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Jim McCormick, Special to ESPN.com
Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN men’s basketball leagues.
Point guard
Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors (69.7%): Let’s not overlook the statistical surge Quickley is delivering in recent games; with Scottie Barnes sidelined, Quickley has taken over lead distribution duties to the tune of 31 dimes across his past three starts as we begin a new week of NBA action. The Raptors are empowering the Kentucky product as a three-level scorer and key creator down the stretch of the season and in games, elevating him to must-add status in all formats.
Keyonte George, Utah Jazz (15.1%): Speaking of empowered young guards, George has assumed the command of the Utah offense even amid a veteran-laden backcourt. The Jazz trust George to run the pick-and-roll and pick his spots as a scorer and passer, which has led to some really fun fantasy results.
Kyle Lowry, Philadelphia 76ers (11.3%): A revival is underway, as this former All-Star has been tasked with big minutes for a team that is not just missing superstar Joel Embiid, but also several key rotation members, namely De’Anthony Melton, to injury. The depleted nature of the roster has resulted in a starting gig for Lowry in recent games, propelling awesome passing results with respectable 3-point volume.
Shooting guard
Josh Hart, New York Knicks (54.0%): The team’s affinity for Villanova products has paid off at every turn, with Hart’s atypically awesome rebounding rate and solid floor game translating into major fantasy value now that the team relies on him to be more than merely a glue guy most nights. Injuries around the roster have brought to surface more diverse tasks from Hart, and he’s answering with awesome numbers nearly every time.
Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers (21.7%): Scoring buckets is still his best professional skill, but Mathurin has expanded his game to include more steals and passing acumen in recent weeks. The most important part is that his coaching staff has increased trust, leading to bigger numbers.
Jordan Goodwin, Memphis Grizzlies (2.6%): A massive wave of injuries has left Memphis with a patchworked roster, but one that also provides some helpful plug-and-play talents, such as Goodwin. Coming over at the deadline from the Nets, Goodwin brings a strong steal rate and a savvy passing skill set worthy of attention in deep formats.
Small forward
Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies (28.8%): There are some fluctuations in production with Willliams that are likely just natural for a former two-way player turned rotation staple. The workload remains impressive, something that should sustain for the next several weeks for a team still in need of his two-way play.
Royce O’Neale, Phoenix Suns (33.1%): Another gift from Brooklyn for the Suns was shipping over O’Neale, who has been a helpful two-way playmaker for a roster always in need of depth in a top-heavy rotation. The minutes are rising, which is what we like to see.
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans (17.5%): A big-time finish to his fantasy season last spring created momentum into the summer, although offseason surgery stalled this trend for a few months to open the new campaign. Now seemingly back in a big role, Murphy’s 3-and-D profile fits perfectly into category-driven fantasy formats.
Power forward
Cameron Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (58.4%): Sometimes forgotten given a history of injuries and quiet stretches, Johnson has been shining as a volume shooter in recent games and could be a high-end specialist to target for those seeking difference-makers beyond the arc.
Kelly Olynyk, Toronto Raptors (15.5%): Back in Canada and thriving in his unique role as a high-post facilitator, the absence of Barnes also funnels creation to Olynyk. Get past the lack of scoring pop and instead appreciate how this savvy vet can build full lines.
Taylor Hendricks, Utah Jazz (3.1%): You might not be very familiar with this young player’s game, but the Jazz are giving him more chances to produce in the wake of Walker Kessler‘s injury and the departure of Olynyk. The rookie is gaining trust and along with George represents a shift in direction for this Utah roster.
Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers (2.7%): Like Utah, Portland has been more experimental with younger looks lately, a reality that bodes well for Walker’s fantasy profile. After all, he’s got NBA genes and is already proving capable of producing double-double outcomes.
Center
Marvin Bagley III, Washington Wizards (19.4%): The Wizards might have netted a gem in the deadline deal that brought Bagley over; while he’s still not yet a refined two-way option, his ability to clean the glass and score from the post represents development in his career arc. The good news is also that the team created minutes and touches for him at the deadline in dealing off Daniel Gafford.
Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic (43.4%): It’s been tough to find much value on this Orlando roster past the top two young forwards, but it’s worth noting that “WCJ” has turned up the playing time and production in recent games. You won’t get much rim protection, but solid scoring and work on the glass is palatable.
Special teams
This section focuses on specialists: players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.
3-pointers: The Bucks’ Malik Beasley (8.8%) serves a specialized role as the floor-spacer for Doc Rivers’ offense. For some context to his volume, he’s second only to this Stephen Curry guy in added value via 3-pointers on the Player Rater the past month. Meanwhile, Quickley and George both are in the top 12 in this index during this sample.
Steals: The twins Ausar Thompson (46.3%) and Amen Thompson (21.4%) are larcenous defenders worthy of our attention, as they both rank in the top seven in added steal value the past month. The Pelicans’ Herbert Jones (31.7%) also merits mention.
Rebounds: Andre Drummond (15.1%) does one thing at an elite level: clean the glass. We also find Charlotte’s Nick Richards (11.8%) having success on the boards.
Blocks: The minutes have dipped a bit for Precious Achiuwa (19.5%), but it’s impressive that his rim protection rates still surface. The 76ers lean on Paul Reed (8.2%) as their primary center in most looks, which affords real chances to protect the paint.
Source: www.espn.com