February 13, 2018

Week 18 fantasy basketball waiver wire adds for deeper leagues. Take a look at Three NBA players who are owned in less than 15% of fantasy basketball leagues.

As we enter the final stretch of the season, it's almost time to find out whether certain lottery tickets pan out. Young guys who see some run can really help to round out fantasy rosters in the last few weeks of the season, and getting the jump on them is a good way to set yourself up for a playoff run. Let's take a look at some intriguing deeper league options.

This column will feature only players owned 15% or fewer fantasy leagues.

Here are today's Week 18 deeper league waiver wire pickups for your fantasy basketball teams.

Deep League Adds for Week 18

Dragan Bender, PF, Phoenix Suns (15% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)

With Devin Booker and his 30.5 usage rate out with a hip injury the last few games, Bender has gotten a chance to show what he can do as a scoring option, and he has showcased the ability to be a top-100 guy in that stretch.

Over the last week, Bender has posted 14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 3s, 0.7 blocks and 2.7 assists per game with .484/.833 splits, which puts him in the top-80 for that stretch. His usage is also up during that span from 12.9 on the season to 17.6. Suns coach Jay Triano told Bender to be more aggressive, and the young big man has been just that, showing a side of his game that has been absent for most of his career.

Bender is a better real life player, and has more upside than Marquise Chriss, despite the latter's more rounded fantasy game, and this should mean if the Suns want to give minutes to a young player down the stretch, it would more likely be Bender than Chriss. Bender is beginning to earn his coach's trust, and if he is able to carve out a consistent high-20 minute role, he can definitely finish the year strong.

Joe Harris, SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets (7% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)

Considering how bare the Nets roster is when it comes to premium young talent, taking a good look at a 26-year old 2nd round pick like Joe Harris doesn't seem like the worst idea in the world. With Quincy Acy out for a few games, Harris got to start and put up a week with averages of 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers. Those numbers were good for top-70 value over that stretch.

Harris is a better player with Acy, and it's not a stretch to see the Nets play him more minutes as the season winds down, and with a 25-ish minute role, he would provide a decent amount of 3s, points and rebounds. Harris' game is fairly deficient of defensive stats, which caps his upside, but in deep leagues we are digging deep to find value off the wire, and Harris does enough to possibly warrant a spot on teams in 14-16 team leagues.

Cedi Osman, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers (4% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)

After a brutal start to 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers are finally starting to look like a contender again after embracing a full-blown youth movement which injected new life into their season. While all the talk is on the new acquisitions, there's another guy who's starting to get minutes and turning some heads.

Cedi Osman, the Turkish import, has finally been given a chance to start and has put up 2 solid games in a row. He has gotten 22, 39 and 30 minutes in his last 3 games and those mark the 1st, 2nd and 4th most minutes for him this season.

Osman is a long, rangy wing with legitimate 3-point range and has the ability to contribute in 3s, steals and rebounds if given the minutes. Coach Ty Lue said that Osman's starting spot is "open-ended" but so far, the kid has impressed, and could flirt with standard league value while Kevin Love remains out with his fractured hand.

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