RADIO
We are past past half way into the fantasy week season, so it's critical to figure out how you can improve your team's success before it's too late. Looking into Week 15, there are a couple of must-add players that you shouldn't leave behind on your waiver wire.
It's never too early to explore trades to boost your team's chances, especially in head-to-head leagues. With that said, we're here to bless you all with everything you guys need to stay ahead of your opponents in all your fantasy leagues. Below are our recommended waiver wire pickups for Week 15 of the fantasy basketball season, for those looking to beef up their teams. We wish everyone the best of luck in your leagues and may the odds forever be in your favor!
It's the best time to start exploring trades, and get out ahead before it's too late! Sell high, buy low - trying to look for ways to improve your team despite where you are in the standings will go a long way for you in case injuries and cold streaks happen. As a reminder for most leagues, it's crucial to plan. Waiver wire adds, scheduling and player injuries are all things to consider. Drop the dead weight, make an effort to improve your team by maximizing your weekly adds and utilizing streamer spots via the waiver wire. Don't be attached to short-term pickups when there is a hot player on the horizon, especially if a hot player can stick with significant minutes the rest of the season. Be wary of weekly streaming options and stay ahead of your opponents. 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 15.
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Week 15 Schedule
4 Games - Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Timbewolves, Knicks, Thunder, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards
3 Games - Spurs, Sixers, Bucks, Lakers, Warriors, Pistons, Nuggets, Nets, Celtics, Hawks
2 Games - Pacers, Hornets
Week 15 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
I write my columns based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Kenneth Faried - PF/C, ROCKETS (30% Ownership)
Faried is definitely one of the hottest pick-up this week, given that he's almost a perfect fit with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are almost thin up front with Clint Capella (thumb surgery) out at least for another 4-6 weeks, so not only Faried has a great chance to start with this Rockets team, but he's looking at major minutes given that Coach Mike D'Antoni has never been shy to keep his rotations short. Faried is one of those must-add, think later waiver wire adds and he can boost a team's field-goal percentage and provide close to a double-double on a nightly basis.
Ante Zizic - C, CAVALIERS (14% Ownership)
Tristan Thompson (foot) and Larry Nance Jr. (knee) are both out, opening up the opportunities for Zizic to man the middle. He's done a solid job in three starts, having scored double-digit scoring in three straight, including a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. He's an intriguing player to watch as the season goes on, where the Cavaliers have their sights on tanking their entire season to secure a high lottery pick this post season.
Luke Kennard - SG/SF, PISTONS (5% Ownership)
Kennard is now averaging 14.2 points and 2.6 triples over the past five games, and the fact that he's out-playing teammate Bruce Brown means he could eventually leap into the starting line up sooner or later. The high field-goal percentage isn't sustainable (57% over the last five), and he offers little to nothing in other categories so I wouldn't drop anyone with long-term value for Kennard. The Pistons play four games in Week 15.
Luke Kornet - PF/C, KNICKS (12% Ownership)
Kornet's upside isn't to be ignored, given that he can shoot 3-pointers and rack up defensive stats. However, it's the Knicks rotation and Coach Dave Fizzdale's lineup changes every week. The return of Mitchell Robinson gives the Knicks a 3-man rotation of centers to play with Enes Kanter as well, so it'll be surprising to see Kornet to continue to log heavy minutes. However, the Knicks do play four times this week so he's worth a look long for the short term.
Ivica Zubac - C, LAKERS (27% Ownership)
Zubac isn't starting for the Lakers, but he's closing games for them and continues to impress with his back-to-the-basket game as of late. He was instrumental in the Lakers win over the Thunder on Thursday, making 12-of-14 from the field for a career-high 26 points with 12 rebounds, one assist and four turnovers in 28 minutes. He followed up with another solid performance on Saturday, netting 17 points with seven rebounds, one assist and a block. He should be added given the Lakers are still without LeBron James (groin) and they are absolutely starving for any outside contributions in their young guys.
Rajon Rondo - PG, LAKERS (35% Ownership)
The Lakers just lost Lonzo Ball (Grade-3 ankle sprain) for at least 4-6 weeks, so Rondo's return will likely insert him into the starting line up until Ball is healthy again. Although it's unlikely he's going to suit up against the Warriors on Monday, there's a good chance he'll return at some point this week. He'll give owners a nice boost in assists, which is one of the hardest categories to find on the wire.
Bobby Portis - C, BULLS (43% Ownership)
Wendell Carter JR (thumb surgery) will knock him out for nearly 2-3 months, which means he's a clear drop in almost all fantasy leagues, excluding dynasty settings. Bobby Portis figures to be the main beneficiary with this news and this just solidifies his role with the Bulls for the remainder of the season. Portis will not be shy hoisting shots out there , and with 28 + minutes going forward he's a must-roster player.
Kevin Huerter - SG/SF, HAWKS (33% Ownership)
Huerter is as close to must-own as they come, as he's been fantastic over the past two weeks. He's putting in top-50 value in nine category leagues the past two weeks, with averages of 17.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals to go along with 3.2 triples per game. The 6-foot-7 rookie is averaging over 37 minutes per game over the past 10 games, and he looks to be a coach favorite to finish the rest of the season in this role. The Hawks seems to be focused on youth movement and Huerter shouldn't be on any waiver wires given his upside to contribute in multiple categories.
