Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

December 5, 2021

Week 8 fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups, adds, and sleepers for the 2021-2022 NBA season. Justin Carter recommends guards, forwards and centers to target through waivers or free agency in 9-cat fantasy leagues.

Welcome back to the waiver wire! Need to bolster your flailing team? We've got you covered.

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 7.

9-Category Leagues - Waiver Wire Adds

This column is written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.

Dewayne Dedmon, C Miami Heat

56% rostered 

With Bam Adebayo out due to hand surgery, Dedmon should be in for a big role in Miami. In his career Dedmon has averaged a massive 12.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.0 three's, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals in games he has played over 30 minutes. He has only played 22 minutes per game over the past week, but his all-around fantasy ability should be a big boost in 9-cat leagues.

Garrison Matthews, SG - Houston Rockets

29% rostered 

He is not the most exciting name or player to own, but Matthews has seen a massive minutes bump of late. The injuries to Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. have allowed Matthews to play 33 minutes a game over the past seven days. Matthews is not the type of player that will contribute across the board, but he is an elite option for scoring, three's, and steals. Furthermore, Matthews is not the type of player who is going to hurt you anywhere as he has zero turnovers the past three games while shooting 50% from the floor and 100% from the free-throw line.

Terence Davis, SG/SF - Sacramento Kings

23% rostered 

Davis is different from the top two players listed as he is incredibly volatile. New coach Alvin Gentry seems to like having Davis out there as he has played 28+ minutes in three of the past five outings. The key area Davis will help you in is scoring as he has no issue getting up shots with 64 FGA over the past five games. If you look specifically the last two outings, Davis has also tossed in 11 3PTM and add 4 steals.

Tre Mann, PG - Oklahoma City Thunder

26% rostered 

The Thunder, coming off the largest defeat in NBA history, are a total mess right now. With star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in concussion protocol and the team floundering, rookie Tre Mann should be in line for more time. Over the past three games he has played over 29 minutes per game and responded with a solid line of 13.3 points, 1.7 three's and 0.7 steals per contest.

Ish Smith, PG - Charlotte Hornets

15% rostered 

COVID has hit the Hornets hard this week with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee all in health protocols. That means for at least the next week to 10 days there should be a huge void to fill. In 166 games as a starter in his career, Smith has averaged a more than respectable 12.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. It is not likely to be a long-term answer, but just for this week Smith should be owned across the board.

Doug McDermott, SF - San Antonio Spurs

32% rostered 

McDermott is another player that isn't flashy or provide a ton of value across the board, but if you are in need of a consistent shooting options, he could be a nice addition. Over the past two weeks he is averaging 14.5 points a game while shooting 54.5% from the floor.

DeMarcus Cousins, C - Milwaukee Bucks

29% rostered 

His name alone means he is likely to be rostered in some leagues, but with news that Brook Lopez is out for the foreseeable future, Cousins could have some value. The issue with Cousins is his playing time, which figures to remain under 20 minutes a game. He has always been a player who can do it all, so even in limited time, Cousins could provide some 9-Cat value.

Austin Rivers, PG - Denver Nuggets

11% rostered 

This is a bit more of a speculative add as Rivers is currently in COVID protocols. Rivers could have a ton of value as the season goes as the Nuggets have been decimated with injuries to Jamal Murry, PJ Dozier, Michael Porter Jr., and Bones Hyland. In his career, Rivers per 36 numbers are 13.3 points, 1.0 steals, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 three-pointers. If you have an open spot or are looking for long term upside, you could do worse than Rivers.

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