Most of us drafted someone who hasn't lived up to our expectations, right? That guy tests our patience day after day, dud after dud. And we would have dumped him a long time ago, but it's just that we're in such a deep league, no real talent is left on the waiver wire.
Well, do not despair! No matter how deep your league is, there are always A Few Good Men still out there. And we are going to find them.
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Deep League Add
Jared Dudley, SG/SF/PF, PHO (16% owned)
Jared Dudley is a multi-cat contributor on a Phoenix team that is ranked first in the NBA in pace. That means the Suns get more possessions per game than any other team. It is always useful for fantasy owners to have their players get as many opportunities as possible, and with P.J. Tucker playing poorly and rookies Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender being pretty slow to adapt to the NBA, Dudley has been getting just that, opportunities.
He averages 8.6 points, 3.4 boards and 1.9 dimes in just under 25 minutes of action this season. He also has 1.7 threes, 0.9 steals and chips in 0.3 blocks. And he does that on 50% from the field and a ridiculous 48.8% from three point range! His true shooting percentage is 63.9. That is better than the Golden State Warriors (60.9) have as a team!
He has been drinking the same energy drink as DeAndre Jordan this season it seems, since he hits just 54.2% of his free throws, but he is a 73.2% FT shooter in his career so we should see a bump in that category. Moreover, he shoots only two per game so it's not too hard to swallow.
Do keep in mind that we are talking about Phoenix. They are 3-9 to start the season and are heavy underdogs to even fight for a playoff spot, so there is no telling how their lack of ambition in the current season is going to affect their players playing time. But Dudley's flexibility to play multiple positions, and the fragility of the Suns' main guys (Eric Bledsoe played just 31 games last season, Brandon Knight has played a total of 115 games over the course of last three years and T.J. Warren has played only 87 games in his only two NBA seasons) make a strong case for Dudley to be on the court enough to contribute to your deep league fantasy team.
Owww, did I mention he is also SG/SF/PF eligible? Talk about flexible!
Super Deep League Add
James Ennis, SG/SF, MEM (10% owned)
After changing three teams in his first two seasons in the NBA, James Ennis has finally settled in with the Memphis Grizzlies. He is putting up 9.5 PTS, 5.5 REB, 1.1 AST, 1.1 3PM and 0.9 AST so far this season. He does that while shooting 44% from the field and 81.3% from the line and turning the ball over 1.3 times per game. Considering he plays 30 minutes per game those numbers aren't spectacular. On the other hand, considering he plays 30 minutes per game shouldn't he be owned in more then just 10% of the leagues?
Now, one could argue that his playing time might drop when Memphis gets to full health when Tony Allen recovers from his groin injury and Chandler Parsons comes back to his prime following his meniscus surgery back in March. And all that might be true, but Memphis is old and injury prone. In addition to Allen and Parsons (who both have missed at least 16 games in their last 2 seasons) there is Marc Gasol who played 52 games last season due to foot surgery and Vince Carter who is 39 years old. The most consistent of the bunch are Mike Conley and Zach Randolph and even they missed 26 and 14 games last season, respectively. And all of the will be rested more than occasionally this season.
So, while Ennis' per minute production isn't all-star, the minutes and stats are there. That should be enough for owners in deep leagues looking for help in multiple categories to consider adding him.
Insanely Deep League Add
Jameer Nelson, PG, DEN (4% owned)
Jameer Nelson is a proven NBA point guard in a Denver Nuggets team that craves experience and leadership. He is entering his 15th NBA season as a mentor to Emmanuel Mudiay, who Denver took with the number seven pick in last years draft.
Nelson is 34 years old and that makes him the only Nuggets player over 30 to play more than 5 minutes per game this season. The only other player over 30 is Mike Miller who played a total of 14 minutes in three games. That means whenever Denver needs experience and a cool head running the offense, Jameer will be on court, doing what he does.
And what he does, fantasy wise, is 8.9 PTS, 1.3 3PM, 3.5 AST, 2.4 REB and 0.7 STL in 25 minutes per night so far this season on 46.4 shooting from the field. He hasn't missed so far from the free throw line, although he has visited it just six times. He does have 2.2 TO per game and hasn't blocked a shot yet this season so don't expect much there.
Injuries to Gary Harris and Will Barton, along with Wilson Chandler's ongoing struggles with his hamstring have helped Jameer get more playing time. Nevertheless he is a deep league option for owners in need of PG stats, at least as long as Denver is having their injury woes.
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.