Kelly Oubre Jr. - SF, SUNS (64% Ownership)
Oubre Jr. may have found a nice home in Phoenix, having played heavy minutes out the gate since he's been traded from Washington. He's averaged over 20.4 points over the last five games, and it should be clear that the Suns are invested in developing him with some of the younger guys in Phoenix. He's certainly stepping up lately, so he's worth a look in most leagues as long as he's hot.
Thomas Bryant - C, WIZARDS (51% Ownership)
Thomas Bryant continues to thrive in the starting lineup, and the injuries to both John Wall (heel surgery) and Markieff Morris (neck) will shift the offense into a more free-flowing offense and added minutes for Bryant. His minutes are a bit up and down lately, but that hasn't stopped him from carving out low-end value. He's worth a long look in all 12+ team leagues given that he can anchor your field goal percentage and rebound and he'll have some upside in blocks and can stretch the floor with his ability to hit 3-pointers.
Derrick White - PG, SPURS (58% Ownership)
White has earned himself a must-own status, having played over 30 minutes in the new year and he's played a lot better as of late. Perhaps he's over his heel injury and has earned the trust of Coach Popovich again. White has been a top-50 player in nine-category leagues over the past two weeks with averages of 17.1 points, 3.7 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.1 triples and a block per game. He's become quite a two-way player at the point guard position and he must be owned in all leagues going forward.
Week 15 Deeper Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
Jabari Parker - SF/PF, BULLS (45% Ownership)
Like Portis, Parker will be out of the dog house with this news. There's a small chance the Bulls could look to deal him, so they'll want to showcase him to opposing teams before the trading deadline. Problem is there are multiple deficiencies in Parker's game and teams will be reluctant to take a flier on him, especially with that contract. However, look for Parker to carve out a small role with the Bulls, as he's scored in double-figures in four straight contests. He's worth a look in all 14+ teams leagues.
Kyle Korver - SG/SF, JAZZ (12% Ownership)
Korver landed back in an ideal situation from Cleveland, where he's getting minutes in the mid-20s. He'll offer a much-needed spacing for the Jazz, and he's been hitting them at a nice clip, similar to J.J. Reddick. The sharpshooter didn't get it going on Friday against the Cavaliers, but he had three straight performances prior to that with over four triples each and he's worth a look in deeper leagues.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG/SG, CLIPPERS (37% Ownership)
Lou Williams (hamstring) and Danillo Gallinari (back) is due to miss a couple of games, and Avery Bradley hasn't played up to his standards, giving SGA another chance to creep back into the standard league discussion. Gilgeous-Alexander was playing at a high level earlier in the season, then hit somewhat of a rookie wall. He was terrific on Saturday with 24 points in a 112-94 loss to the Clippers, adding five assists, three rebounds, three steals and two turnovers in 43 minutes. The key was the 43 minutes, and it wouldn't be a terrible idea to pick him back up in the hopes he can get it going again.
Malik Beasley - PG/SG, NUGGETS (26% Ownership)
Beasley continues to roll despite the fact that Will Barton and Gary Harris is back into the rotation. He's averaged 35 minutes with 16.4 points and 3.8 3-pointes per game over the last five games. He's red-hot right now and he should be added until he cools off.
Justin Holiday - SG/SF, GRIZZLIES (32% Ownership)
Kyle Anderson (ankle) was hit with a 2-4 week timetable with a Grade-2 ankle sprain so Justin Holiday can get a chance to redeem some of the lost value when he got traded from the Chicago Bulls. It's not exactly encouraging since Holiday has been absolutely brutal lately, but he's worth a look to see if he can top 30 minutes per game over the next couple of weeks.
De'Anthony Melton - PG, SUNS (10% Ownership)
If you're looking for points, Melton may not be your guy. However, he's a strong add for those seeking defensive stats as he has the highest steal percentage in the NBA and is averaging 2.7 steals per 36 minutes. He's been losing a lot of minutes with Devin Booker back in the lineup but he's still worth owning in deeper leagues given his defensive contributions.
Mikal Bridges - SG/SF, SUNS (26% Ownership)
Oddly, Bridges minutes goes down without Devin Booker but goes up with Booker in the lineup. He's still contributing in the defensive stats to be added in deeper settings. At this point, he's worth a look in all 14+ team leagues given his defensive contributions and 3-pointers (1.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.2 3-pointers over the last five) Keep your eyes on him and the tanking Phoenix Suns.
Reggie Bullock - SG/SF, PISTONS (31% Ownership)
Bullock is hot again, averaging 14.0 points, 2.8 assists, and 3.0 3-pointers made per game over the last five. There's no one on the Pistons roster whose going to challenge Bullock for minutes, so he'll continue to log heavy minutes since the Pistons need him to space the floor. He won't offer much outside of points and 3-pointers, but he's worth a look as long as he's hot. The Pistons play four times this week.
More Fantasy Basketball Analysis
By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.
