This is the most important week of the season. Some of you are in your semi-finals and many of you are in your championships! We can thank the NBA for giving us a decent schedule because we have no teams playing two or five games this week. Everybody plays three or four — quite the treat after Dallas and Charlotte were subjected to two-game weeks last week. We also have a ton of developments floating around and it’ll be interesting to see how these rotations play out over the final three weeks.
Weekly, I look at the waiver wire for the players you should target for short- and long-term success.
We’ll look at players you should consider picking up who are rostered in four different rostership 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 22
Five games:
NONE
Four games:
ATL, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GSW. HOU, LAC, LAL. NYK, OKC, PHI, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
Three games:
BOS, DET, IND, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, ORL, PHX, POR, TOR
Two games:
NONE
Rostered in 50-60% of Leagues
It’s wild to see what’s happened to this Toronto roster. Trading away Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby started the downfall but the injuries hit this team like a rock. They’re expected to be without Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and Chris Boucher for an extended period. That’s a laughable amount of usage out of the lineup but it should force Gary Trent Jr. to play 35-40 minutes and take 15-20 shots a game. That’s what we’ve seen from Trent over the last week, averaging 24.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 4.3 threes across his last four fixtures. Good luck finding another guy off the waiver wire who can score 75-100 points and drop 10 threes in your semi-final week.
Rostered in 30-49% of Leagues
Portland has been in tank mode for the final month in each of the last two years. They’re headed again. Jerami Grant and Malcolm Brogdon continue to miss time and we could see Deandre Ayton and Anfernee Simons rested any day now. Dalano Banton has been going off no matter who’s in the lineup, averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.6 threes across 33 minutes over his last nine outings. It’s always easy to find waiver-wire steals from these putrid teams and Portland is undoubtedly one of them.
I’ve seen Vasilije Micic dropped in many of my leagues because of the nightmarish two-game week but he’s an excellent streamer this upcoming week. After playing just two games, Charlotte gets four games this week. That’s huge since Micic is running the show in Charlotte, starting in the absence of LaMelo Ball. Since becoming a starter on March 3, Micic has averaged 16.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He’s done that while shooting 53% from the field and 88% from the free-throw line, making him a top-100 player in this newfound role. As long as Ball remains out, Micic needs to be rostered universally.
Trayce Jackson-Davis (C – GSW)
The Warriors haven’t had many good big men in their decade-long dynasty run but Trayce Jackson-Davis looks like the center of the future. The rookie has played at least 25 minutes in four of his last five fixtures, averaging 13 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks on 80% shooting. That’s what you’re looking for from your big man. We’re only scratching the surface of what this rookie could become. If he provides those averages in a four-game week, Jackson-Davis could have 30 rebounds and seven blocks on 70% shooting, which could be game-changing stats in your category league.
Rostered in 15-29% of Leagues
We just discussed how Micic has been starting in the absence of Ball. Tre Mann has seen the same role increase. He’s been starting next to Micic, averaging 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.5 blocks since being acquired from Oklahoma City. That’s some elite stat stuffing from a waiver-wire guy. He’s been dropped in most leagues because of his ugly two-game week. He also had a career game a few nights ago, collecting 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals across 37 minutes. If this talented guard will get 35 minutes for this shorthanded Charlotte team, Mann needs to be a must-roster player in a four-game week.
We’ve been streaming crappy teams for weeks and we’re doing that again with Washington. This Wizards team was already one of the worst in the NBA but losing Tyus Jones, Kyle Kuzma and Deni Avdija to injuries have crippled this roster. They were already shorthanded after the trade deadline but we expect Corey Kispert to play 30-35 minutes and take 15-20 shots a game from here on out. In the 12 games Kispert has played at least 29 minutes, he’s averaging 19.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 4.3 threes per game. That sort of shooting is outstanding from a widely available player, especially since he gets four games.
Rostered in 0-14% of Leagues
Justin Champagnie (SG, SG – WAS)
I enjoyed watching this kid in the NBA Summer League and it’s been exciting to see him step up for this free-falling Wizards team. We just mentioned how many players they have on the injury report, forcing Justin Champagnie into a prominent role. Over his last three outings, Champagnie has averaged 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.3 threes per game. That sort of stat stuffing is sensational from a player available anywhere. It wouldn’t be surprising to see his role rise with Washington’s season spiraling out of control.
Georges Niang is built like a dump truck but he’s proven to be an excellent piece for the Cavs. Cleveland has dealt with as many injuries as anyone, missing Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus. Those absences have forced Niang into the starting lineup, playing at least 25 minutes in nine straight games. He’s also played 33 and 35 minutes in his two most recent outings. He is averaging 14.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.8 threes across his last eight fixtures. It’s hard to believe he’s barely rostered anywhere, particularly since the Cavs get 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.
