NBA Fantasy Basketball: Waiver Wire Pickups for Deep Leagues

This is the weekly edition of The Deep Leaguer with Max Loudermilch. When you’re in too deep, look no further! Each week, we will give you the low-down on 1-2 hot NBA waiver wire options for deeper fantasy basketball leagues.

NBA Waiver Wire Pickups - Deeper Leagues

Markieff Morris (PF / C)

Everybody's talking about Markieff Morris... Marieff. Markieff. Markieff. A guy that crashed the boards a few times to wake us up in the morning. If you didn't have your contacts in, he might've looked like Demarcus Cousins.

The sun shines brightly on this one. Big, bad Morris has scored 20 or more points in four of his last nine games. What's more, he's holding a player efficiency rating of 19.20. That's better than Pau Gasol (19.01). Think about that for a second.

Done? Okay. Now let's look at the issues. The streakiness makes Morris a bit unpredictable. You don't know whether tonight's going to be stocked with blocks or boards. In fact, blocks are not this man's specialty, which is a true weakness for a defender. But that makes owning him fun. He doesn't specialize, because he gives you a smorgasbord in several categories.

All things considered, only 12-team leagues and beyond should be interested. The whole point in buying a lottery ticket is taking a chance. Like most lotteries, the stakes are high, but the rewards are even greater. Remember that Markieff is only playing 23.6 minutes. Imagine what he can do with more time.

Tim Hardaway, Jr. (SG)

Need a sharpshooter? Take a look at Tim Hardaway, Jr., a guard for the New York Knicks, A.K.A. “The Comebacks”. The Knicks have snapped a five game losing streak and are on their way to a resurgence.

One reason is Tim Hardaway, a guard who has played very well over his last four games, averaging 18.25 points, 2.25 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 3.5 threes. The assists are disappointing, and, until recently, his scoring has been inconsistent. You should still expect him to deliver a trey or two each night and be a passable shooter. The minutes are on the uptrend, too, which is a good sign.