dudes on your team.

Below, you'll find my Week 22 waiver wire adds for shallow leagues and deeper leagues, as well as the Week 22 schedule.

Week 22 Schedule

4 Games - Brooklyn, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Utah, Washington

3 Games - Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, Toronto

2 Games - Golden State, Memphis

Week 22 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups

These are players available in 20 to 60 percent of leagues

Luke Kennard - SG - Pistons (37% Ownership)

Kennard's NBA career has been a bit of dud up until now, but the second-year pro has been playing some good basketball lately for the Pistons. Since the beginning of March, Kennard has three games with 19 or more points, and he's contributing a decent amount on the boards and as a passer. His improvement has been fueled by some strong shooting from deep, and fantasy owners looking for help from three can find that help in the former Duke Blue Devil.

Dwight Powell - PF/C - Mavericks (57% Ownership)

How is Powell still below 60 percent? Even after a disappointing outing on Sunday against Houston in which Powell finished with nine points and six rebounds, he's still been on a tear lately. Before that loss to the Rockets, Powell was averaging 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds over the past eight games while shooting 66.2 percent from the floor. He's one of the NBA's most efficient shooters in the paint, and that level of efficiency coupled with his scoring upside makes him a must-own at this point for fantasy owners who are worried about their field goal percentage mark.

Avery Bradley - PG/SG - Grizzlies (38% Ownership)

One thing to take note of is that the Grizzlies play just two games this week, so I wouldn't have Bradley as my top priority add unless other names on this list aren't available. But Bradley, who everyone just kind of left for dead after his struggles in Los Angeles, is averaging 16.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds since joining the Grizzlies. Over that span, he's hitting over 90 percent from the free throw line and is making 42.3 percent of his 4.7 three-pointers. Bradley's never been known as a shooter, though he's flashed some quality shooting at times over the course of his time in the league, but it looks like he's found his rhythm at this juncture of the season.

Robin Lopez - C - Bulls (42% Ownership)

Robin Lopez wasn't expected to be a Bull this long, but the team never bought him out and now injuries have him playing a key role in Chicago. Since the All-Star break, Lopez is averaging 16 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while blocking nearly two shots per night and hitting 57.5 percent of his shots. Lopez gives fantasy owners some defensive numbers while also helping in scoring and field goal percentage.

Derrick White - PG/SG - Spurs (58% Ownership)

Derrick White is very much for real and it's time we recognize him as another victory for Gregg Popovich. Over the last four games, White is putting up 14.5 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists per night. Those rebounding numbers from a point guard are a big plus for fantasy owners at this point in the season, as is White's 1.3 steals and...umm, THREE blocks per game? White does so much for the Spurs defensively that you might not notice he's also shooting over 50 percent from the floor over that span as well. White can be a great glue guy for your playoff run.

Week 22 Deeper Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups

These are players available in under 20 percent of leagues.

Rodions Kurucs - SF/PF - Nets (17% Ownership)

Kurucs has re-entered the Nets starting lineup, this time playing the four for them, and it's been a success. The Latvian rookie is finally draining threes at a strong pace, with 43.6 percent of them going in since February 1st, and his playing time is back to being consistent enough for fantasy owners to trust him. He's scored in double figures in four straight games and looks like he's not going to give that starting role back. Add in some solid rebounding -- 6.3 per game since rejoining the first unit -- and his ability to get blocks, and Kurucs is a great add in deeper leagues and also has value in shallower leagues as well.

Moritz Wagner - PF - Lakers (12% Ownership)

The Lakers won't have Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball again this season. LeBron James is going to be on a minutes limit. It's time to see what some of the younger Lakers can do. Wagner got his first start on Saturday and looked ready to contribute down the stretch, finishing with 22 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes. Those heavy minutes are a big part of why I have Wagner trending up. No Laker played more minutes, and while Kyle Kuzma should return soon from an ankle injury, I still expect to see Wagner getting a lot of playing time.

Alex Caruso - SG - Lakers (0% Ownership)

I know I said no to speculative adds, but Caruso played 30 minutes off the Lakers bench in Saturday's game and was 3-for-3 from the floor for eight points. I don't know what Caruso's role going forward is, but I'd imagine he continues to be in the rotation. He's averaged 11.5 points on 64.3 percent over the past two games and could be a good deep league add for shooting percentages and scoring.

Johnathan Williams - PF - Lakers (2% Ownership)

Okay, one last Laker. I'm really liking some of these guys because Los Angeles is basically recreating themselves on the fly right now, which means guys who you never really thought about are now putting up double-doubles. Williams had 18 points and 10 boards on Saturday and could be a good deep league source of rebounds with a strong field goal percentage as an added bonus.

Delon Wright - PG/SG - Grizzlies (18% Ownership)

Of course, as with Bradley above, take note of the Grizzlies having a light schedule this week before you grab Wright. If you do, expect that he can give you some good numbers in those two games. Since coming to Memphis, Wright is putting up 10.8 points per game with 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per outing. He's shot 41.9 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from three, though, so there's risk here.

Alex Len - PF/C - Hawks (16% Ownership)

I gave up on Alex Len at the same time that Phoenix did, but he's been more productive than ever this season for the Hawks. That's especially true lately. In March, Len has scored 16 points per game and pulled down 6.8 rebounds while hitting half of his shot attempts. He's also shot 37 percent from deep on 5.4 threes per game. (It's wild that Len's become a high-volume guy from deep when you consider that he made six threes in his five seasons with the Suns. He's made 44 this season.)

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