🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Waiver Wire: Deep League Options (Week 1)

By Keith Allison (Flickr: Trevor Booker) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Milos Zvekic digs up deep league waiver adds for your fantasy basketball team. Follow RotoBaller for more NBA strategy, rankings, and waiver wire advice.

The waiver wire can be a gold mine. A player that a Fantasy Basketball Manager picks up from the wire can be the difference in that close battle for the playoffs, or even in the Fantasy Finals. So if you are not very happy with the guy you picked up at the end of your draft don't get too attached.

Here are a few players who can bring that little something to your team to tip you over the bar and get you that Fantasy Champions Ring. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NBA (or NFL) Premium Pass for free (includes DFS Cheat Sheets). Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Pass.

 

Deep League Add

Matt Barnes, SG/SF, SAC (17% owned)

Matt Barnes is a guy who won't hurt you (at least not too bad) in any cat, will get you multiple category production and is very consistent. Looking back at his last 10 seasons, you know what you're getting with him. Around 8-10 points, 4-5 REB, 2 AST, a couple of threes, combined 1.5 steals and blocks.  His FG% last year was 38.1% but in his 9 seasons before that it was never under 42.3%, and that with a guy who attempts 4-5 threes a night. FT% is around 75% but shoots 1.5-2 a game which is too low to be relevant and 1-1.5 TO for a guy playing 25-30 MIN is pretty nice.

He has changed a lot of teams, four in his last six seasons, but his production stays the same. That proves that he adjusts well to new situations. And don't forget he is on a disgruntled Sacramento team now. Rudy Gay trade rumors are heating up and if that goes down Barnes could be in line for an even bigger role, more minutes and more fantasy basketball goodies for his Fantasy Owners.

He will not win you your league single handedly but when you beat your buddy by that one REB, STL, BLK or AST and win your weekly matchup you will praise the stable and reliable name that is Matt Barnes.

 

Super Deep League Add

Trevor Booker, PF, BKN (10% owned)

Trevor Booker. No chills down your spine? Yeah, his name doesn't really give you goosebumps now, does it? Well, there is an opportunity this year for that to finally change.

His career averages of around 6-7 PTS, 5-6 REB, 1 AST and 1 combined STL/BLK aren't really fantasy relevant. Even with his high FG% (51%) and low TO (0.9). But consider his previous situations -- For years he has been a backup to the likes of Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat in Washington and then Derick Favors and Rudy Gobert in Utah. He hasn't averaged more than 25 MIN in his career, and that was in his second year in the NBA five years ago.

But this year he is in Brooklyn. He has been named the starting PF. That should give him close to 30 MIN per game, plenty of time to better his career averages, even set season bests in most of his counting cats. He will be a constant double double threat, will get you a few steals and blocks and, if you don't mind his 61% FT shooting, he could prove to be that spark of your wire to set your team on fire and help you scorch your fantasy basketball league opponents.

 

Insanely Deep League Add

Nemanja Bjelica, PF, MIN (2% owned)

Now this is for all of you who, like me, have a big fantasy basketball loving bunch of friends and play in a deep, deep league. I'm talking 20 teams and more. Nemanja Bjelica is entering his second NBA season. He is just 2 years removed from winning the Euroleague MVP title. His rookie season didn't go as well as he'd hoped. 5 PTS, 3.5 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.4 STL and 0.4 BLK in only 17 MIN is not a great line.

But he has been used the wrong way in Sam Mitchell's system. He was more-or-less a catch and shoot, 3 and D guy. While he does get defensive stats and hits threes at 35-40%, he can also penetrate, get rebounds and run the floor pretty well. With Tom Thibodeau replacing Sam Mitchell as head coach, Bjelica could see an improved role in this new system.

Gorgui Dieng is the starting PF at the moment, but he is a big who can't spread the floor and is very limited on offense. Karl-Anthony Towns could use Bjelica spreading the floor more for his post game. Bjelica can fill the SF slot too when Andrew Wiggins needs a breather. And if Wiggins and Zach LaVine are not on the floor, there is no one else to shoot from distance. Furthermore, we all know Thibodeau likes to play his experienced players. There's Bjelica's chance.

If he can get his minutes up to the mid 20s and if Thibodeau's system includes him playing his game his way, Bjelica could be a breakout candidate flirting with a double double, getting 1-1.5 combined BLK/STL 2-3 ast and hitting a three pointer per game. It's a long shot, but in a league this deep, that sort of upside is worth considering.


