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Joel Bahr looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to pick up off waivers in Week 4.
If you're one of those fantasy basketball players that sets a lineup at the beginning of the week, checks out, and then comes back seven days later to see how things shook out, this post is not for you.
This is for those who are grinding through each day and keeping track of categories as the days ticks off. Maybe you need a handful of assists to get you over and win the week, or maybe a key injury is forcing you to rethink a category you previously considered stable. The goal is here to is target specific players who are rostered in less than half of Yahoo! leagues who will help you get you into the winner's circle. Mostly we're looking at players who might be available in 12-team leagues, but there will be some deeper options too when available.
As is always the case when streaming, it's possible that some of these recommended options are worthy of a longer-term add. But in order to hold long term, you first have to make the pick up. Regardless of where you're deficient, here are some names to consider to help you make up ground in the short term.
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Points - Streaming Options
Furkan Korkmaz - SG/SF - Philadelphia 76ers (40% rostered)
Georges Niang - SF/PF - Philadelphia 76ers (32% rostered)
The Sixers are reeling a bit from an outbreak of Covid-19 that has thinned out the rotation and shaken loose usage and FGAs for the remaining healthy players. Since November 1, Korkmaz has launched 50+ attempts, en route to some decent scoring lines. Meanwhile, Niang has been both more efficient and more consistent, averaging more than 16 PPG during that same stretch. As long as Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, Seth Curry, and Matisse Thybulle are inactive, look for these two to stay busy.
Other streamers:
- Anfernee Simons - PG/SG - Portland Trail Blazers (33% rostered)
- Eric Gordon - SG/SF - Houston Rockets (15% rostered)
- Luke Kennard - SG/SF - Los Angeles Clippers (28% rostered)
- Damion Lee - SG/SF - Golden State Warriors (9% rostered)
Assists - Streaming Options
Eric Bledsoe - PG/SG - Los Angeles Clippers (30% rostered)
Look, I get it. You remember the offensive sins Eric Bledsoe has committed in the playoffs and now the stink won’t wash off. I remember that too, but that was then and this is now. The bottom line for this year: Bled has started all 10 games during his second stint as a Clipper, consistently turns in 25-ish MPG, and has very little competition at the guard spot. Dimes are hard to find on the wire, and if you’re not considering Alex Caruso, Bledsoe is as appealing of an option as you’re likely to find.
Other streamers:
- Alex Caruso - PG/SG - Chicago Bulls (46% rostered)
- Monte Morris - PG/SG - Denver Nuggets (28% rostered)
- Shake Milton - PG/SG - Philadelphia 76ers (38% rostered)
- Thaddeus Young - PF/C - San Antonio Spurs (48% rostered)
Rebounds - Streaming Options
Hassan Whiteside - C - Utah Jazz (44% rostered)
Despite the hard ceiling on his minutes while playing behind All-Star Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside gets busy on the glass when he’s in the game. Whiteside hadn’t logged more than 19 minutes in any of his last four games, but has still been good for 37 total rebounds during that span. Gobert isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean that Hassan isn’t useful if you’re reaching for rebounds.
Other streamers:
- Darius Bazely - SF/PF - Oklahoma City Thunder (32% rostered)
- Precious Achiuwa - SF/PF - Toronto Raptors (28% rostered)
- Josh Hart - SG/SF - New Orleans Pelicans (38% rostered)
- Terance Mann - SF - Los Angeles Clippers (42% rostered)
- JaVale McGee - C - Phoenix Suns (9% rostered)
Blocks - Streaming Options
Drew Eubanks - PF/C - San Antonio Spurs (9% rostered)
Hassan Whiteside is another excellent candidate for rejections, but since we just discussed him in the rebounding section and he’s a bit of a known quantity, I figured we could turn over a more obscure stone here in our scrounge for swats. Eubanks, who had been pretty far off the radar to start the year, has seen his minutes shoot up in the wake of Jakob Poeltl’s placement in the league’s health and safety protocols. The backup big has played 21 MPG over the last three contests and has thrown back seven shots during that time. He’ll be splitting time with Thaddeus Young, so it’s unlikely he’ll see huge minutes, but he’s proven to be productive in limited time thus far.
