December 10, 2018

Week 8 fantasy basketball waiver wire adds for standard leagues. Take a look at three NBA players who are owned in less than 50% of fantasy basketball leagues and should be picked up.

The title says it all. As the trade deadline nears, more and more players will find new homes, but the biggest two names to move are Alec Burks and Kyle Korver. Kyle Korver remains irrelevant in most leagues, but Burks has exploded into must-own territory. With players like Victor Oladipo and Devin Booker out with injuries, both teams have resorted to finding new sources of production. Look for bench players on both teams to see extra usage for the time being. Bojan Bogdanovic, Tyreke Evans, Cory Joseph, Mikal Bridges, and Elie Okobo are among a few names that need to be monitored.

We are at a point of the season where players are taking time off for small injuries, opening the door for younger players to steal some much-needed production. Look for trends from Jeremy Lamb, Miles Bridges, Joe Harris, DeAndre' Bembry and Bam Adebayo. There have been plenty of trade talks involving Hassan Whiteside and the Heat which carry merit based on the eye-test, but don't fall for click-bait articles that suggest Anthony Davis heading to the Lakers. While anything is possible, it requires some financial gymnastics and some willing sacrifices from Lakers players. All in all, Whiteside has a very good chance of being traded while bloggers try to push Laker-trade narratives down your throat for clicks.

As a reminder, for standard (10-12 team) league adds, we use a general rule of thumb of an ownership rate of under 50% on Yahoo. All position eligibility based on Yahoo leagues.

Standard League Adds for Week 8

Alec Burks, G  – Cleveland Cavaliers

Ownership: 11%

9.2 PPG / 2.3 RPG / .391 FG% / .9 3PG

Not the most appealing stat line, but he is just starting to mesh with his new team and has made it known that he will be one of the more productive options. He has taken close to 13 shots each game he has played with him, making one three without really taking from the rest of the team. In Utah he was only getting around 20 minutes per game, but he's getting closer to 30 with the Cavaliers and rightfully so. This is a bold take but Burks acts like he is the better player on the team and he kind of is. There is almost no reason not to give him the ball and seeing how he can help the rest of his team develop by being a consistent shooter, this is actually a perfect match for both teams. Granted, if you matched up any hair-trigger shooter with a bad team, it would be just as ideal of a combination. In the four games he has played, he has scored less and less each game, but seeing how his attempts and rebounds increased through those same games, i'm confident his ceiling will continue to rise.

O.G. Anunoby, F – Toronto Raptors

Ownership 4%

8.3 PPG / 2.7 RPG / 1.2 3PG / .453 FG%

Usually there are so few bigs left on the wire that you are stuck scraping the bottom of the barrel. I'm not knocking O.G. Anunoby, but given his minutes and role, it's hard to see him finding extra minutes unless he is hitting. Playing behind Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam allows him to be a more energetic reserve and gives him the chance to take more threes and create more space, which is why I think he will continue to get minutes as the season progresses. The Raptors are one of the most talented teams and they will want to get their bench as much court-time as they can. While Anunoby is still just a reserve, if he can find any type of momentum, don't be surprised he he starts taking away minutes from Siakam. You might be thinking, Pascal Siakam? He's the most improved player this season! Fine take, but it doesn't mean much seeing how Anunoby is a more versatile option that can play as a wing, rather than just fill in for Serge Ibaka.

Jakob Poeltl , C – San Antonio Spurs

Ownership 17%

5.6 PPG / 4.4 RPG / .653 FG% / .9 APG

Once again, we are stuck with pretty bad options. Jakob Poeltl is trending upwards after scoring 20 in a blowout and his minutes will see a small spike as the Spurs continue to fall. The Spurs have the offense to keep up with teams, but their defense lacks and Poeltl has unfortunately become a big part of that defense. He is not the most talented, but he is getting more and more minutes and that should continue if he can keep scoring off the bench. Since the Spurs lack frontcourt energy and depth, Poeltl will be able to get minutes and usage all season, he just needs to produce.

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