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.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Aaron Rodgers

Set to Play on Sunday
Joel Hofer

Shuts Out Mammoth
Owen Tippett

Amasses Three Points in Saturday's Win
Stuart Skinner

Bounces Back With Shutout
Brock Nelson

Notches Four Points in Big Win
Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Sustains Upper-Body Injury
Logan Cooley

Hurt in Saturday's Loss
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Expected to Play in Week 13
Bucky Irving

Trending Toward Suiting Up
Chris Olave

Should Play Vs. Dolphins
P.J. Washington

Ruled Out Versus Clippers
Trae Young

"Progressing Well," Will be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Isaiah Hartenstein

Sidelined a Minimum of 10-14 Days
Daniel Gafford

Resting Against Clippers
Jalen Duren

Won't Play Versus Miami
Warren Foegele

Not Ready to Return Saturday
Simon Benoit

Won't Play Saturday
Henri Jokiharju

Lands on Injured Reserve
Anthony Davis

Ruled Out on Saturday
Zack Wheeler

Likely to Return in May
Pavel Zacha

a Game-Time Call Saturday
Ryan Helsley

Agrees to Two-Year Deal With Orioles
David Pastrnak

Out for Second Consecutive Game
William Nylander

Available Saturday
Shedeur Sanders

Could Start for Browns for the Rest of the Season
Kyle Palmieri

Out for 6-8 Months With Torn ACL
Darren Waller

Activated from Injured Reserve, Will Play in Week 13
Amon-Ra St. Brown

"Day-to-Day" With Ankle Injury, Status for Week 14 Unclear
Neemias Queta

Uncertain for Saturday's Game in Minnesota
Derrick White

Expected to Suit Up Versus Timberwolves
Jaylen Brown

Might Miss Saturday's Game
Tyler Warren

Added to Injury Report, Questionable With Illness
Baker Mayfield

Expected to Play in Week 13
Jake Walman

Sidelined for Third Consecutive Game
Jack Roslovic

to Miss Two Weeks
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

to Return Saturday
Mattias Samuelsson

in Concussion Protocol
Kyle Palmieri

Sustains Lower-Body Injury
Lukas Dostal

Ruled Out for 2-3 Weeks
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Test Confirm Low-Ankle Sprain for Amon-Ra St. Brown
Anthony Davis

Available, Will be on a Minutes Restriction
Kyle Monangai

Leads Bears Backfield in Impressive Week 13 Performance
D'Andre Swift

Goes Over 100 Rushing Yards, Finds End Zone in Win Over Eagles
A.J. Brown

Goes Over 100 Yards Again, Scores Twice on Friday
Kyshawn George

Returns to Lineup After One-Game Absence
Paul George

Set To Start Friday Against Nets
Kevin Huerter

Set to Return Against Charlotte
Jarrett Allen

Back in Action on Friday
Coby White

Cleared for Action on Friday
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Suiting Up Against Charlotte
Trey Murphy III

Uncertain For Saturday's Matchup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Returning Versus Knicks
Jaden Ivey

Set To Play Against Orlando
Adem Bona

Back on Friday Night
Andrew Nembhard

Won't Play Versus Washington
Kenneth Walker III

Good to Go for Week 13
Brian Thomas Jr.

Good to Go Sunday
Marvin Harrison Jr.

Questionable for Week 13
Bucky Irving

Fully Practices Friday, Listed as Questionable for Week 13
Omarion Hampton

Ruled Out for Week 13
Baker Mayfield

Practices in Full Friday, Listed as Questionable for Week 13
Kirill Marchenko

Misses Third Straight Game
Drake London

Officially Ruled Out for Week 13
Jaden Schwartz

to Miss Six Weeks
Chris Olave

Officially Questionable to Play in Week 13 Due to Back Injury
Dylan Cease

Agrees With Blue Jays on Seven-Year, $210 Million Deal
Anthony Rendon

Angels Could Buy Out Final Year of Anthony Rendon's Contract
Josh Hader

Says his Shoulder is "Back to Normal"
Ketel Marte

Diamondbacks "Actively Listening" on Ketel Marte
J.T. Realmuto

Red Sox Showing Interest in J.T. Realmuto
Sonny Gray

Red Sox Acquire Sonny Gray From the Cardinals
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Makai Lemon, Skyler Bell Named Biletnikoff Award Finalists
Shohei Ohtani

to Play for Team Japan in 2026 World Baseball Classic
Colorado Rockies

Warren Schaeffer to Stick Around as Rockies Manager in 2026
CFB

Chris Bell Out for Rivalry Matchup Against Kentucky