Other streamers:
- Hassan Whiteside - C - Utah Jazz (44% rostered)
- Derrick Jones Jr. - SG/SF - Chicago Bulls (4% rostered)
- Danny Green - SG/SF - Philadelphia 76ers (28% rostered)
- Thaddeus Young - PF/C - San Antonio Spurs (48% rostered)
Steals - Streaming Options
Alex Caruso - PG/SG - Chicago Bulls (46% rostered)
The Bald Mamba really shouldn’t be eligible for this kind of list, but somehow he’s below our 50% threshold for consideration. Caruso is averaging 2.3 steals per game, an absolutely elite figure. For context, only Paul George and Gary Trent Jr. are taking the ball away at a higher rate than Chicago’s sixth man. Names below his in the steals per game category? Matisse Thybulle, Marcus Smart, Dejounte Murray, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Edwards and Jimmy Butler. Go get this guy.
Other streamers:
- Royce O'Neale - SF/PF - Utah Jazz (41% rostered)
- Eric Bledsoe - PG/SG - Los Angeles Clippers (30% rostered)
- Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF - Dallas Mavericks (17% rostered)
- Danny Green - SG/SF - Philadelphia 76ers (28% rostered)
- Gary Payton II - PG/SG - Golden State Warriors (21% rostered)
- Thaddeus Young - PF/C - San Antonio Spurs (48% rostered)
Threes - Streaming Options
Luke Kennard - SG/SF - Los Angeles Clippers (28% rostered)
Kennard and his career best 47.5 3P% is the pick here. Not only is he canning 3+ triples per game (more than Duncan Robinson, Joe Harris, LeBron James and both Ball brothers), but his minutes have never been higher. Kennard has seen 28+ MPG in five of the last six games and more than two-thirds of his attempts this season are coming from deep (6.6 3PA). Even more good news? The Clippers are the only team in the NBA with three games in the back half of the week and Kennard is having a career year from the long line.
Other streamers:
- Malik Beasley - PG/SG - Minnesota Timberwolves (34% rostered)
- Anfernee Simons - PG/SG - Portland Trail Blazers (33% rostered)
- Furkan Korkmaz - SG/SF - Philadelphia 76ers (40% rostered)
- Georges Niang - SF/PF - Philadelphia 76ers (32% rostered)
Field Goal Percentage - Streaming Options
Thaddeus Young - PF/C - San Antonio Spurs (48% rostered)
One of my favorite adds of the week, Thaddeus Young has been taken out of mothballs by Gregg Popovich and the top-100-ish player from last year is demonstrating his value once again this year in the home of the Alamo. He’s not getting up a ton of shots, so he might not be a huge value add in the category, but he certainly won’t hurt the FG% and he contributes across the board, which is more that what can normally say about the ogres that dominate this category.
Other streamers:
- Josh Hart - SG/SF - New Orleans Pelicans (38% rostered)
- Daniel Theis - PF/C - Houston Rockets (21% rostered)
- Frank Kaminsky - C - Phoenix Suns (10% rostered)
- JaVale McGee - C - Phoenix Suns (9% rostered)
- Derrick Favors - C - Oklahoma City Thunder (29% rostered)
Free Throw Percentage - Streaming Options
Luguentz Dort - SG/SF - Oklahoma City Thunder (33% rostered)
While his career hasn’t exactly reached the heights that Bubble Lu hinted at, you can’t complain about what Dort’s doing at the charity stripe. A career 77% shooter, the Dortress has upped that rate into truly lofty heights in 2021-22 (89.3%). This year’s 3.5 FTA is also a career mark, so while there’s likely a bit of regression coming, it’s not like the sample size is itty-bitty (28 FTA) and skewing the data.
Other streamers:
- Trey Lyles - PF/C - Detroit Pistons (2% rostered)
- Eric Bledsoe - PG/SG - Los Angeles Clippers (30% rostered)
- Cam Reddish - SG/SF - Atlanta Hawks (38% rostered)
- Alex Caruso - PG/SG - Chicago Bulls (46% rostered)
- Terrence Ross - SG/SF - Orlando Magic (17% rostered)
- Shake Milton - PG/SG - Philadelphia 76ers (38% rostered)
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