Waiver Wire Adds or Injury Report? (Week 9)

December 17, 2018

Week 9 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.

Injuries and rest are starting to open up minutes for some reserves, so let's recap some of the injuries that recently happened and who will be returning soon. One of the more important losses this season was Will Barton, who should be coming back within the next month. He allowed players like Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig, and Monte Morris to get minutes, but he will be directly inserted back into the rotation when he is back and healthy. Morris and Beasley are the only players I see keeping a spot when Barton returns so make sure if you are an owner, sell high with those players as a package deal closer to January. Since Gary Harris is injured, look for Morris and Beasley to see continued minutes through the close of the year.

Another major injury to the Nuggets that is almost old news at this point is Paul Millsap. Juancho Hernangomez and Trey Lyles will see more minutes, but Hernangomez is the clear-cut starter at this point. Not to jumping around, but the thumb injury to Jonas Valanciunas will open the door for O.G. Anunoby to see more minutes with Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka taking over center duties. The Celtics are starting to get into their depth, meaning Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier will start to see increased minutes and a spike in usage.

Make sure to stay updated on injuries and return times, but as far as I'm concerned, these next three players will see the biggest benefit. 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 9

Tim Frazier, G  – New Orleans Pelicans

Ownership: 22%

4.8 PPG / 4.8 APG / .457 FG% / 1.4 TO

Lately there have been few players that have Frazier's type of upside. Elfrid Payton has been out for some time now and as his return gets closer, Frazier's minutes and usage should take a hit. Despite Frazier being a player that can easily get triple-doubles due to his pass-first demeanor, you have to be cautious of his downside. He is smaller guard that struggles to defend other guards.

If he gets in foul trouble or the Pelicans need immediate defense, Frazier will be the sacrificial lamb. Even though that is the case, Frazier has still been close to 30 minutes a night and always making sure he involves his teammates. The assists are his saving grace so target that source of production and expect his turnovers to go slightly down as the season progresses.

Derrick Jones Jr., F – Miami Heat

Ownership 2%

5.4 PPG / 3.9 RPG / .8 SPG / .420 FG%

There really isn't much behind this pick based on his raw numbers, but recently Derrick Jones Jr. has had a massive spike in steals, giving him relevance for anyone who needs help in that department for the next week or two. In complete honesty, Jones Jr. has yet to play more than 25 minutes in a Heat win which is a really bad sign seeing how the Heat are still a competitive team in the East.

BUT, if you look at the schedule for next week, they play the Grizzlies, Pelicans, Rockets, and Magic. All teams that can absolutely lead to Jones getting minutes as an athletic rebounder that can cause problems for slower teams. In his last three gams he has seen consistent minutes for the first time, so look for this to be a slight trend for the next month although he will be restricted to rebounds, steals, and points mostly.

Robert Williams, C – Boston Celtics

Ownership 1%

2.4 PPG / 2.5 RPG / .667 FG% / 1.0 BPG

Eye-popping numbers here from Robert Williams. Like most of the people on this list, he's strictly benefitting from injuries and open spots in the rotation. Marcus Morris is still available and should be fairly productive assuming his usage will skyrocket over the next week or so. Williams on the other hand has a much lower ceiling, but that isn't to say that he won't continue to do what he's doing in the very few minutes he gets.

This is a short-term add with little potential for the rest of the season, but given how Williams is playing now, the Celtics are sure to give Al Horford and Aron Baynes as much time as they need. Williams is a solid big and he will be able to get rebounds on literally any team. There is only so long you can box him out before he finds a way to overpower you.

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