We’re getting down to the good stuff! We only have a month of basketball remaining, and this is where leagues are won or lost. It’s also the time when many of these teams go into tank mode, so you better believe this article will feature those crappy teams from here on out. With that said, let’s dive into this critical week of games!
Below, we’ll look at players that you should consider picking up who are rostered in four different tiers:
- 50-60%
- 30-49%
- 15-29%
- 0-14%
What’s more, we’ll give you a breakdown of how many games each team has for the upcoming week so that you can maximize the minutes of your streamers.
Let’s get to it without further delay, starting with the game schedule for next week.
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Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Week 20
Five games:
NONE
Four games:
BOS, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, LAC, PHX, POR, SAS, TOR, WAS
Three games:
ATL, BKN, CLE, GSW, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, SAC. UTA
Two games:
LAL, MIN
Rostered in 50-60% of Leagues
This is one of the best pickups of the season. We were worried about Oly’s role when he was moved to Toronto, but with Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl suffering severe hand injuries, KO should be locked into 30 minutes as a starter. We saw Olynyk play at a Top-50 level last season when he was a starter, and he’s been a stud when given a full workload this year.
In the seven games which Olynyk has played at least 28 minutes, he’s averaging 15.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.0 threes on 57 percent shooting. That’s essentially a Draymond Green-like profile, and Toronto needs him to keep doing that with how shorthanded they are right now. Not to mention, Oly gets four games this week!
Rostered in 30-49% of Leagues
We never thought Lowry would be fantasy-relevant again after disappearing in Miami, but here we are! The former All-Star has started the last three games for the Sixers, playing 35 minutes a night for his new team. We don’t know if that’ll continue the rest of the season, but it’s enticing since he’s averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.7 threes in that newfound role.
That level of production is hard to find off of the waiver wire, but Lowry will keep getting minutes as long as Joel Embiid and De’Anthony Melton are out. Don’t overlook that Nick Nurse is the coach as well. We know how much he loves Lowry from their Toronto days.
Speaking of Toronto, this team is a gold mine for fantasy right now. We just talked about how they’re missing two starters, but it looks even worse since they traded some key rotational pieces at the deadline. That’s leaving Trent as one of the only bodies in this graveyard, as he’s played at least 29 minutes in eight straight games.
GTJ has always been one of the best shooters in the league. He’s averaging 13.8 points and 2.5 threes per game in this stretch. He’s also a good bet for a steal per game in a 30-minute role and should have a great fantasy week since the Raps are looking at four games.
Rostered in 15-29% of Leagues
This Portland team is getting really close to tanking, and it could be any day that all of their veterans are ruled out for the year. Malcolm Brogdon, Deandre Ayton, Jerami Grant, and Scoot Henderson are all nicked up right now. That should guarantee Walker a 30-minute role from here on out.
In the 11 games that Walker has played at least 30 minutes, he’s averaging 11.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. That’s a Top-100 player in most formats, and this kid is only scratching the surface of what he could become in an expanded role. We also don’t mind that Portland is one of the few teams that plays four games this week!
Don’t be surprised to see Memphis and Portland players in this article for the remainder of the season. Like the Trail Blazers, the Grizzlies are missing most of their rotation. They have already lost Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart for extended periods, but Jaren Jackson Jr. has been sitting recently, too.
That’s led to Aldama playing 30 to 35 minutes a night as a starter, and that should continue with how much this Memphis rotation has been mauled. In the 28 games that Aldama has played at least 25 minutes, he’s averaging 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.1 threes per game. That’s a must-roster player across the board, and it could be his floor if JJJ keeps sitting as well.
Rostered in 0-14% of Leagues
This one is frustrating since we’ve seen Goodwin inactive in three games so far. That’s one of the flaws of the NBA contracts, but, if Goodwin eventually gets signed to a full deal, he should start at point guard every night. He’s been a stud in that role so far this year, averaging 7.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in his last five starts. He’s turned in some horrific shooting in that span, but he’s one of the best stat-stuffers you’ll see among waiver-wire options.
Everything we said for Walker goes for Reath. We already discussed how most of Portand’s rotation is out of the picture, and we’ve seen Reath start at center whenever Ayton has been out. It’s just a matter of time before Ayton is rested for the remainder of the season. Reath would then become a must-roster player.
Over his last nine starts, Reath has averaged 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 2.1 threes per game. He’s been even better over the last week. This could be one of the best pickups for the final month of the season if the Trail Blazers go into tank mode.
It’s funny how almost every player in this article is from a bad team, but that’s just how the waiver wire plays out. The Hornets acquired Micic from OKC at the deadline. They need this guy to take over ball-handling duties because they haven’t had a legitimate point guard since LaMelo Ball got injured.
The good news is that Micic started on Tuesday, tallying 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He’s averaging 15 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in the five games which he’s played at least 24 minutes. That should be a regular workload from here on out if he’s going to be the starting point guard. He also has four games this week!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.