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Welcome back to RotoBaller's weekly fantasy basketball waiver wire column and schedule breakdown. How's this season going for you? Need some help with your team? Let's get you some!
It's hard to believe we're already as far into the NBA season as we are. These two months have flown by, and this season almost still feels like a bit of a mystery.
These recommendations are mainly for 9-cat leagues, but if you play in another format, there's a good chance that the information here can still help you. We'll be looking at centers, forwards, and guards whose low rostership and upside make them ideal players to get onto your fantasy team. 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 8.
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NBA Week 8 Schedule Guide
Let's take a look at some notable things on the schedule this week.
Teams with four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Indiana, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando, Phoenix, Toronto
Teams with three games: Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Houston, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Utah, Washington
Teams with two games: Portland, San Antonio
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 16
Tuesday: 9
Wednesday: 22
Thursday: 9
Friday: 20
Saturday: 16
Sunday: 14
Back-to-Backs:
Sunday/Monday: Boston, Indiana, Memphis, Phoenix
Monday/Tuesday: Dallas, Miami
Tuesday/Wednesday: Detroit, Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday/Thursday: Los Angeles Clippers
Thursday/Friday: 0
Friday/Saturday: Brooklyn, Cleveland, Dallas, Indiana, Minnesota, Utah, Washington
Saturday/Sunday: Chicago
9-Category Leagues - Waiver Wire Adds
This column is written based on H2H 9-category 12-team leagues. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.
Tim Hardaway Jr., G/F - Dallas Mavericks - 42% rostered
Hardaway has now scored over 20 points in three straight games, topping out on Saturday at 28 points and seven rebounds against the New York Knicks.
The big question with Hardaway is if he can keep this performance up. Before he had 22 points against the Warriors, Hardaway had scored in single-digits four games in a row, but after Reggie Bullock took a rest day against the Bucks, Hardaway took his starting spot away, and with how he's playing, it doesn't look like he'll be giving it back. He's averaging 20.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.3 threes and 1.3 assists as a starter this season.
Jaylen Nowell, G - Minnesota Timberwolves - 32% rostered
Nowell has scored at least 21 points in three consecutive games. Before that, he'd had just one game all year where he scored that many points. Over the past four games, Newell is averaging 21.0 points on 51.8% shooting, plus 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 1.0 steals and 3.0 threes per contest.
With Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined, the Timberwolves need additional offense to come from somewhere, and right now it looks like Nowell is a good option to be that guy. And with KAT expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a calf injury, Nowell's newfound scoring role should continue for a good bit longer.
Joe Harris, G/F - Brooklyn Nets - 21% rostered
Need threes? Then Joe Harris might be your guy. One of the NBA's best shooters when healthy, Harris has finally got back into his groove, scoring in double figures in three straight games, with multiple threes made in each of those. He's a high-upside add if you need the things he's good at: points, threes, field goal percentage.
Markelle Fultz, G - Orlando Magic - 45% rostered
Fultz finally made his season debut after missing the first part of the season with a toe injury. He hasn't necessarily done a ton yet, but his showing against the Cavaliers shows his upside, as he finished with 10 points, six rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Fultz probably isn't at the point where he's fully unleashed yet by the Magic, but he's definitely worth adding if he's still on your waiver wire.
Kevin Love, F/C - Cleveland Cavaliers - 44% rostered
Love returned on Friday after missing some time with a thumb injury, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 23 minutes. Love's not someone who's going to win you your league, but he can compile enough numbers in the 20ish minutes he'll play most nights that he'll help your bottom line. (And he could help you win rebounds, considering he's always been a rebound funnel.)
Andrew Nembhard, G - Indiana Pacers - 13% rostered
Nembhard played 35 minutes on Friday, scoring 13 points while also adding 10 assists, four rebounds, two steals and two threes. The rookie has started in the last two games for the Pacers, and he looks like a cheap source of assists on the waiver wire right now for a Pacers team that could be without Tyrese Haliburton on Sunday, as he's dealing with a groin issue. But even if Haliburton plays, Nembhard is getting some good run as a secondary ball-handler.
Justise Winslow, F - Portland Trail Blazers - 34% rostered
Maybe it would have been better to write about Winslow if this column came out on Friday instead of Sunday, as he didn't do a lot offensively in 39 minutes on Saturday, going 1-for-3 from the floor. He did add seven rebounds, five assists and three steals though, and while his recent scoring uptick had been the primary reason to look at him in fantasy, those other categories have been an added bonus.
Anyway, if we ignore Saturday, Winslow had previously been on a five-game stretch where he averaged 36.3 minutes per game, scoring 11.4 points on 45.1% shooting with 1.2 threes, 8.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Damian Lillard is supposed to be back soon—possibly even on Sunday—and that would take a good bit of value away from Winslow, which is why he's as low as he is in this week's recommendations. He's been playing well, but will he be able to keep it up?
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