RADIO
With a fantastic (and dramatic) start to the NBA season, we look forward into Week 2. We're super excited to kick off the 2018-2019 season and 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 2 of the fantasy basketball season, for those looking to beef up their teams.
These next couple of weeks is absolutely critical to your season, where you can scoop up some waiver wire gems that can be a key part to your team. Some will stick on your team, and some will quickly be flushed back to the waiver wire. NBA teams will reveal their rotations, so pay close attention in the next week or so where teams stand with their players. We wish everyone the best of luck in your leagues and may the odds forever be in your favor!
As a reminder for most leagues, it's crucial to plan ahead. 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 2.
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Week 2 Schedule
4 Games - Hornets, Bulls, Mavericks, Warriors, Lakers, Bucks, Suns, Jazz, Wizards
3 Games - Timberwolves, Raptors, Spurs, Kings, Trail Blazers, Sixers, Magic, Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies, Clippers, Pacers, Pistons, Cavaliers, Nets, Celtics
2 Games - Nuggets, Rockets, Heat, Thunder, Hawks
Week 2 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
I write my columns based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Josh Hart SG/SF - LAKERS (71% Ownership)
Hart has emerged as arguably the best fit on the Lakers next to LeBron James. He plays with tremendous poise, and his across the board contributions will likely vault him into the starting lineup sooner than later. The suspensions to Rajon Rondo (3 games) and Brandon Ingram (4 games) will help his case even more this week, but he's a must-own, must-start player for the Lakers and you need to make sure he's not on the waiver wire in your leagues. Hart is averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 boards, 1.5 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 3-pointers on 52 percent shooting.
Cedi Osman SF/PF - CAVALIERS (70% Ownership)
There should be zero doubt that he was going to produce this season with the departure of LeBron James. He's a very versatile player with exceptional shooting and passing skills. I don't want to hype Osman too much, but he's a very good bet to finish in the top-75 range this season. Like Hart, he's a must-own, must-start player until further notice.
J.J. Barea PG - MAVERICKS (16% Ownership)
Barea opened up the season with averages of 10.5 points and 10.5 assists. Needless to say, he has to be picked up if he's going to playing this well. Obviously, he won't average 10 assists per game this year but there's still a chance he can provide 6+ per game. Dimes are one of the rarest categories to find, so I like Barea to continue to hit 3-points and dish assists to provide some low-end value.
Damian Jones C - WARRIORS (23% Ownership)
Jones continues to start for the Warriors and while his value should be viewed short-term, he still provides low-end blocks and high field goal percentage. He's a good fit to their starters, providing rim protection and setting good screens for their shooters. He'll never be someone to rely on getting points and rebounds, but should be viewed as a last roster spot option to defensive stats without hurting you in percentages. Get him if you have dead weight on your roster as the Warriors play four times this week.
Jae Crowder SF/PF - JAZZ (34% Ownership)
Crowder showed some glimpses of his versatility while he was in Boston, where he flirted with top-50 value all season. He's been outplaying Derrick Favors and closing games with the starters during the first two games of the season, so this role could potentially stick, especially against some of the NBA's smaller units. Crowder is averaging 15 points, 6.0 boards, 2.0 assists, a steal and 2.0 3-pointer over the first two games.
Bobby Portis PF / C - BULLS (66% Ownership)
Crazy eye Bobby Portis will have a great opportunity to produce for a Bulls team who will have a tough time scoring the basketball. Lauri Markkanen (right elbow) is still sidelined with an elbow injury and could miss up to two months of action. The Bulls have zero incentive to rush Markkanen back and Portis actually has the second highest usage rate (26.8%) on the team behind teammate Zach LaVine. Look for Portis to flirt with a double-double until Markkanen is cleared. Make sure he's not available in your league.
Justin Holiday SG/SF - BULLS (15% Ownership)
Holiday is continuing his trend from last season, and he continues to play heavy minutes despite the fact that Jabari Parker is healthy. He's someone to heavily consider should he continue to contribute 3-pointers and he may not be available on your waiver wire if he puts up another strong line on Monday against the Mavericks.
Malik Monk SG - HORNETS (41% Ownership)
Monk has emerged as a steady Sixth Man option for the Hornets to kick off the season. The Hornets are starving for additional offense, and Kemba Walker (league-leading 35.3 points per game) can't continue to shoulder so much burden for the entire year. Monk should be able to sustain his role as the first guy off the Hornets bench and will play close to starter minutes. His deep ball shooting bodes well for his upside, and he's capable of sprinkling some defensive stats as well.
