RADIO
Hopefully everyone had a great week in fantasy hoops. This season has been entertaining with many different story lines, and we're excited for what the rest of the season has to offer. This is a reminder that fantasy basketball is a marathon, not a sprint. In this early part of the season, it's super important to have a roster spot open on your team. The reason being is that you are likely to find hidden gems early part of the first week of the season as opposed to later in the season. For example, Pascal Siakam comes to mind as he was not being drafted in a lot of leagues last season, but he became a top-50 player by season's end.
It's always helpful to see the early rotations of the season, but it's mindful to take all factors into consideration. Players may be off to slow starts, and it may take a week or two to see consistency. Also be mindful players who are off to flaming hot starts may eventually cool off, or eventually fade out. As a reminder for most leagues, it's crucial to plan ahead. Waiver wire adds, scheduling and player injuries are all things to consider. Make an effort to improve your team by maximizing your weekly adds and utilizing streamer spots via the waiver wire. In some cases, preach some patience in the early part of the season if a player isn't busting out of the gates. 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!
In this weekly piece, I'll go over some specialists in the peripheral areas where you can target on the waiver wire. These guys are not be must-own players by all means, but these are "specialists" in which you should target if you want a boost in assisting to win your statistical head-to-head match ups for example. Let's take a look at some of the guys in Week 9 that are likely on your waiver wire.
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Week 9 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Specialists
*Securing your categorical needs at this point is important, especially if you're playing in head-to-head leagues*
I write my columns based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues.
Assists
Elfrid Payton, PG - New York Knicks
Although the New York Knicks share a three headed timeshare of Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr., and Frank Nitilinka, Payton has emerged as the best fantasy point guard to own for the time being. Over the last two games, he's averaged 15 points and 4.5 assists per game in just under 29 minutes per game. Assists are super hard to come by on the waiver wire, so he's definitely worth an add to see if he continue to get minutes with the going nowhere New York Knicks.
Ish Smith, PG - Washington Wizards
Isaiah Thomas (calf) has been sidelined for the past two weeks, and it should be noted he wasn't exactly killing it out there either on poor percentages. Smith has taken over the point guard duties since and he has done a great job filling in, averaging just under six assists per game, while scoring in double-digits in the last five contests. Look for Smith to continue to get heavy minutes until Thomas returns, as this is a good indicator to stream Smith whenever Thomas misses more games.
Delon Wright/Jalen Brunson, PG - Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic (ankle) turned his ankle badly on Saturday night and was ruled out fairly quick. It didn't look good as he was holding his lower leg area as he stayed down for quite some time. The good news is that X-Rays were negative but this looks like a weekly injury opposed to day-to-day. Owners should be prepared to deal without Luka for the foreseeable future, which means both Delon Wright and Jalen Brunson are worth a look in more 12 and 14+ team leagues. I don't fully trust the Mavericks rotations since they like to run deep 9 or 10 man rotations and it may vary based on matchups, but Wright and Brunson can both fill in and sprinkle in some point guard numbers for the time being.
Garrett Temple, SG/SF - Brooklyn Nets
Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Caris Levert (thumb) are still out for the Nets and Temple has done a terrific job at being a short-term option. He's been steady, filling in a bit of everything on the box score, where I most recommend him for assists and 3-pointers. It definitely won't last long, but he could be worth at least streaming for the Tuesday and Thursday games as the Nets play on both days this week.
Points
Jordan Clarkson, PG/SG - Cleveland Cavaliers
Clarkson has been one of the more consistent players on the Cavaliers all season, as he does know how to put the ball inside the basket. Clarkson has been averaging 14.1 points per game this season, in only 23 minutes of action. He scores with decent efficient on most nights, and can help owners with 3-pointers and especially points. Don't expect to do much and he's a 12-team add in most cases until he cools off.
Tim Hardaway Jr. SG/SF - Dallas Mavericks
Hardaway Jr. is the true definition of hot and cold, and he's hot again and he's definitely worth a look with Doncic (ankle) out likely for the next two weeks. He's been getting the trust from Coach Rick Carlisle and he can be a nice source of points and 3-pointers of his role can stick. However, it's hard to trust Carlisle's rotation given that he seemingly switches starters based on the match ups. There are going to be nights where he'll tank your percentages, but take the good with the bad and give him a look while he's hot. Aside from the 2-point dud on Thursday, THJ put up 28 and 29 points in the previous two games. Be wary that he really doesn't provide much else other than points and 3-pointers
Collin Sexton, PG/SG - Cleveland Cavaliers
If Sexton was dropped in your league, he's your guy for a good source of points. Forget about his terrible percentages, because you already know he's not going to score withe efficieny. You also know that he won't give you much steals and he's allergic to assists, but his 17.6 points per game is a nice boost to round off your team. Don't hesitate to take a chance and grab him off the waiver wire if he was dropped, especially if he fits your teams build.
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.
