Danuel House Jr. (SG/SF, HOU) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 21% of leagues

ANALYSIS: After making a name for himself in the NBA last season, Houston Rockets shooting guard/small forward Danuel House Jr. is taking the leap to become a valuable fantasy asset in 2019.

After starting in only 13 of the 39 games he played for Houston last season, House Jr. has taken the small forward starting job from Eric Gordon. He has started all five of Houston's games through two weeks of the season and is averaging the fifth-most minutes on the team with 30.8 per game.

That's significant because last season he was only playing 25.1 minutes in his bench role. Now that he is a starter, he is averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal attempts, three-point attempts, and free-throw attempts. He is shooting 47.6% from the field, 46.7% from downtown, and 90% from the free-throw line. Those are also career-highs. House Jr. is taking the next step and owners need to grab him now while he is still going unnoticed by the rest of their league mates.

It's unlikely that he will ever be a primary option in an offense that includes James Harden and Russell Westbrook, but his usage percentage of 12.4% is still useful to fantasy owners in 12-team leagues or deeper. If an injury happens to any of the Rocket's bigger stars, House Jr. should be in line for a significant uptick in opportunities.

The Rockets take on the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls in Week 3. The Warriors and Bulls are bottom-seven in fantasy against opposing small forwards. This will give House Jr. the opportunity to continue his career year and to contribute to your fantasy team in Week 3 and possibly beyond.