It’s Friday. You know what that means.
We’ll be looking at players who are widely available and rostered in fewer than 60 percent of fantasy leagues on Yahoo. We’ll be focusing on 8-cat leagues because turnovers are a waste of a category, to be honest.
But if you find the turnovers helpful, let me know. I’m happy to include them if enough of you play in 9-cat leagues.
The eight categories we’ll focus on each week are:
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- Threes
- Field-goal percentage
- Free-throw percentage
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet 
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups
We’ll be looking at players who can help you in each of the eight categories who you can get before your league-mates catch on.
Let’s get to it.
Points
Norman Powell (SG/SF – LAC) 60%
Stormin’ Norman just keeps on scoring, making my argument about no Clippers player outside of the big two being rostered look silly right now. Over the last two weeks, Powell has the 21st-most points in all of the NBA, yet is available in 40 percent of leagues. Even with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George looking like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Powell has maintained his high-scoring output off the bench. He’s scored 53 points over his last two games while recording 31-plus minutes in each contest.
Rebounds
He’s boring and a one-category guy, but there’s still no reason that Looney should be available in 57 percent of leagues. He’s averaging 8.6 boards per game on the season and 9.1 per over the last two weeks. James Wiseman isn’t a thing, people.
Assists
Dennis Schroder (PG – LAL) 33%
So Schroder has actually been half-decent for the Lakers this year, finding himself playing a bigger role than anyone would have expected. Sure, there’s a chance that Kyrie Irving is dealt to the Lakers at the deadline, but until then, Schroder should be rostered for some assist help. He’s playing heavy minutes – 31-plus in 11 of his last 12 games – and is averaging five dimes per game over the last two weeks.
Steals
Hamidou Diallo (SG/SF – DET) 12%
Over his last two games, Diallo has played 39 minutes. In those 39 minutes, he has nine steals. If you need help in the swipes department, there aren’t many players who offer the upside and are as openly available as Diallo.
Blocks
With Jusuf Nurkic out until after the All-Star Game, we are about to get a lot of run for Eubanks. Eubanks is better than Nurkic, as it’s tough watching the latter even move around in the paint with his heavy feet. Eubanks has recorded two or more blocks in six straight games, and we should expect that high-level of blocks from him now that he will have an expanded role.
Threes
Well, Irving looks like he wants out of Brooklyn, and if that happens, we should see more of an involved role for Curry for the Nets. He’s a threat from behind the arc, and I can see him getting more involved in the offense and hitting 2-3 threes per game.
Field Goal Percentage
It seems likely that Mason Plumlee will be dealt at the deadline, which makes Williams an intriguing pickup. He’s seeing his minutes tick up a little bit over the last couple of weeks, and during that stretch, he’s shooting 68 percent from the field.
Free-throw percentage
With this category, we typically highlight a player who doesn’t fit in the other areas but can be a sneaky deep-league pickup. This week, it’s Eason. Eason is shooting 73 percent from the stripe, but the real value is going to be the across-the-board production he will bring you post-deadline. He’s this year’s perceived biggest winner in waiting, as the Rockets are expected to make some moves – including trading Eric Gordon away – that will free up playing time and more of a role for Eason.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