Bryn Forbes PG / SG / SF - SPURS (8% Ownership)
Dejounte Murray (ACL knee) is done for the year and Derrick White (heel) is looking like he's at least a month away from the action, leaving Patty Mills and Bryn Forbes as the only capable guards to start at the point. He doesn't have a ton of upside, but he could hit 3-pointers and give you a trickle of dimes. The Spurs are a very unselfish team, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Forbes flourish in the starting role, especially if he's given close to 30 minutes per night.
T.J. Warren SF - SUNS (36% Ownership)
We all thought Trevor Ariza's arrival and Josh Jackson was going to mean the end of Warren's fantasy production. However, he has still been able to provide some low-end value in a bench role, averaging 16.5 points and 2.5 3-points per game over the first two. He could very well fall off the next game, but he's worth adding if you have someone to drop.
Markieff Morris PF / C - WIZARDS (53% Ownership)
Morris is capable of flirting with top-100 value as long as he's getting minutes. On a Wizards team where they look to play faster this season and combine that with a willing passer in John Wall, Morris should be owned in leagues 12 teams or more. There will be nights where he lays an egg, but take the good with the bad. Even though Dwight Howard (back) practiced in full and is healthy again, it doesn't affect Morris that much since he will have the opportunity to play both the power forward and the center spot.
P.J. Tucker, SF/PF - ROCKETS (40% Ownership)
His impact in real life is far more valuable than fantasy, but as long as he's averaging 35 minutes per night - he needs to be added in a lot more leagues. His role is similar to Trevor Ariza this season, and he'll be assigned to guard the opposing team's best player(s) on most nights. He’s averaging 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.0 3-pointers while shooting 47 percent from the floor.
Week 2 Deeper Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
Jordan Clarkson PG/SG - CAVALIERS (25% Ownership)
Clarkson will get a chance to average double-figures on a team that desperately needs offense. He's an undersized shoot-first shooting guard, which is why his upside is capped because of his inability to play on the end of the ball. He might be for you if you're in dire need of some extra points and a couple of assists. Clarkson is more suited for deeper leagues.
Frank Ntilikina PG - KNICKS (10% Ownership)
Ntilikina has made some progression as an NBA player, but he's still really raw on offense. The Knicks has plenty of options on offense, so it's highly unlikely he'll eclipse 10 + points this season. He should be viewed as a steals and 3-points specialists in deeper leagues.
Noah Vonleh PF/C - KNICKS (2% Ownership)
Like Ntilikina, Vonleh is likely going to play in a reserve role all season. Look for him to provide some low-end rebounding with a sprinkle of blocks. He won't be worth owning in standard leagues unless something happens to Enes Kanter.
George Hill PG/SG - CAVALIERS (19% Ownership)
Hill is arguably one of the most inconsistent players in fantasy basketball, but on nights where he goes off, he'll provide an extra edge to help your team win. He's going to be Jekyll and Hyde all season as long as he's starting for the Cavaliers, so don't stay too attached as rookie Collin Sexton will be coming for his starting role.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG - CLIPPERS (24% Ownership)
I'm not high on Shai being a consistent contributor for the Clippers this early into the season as long as Patrick Beverly is on the team, but I can see understand the upside. Owners should treat SGA as a high profile stash in the event that Beverly is injured or traded. Good news is that coach Doc Rivers is fully invested in grooming him and getting him meaningful minutes, so he'll continue to get better day by day. He had a stellar game on Sunday against the Rockets, netting 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 26 minutes.
Rodney McGruder SG/SF - HEAT (26% Ownership)
The Heat was without Justise Winslow (hamstring) and Wayne Ellington (ankle) this season so far, so McGruder was forced to play big minutes for the Heat recently. He has been tremendous so far, averaging 15.7 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes per game. He won't be this good and he'll definitely take a step back at some point, so we only view him as a deep league asset.
Boban Marjanovic C - CLIPPERS (43% Ownership)
Boban's path to minutes will depend based on matchups. His size causes a lot of problems for most teams, but his mobility limits him to play enough. Still, his per-minute production can give you close to a double-double, but I wouldn't be dropping anyone I will regret to get Boban. After playing double-digit minutes the first two games of the season, he played just five minutes against a Rockets team who plays at one of the fastest paces in the NBA.
Garrett Temple PG/SG - GRIZZLIES (15% Ownership)
Temple started the season on fire and scored 30 points vs. the Hawks on Friday. He's averaging 21 points on 29 minutes per game through two games. We still think he's playing more minutes due to Kyle Anderson (heel) playing limited minutes, but he has some appeal as long as he's getting big minutes for the Grizzlies.
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.
