Fantasy Basketball 9-Cat Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 8

Another week of NBA basketball is upon us. Have you all recovered from that double-OT thriller on Saturday night between the Pistons and Lakers?

Anyway, let's help you figure out some waiver wire additions who can boost your squad in a 9-cat league!

Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns on how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, so be sure to check them out! Now, let's get prepared for Week 8. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.

9-Category Leagues Waiver Wire

Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:

Thaddeus Young, PF - Chicago Bulls

64% rostered - Cheating on the 50 percent number here because Young has risen so dramatically this week, which makes sense when the Bulls are short-handed in the frontcourt and Young is playing some absolutely mind-boggling basketball. Over the past six games, Young is playing 29.1 minutes per night with averages of 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals. And all of this comes on 61.3 percent shooting. GET HIM ON YOUR TEAM.

Cody Zeller, C - Charlotte Hornets

50% rostered - Back in Charlotte's starting five, Zeller has played 30-plus minutes in three of the last four games. His scoring numbers have dropped a little after posting double-digit points in four of five games, but Zeller is a consistent big who can give you a double-double while also dishing out a handful of assists and blocking some shots. There's lots of value there, especially in leagues that start two centers.

Elfrid Payton, PG - New York Knicks

41% rostered - I guess Payton has heard all of this "Immanuel Quickley should start" stuff, because he's suddenly on fire. Back-to-back games with at least 20 points. 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in those two showings, plus 35 minutes per night. With how much head coach Tom Thibodeau loves to use his starters heavily and the fact that Payton's increase in minutes came at the expense of Quickley's minutes, I think we can rest assured that Payton will have this role for awhile longer. Sorry, Quickley fans! I agree Quickley has more upside, but I'm not Thibs.

Note: Keep an eye out for the rumors that the Knicks might trade for Derrick Rose, though. That would really hurt Payton's value.

Jakob Poeltl, C - San Antonio Spurs

36% rostered - Is Poeltl's current popularity more about the dearth of options at center? Sure, in a way. But with LaMarcus Aldridge (hip) currently out, Poeltl is getting minutes. He posted 19 points and eight rebounds with four blocks against the Wolves while shooting 90 percent, though followed that up by going 0-for-6 against Houston. He had 11 boards in that one, though, and has some nice appeal in some formats from now until whenever Aldridge returns.

Hamidou Diallo, SG/SF - Oklahoma City Thunder

29% rostered - The Thunder are a bit of a mess right now, with just barely enough players to get by. But that's led to Diallo getting 30-plus minutes per night, and he's extended his streak of games with 10-plus points to nine. He hasn't hit the 20-point mark in any of those and appears to have a lower ceiling than some other guys might, but he has taken 26 shots in the past two games, has 13 assists in those games, and has at least one steal in four consecutive appearances.

Kendrick Nunn, PG/SG - Miami Heat

29% rostered - Nunn was done. Like, out of the rotation, drop him now done. And then suddenly he was back in the rotation after being a DNP-Coach's Decision for three games in a row and he played 32 minutes. In that time, Nunn scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, plus had a pair of steals. What do we make of this? I don't really know. Maybe it means that as long as Avery Bradley (calf) is out, we can go back to trusting Nunn, but then as soon as Bradley returns he'll be back to playing no minutes?

Patrick Williams, SF/PF - Chicago Bulls

19% rostered - The No. 4 pick in this year's draft, Willaims is trending up right now, playing 30-plus minutes in each of the past three games and extending his streak of double-digit scoring games to five. He's seen a sharp upturn in rebounds as well with Chicago injured up front, with Williams averaging eight rebounds per game over the past three. He's also shot over 50 percent from the floor in each of those games as well, so he can help you out in field goal percentage as well.

Theo Maledon, PG - Oklahoma City Thunder

16% rostered - Again, the Thunder have a lot of injuries and players out. Maledon is getting 30-plus minutes at the point, and is coming off a solid game against Minnesota that saw him score 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting with six assists. If you need a cheap source of assists right now, Maledon might be your guy.

Juan Toscano-Anderson, SF/PF - Golden State Warriors

10% rostered - Playing some five right now because the Warriors are just so banged up inside, Toscano-Anderson has played 27 or more minutes in three consecutive games. In the first two games, he averaged 15 points per contest, but scored just two against Dallas. He did have 10 rebounds in that one, and in deeper leagues, you might as well add him simply for the huge minutes he's getting right now, though that will change once James Wiseman is back. But for now, Toscano-Anderson is grabbing boards -- 18 of them in two games against the Mavs -- are scoring efficiently.

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