RADIO
The trade deadline didn't live up to it's hype this year. Only Lou Williams going to Houston is worth especially mentioning in addition to the DeMarcus Cousins trade, the Serge Ibaka deal which were made earlier. But there were several other "smaller" deals that did change things up fantasy-wise. Especially in some deeper formats.
So, if you're looking to add some talent to your roster, aren't sure which one of the "leftovers" will shine, here are today's Week 18 deeper league waiver wire pickups for your fantasy basketball teams. All of them have some value, whether it is short term, rest of season or maybe even dynasty potential will remain to be seen. Either way, their recent situations and/or performances deserve at least a cursory look.
Featured Promo: Get any full-season NBA Premium Pass for 50% off. Win big with our exclusive DFS lineup tools, matchup rating projections, powerful Research Station, Lineup Optimizer, daily DFS lineup picks/cheat sheets and more! Sign Up Now!
Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Terrence Ross, SG/SF, ORL (26% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Terrence Ross is a big winner of the Ibaka trade. Just to remind everyone the Raptors sent a first-round Draft pick and swingman Terrence Ross to the Orlando Magic in the deal. And in his first game in Orlando, Ross already played 33 minutes. In comparison, Ross only played more than 33 minutes once this season with the Raptors, on Dec. 28 against Golden State, so his on court time will surely increase on his new team. Furthermore, his 17 field goal attempts in his Orlando debut have also tied his second most since the start of the season, with him taking 23 shots in that very same game against the Warriors.
Now don't get me wrong, Ross didn't shoot very well for Orlando in this game we're talking about. He hit just 4-of-17 shots, 2-of-8 from beyond the arc and made all three of his free throws on his way to 13 points, adding five rebounds, one assist, three steals, no blocks and one turnover in those 33 minutes.
Those aren't spectacular stats, are they? But if they were, Ross wouldn't be available in almost three quarters of Yahoo leagues now, would he? But the potential is there. His season stats of 10.4 PTS with 1.8 3PM on 43.4 FG% and 83.0 FT%, 2.6 REB, 0.8 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.4 BLK and 0.6 TO in just 23 minutes a game so far this season show what he is capable of.
Now with him in Orlando, he will be taking more shots for sure, but his efficiency might suffer a bit with him being one of the primary offensive options, compared to his situation in Toronto where he had Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to create his open shots for him. On the other hand, he is sure to be getting almost 10 minutes a game more than he did with his previous team, and he was already hitting 1.8 threes, stealing the ball once and blocking 0.4 shots per game. If those numbers increase in the same volume as his minutes will, look out!
If you like what you get in Ross, pick him up. He's got the upside, and now the situation in which he is not only supposed to, but expected to perform and produce.
Super Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Marquese Chriss, PF, PHO (12% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Not too much has changed during the "trade season" in Phoenix. P.J. Tucker went to Toronto and that's about it. They did get Jared Sullinger back in the P.J. deal and Mike Scott came from Atlanta but they were both waived. So that didn't impact their roster or Marquese Chriss' position in that rotation too much. But nevertheless, Chriss is expected to step up in the forthcoming weeks.
Chriss wasn't playing much when the season started. He logged over 20 minutes in only five of Phoenix's first 24 games of the season. But even then, it was clear that he had talent. He showed that in full when he was finally given a chance. Now, in his last 11 games he has averaged 10.8 PTS with 0.9 3PM on 42.3 FG% and 63.6 FT%, 4.6 REB, 1.0 AST, 1.3 STL, 1.0 BLK and 0.9 TO in 25 minutes a game.
Moreover, in his first game since the All-Star break he played his second highest amount of minutes in his career. In those 33 minutes he hit 7-of-10 of his field goals and 2-of-3 of his three-point attempts, made 1-of-3 of his free throws, grabbed seven boards, assisted once, stole the ball two times and blocked two shots while turning the ball over three times.
His upside is huge, and with the Suns out of playoff contention there is no reason to think he won't be given the time and opportunity to reach it. In addition to common sense, there have also been some comments from the team's general manager Ryan McDonough that developing Marquese's potential is one of the top priorities for the Suns going forward.
If you're in a deep league and need some help in the defensive stats and boards, and you don't mind his poor free throw percentage too much, you would be wise to secure Chriss' services before one of you mates wises up.
Insanely Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Richaun Holmes, PF/C, PHI (4% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Richaun Holmes had his situation on the 76ers' roster improve with Nerlens Noel heading to Dallas. With their star center Joel Embiid out for at least the next three games, and Jahlil Okafor falling down the pecking order, it was Holmes that took full advantage in Philadelphia's first game since the All-Star break. He double-doubled in just 26 minutes scoring 12 points on 6-of-9 from the field, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out one dime, stealing the ball twice and blocking five shots without a single turnover.
This performance shows us just how talented Holmes is. He's been looked over because Philly's front court has been so loaded with the likes of Noel, Embiid, Okafor, Saric and Ersan Ilyasova. But Noel and Ilyasova are gone now, Embiid is injured and Okafor is being constantly outplayed by Richaun. Andrew Bogut, who the 76ers acquired in the Noel trade is still on the books, but is fully expected to be waived.
All of that points to Holmes getting some run, at least until Embiid returns. That's a great opportunity for him to establish himself as a backup center who can flirt with a double-double on a nightly basis and get his fantasy owners defensive stats without hurting them in any category. And with Embiid's health and Philly pretty much out of the playoff race, he might get to be the starting center on most nights untill the end of the season, too. That's good enough for a guy owned in just 4% of the leagues in my book.
NBA & DFS Premium Subscription
Get an edge on your NBA DFS competition, every single night of the week:
- DFS Cheat Sheets and Lineup Picks: Access to 10 deeply researched lineup picks, and sample lineups - seven days a week! Includes advanced stats to unlock NBA player values, and boost DFS success.
- DFS Optimizer Tool: Generate optimal DFS lineups in seconds. Use advanced features and stats for including/excluding players, cash games vs. GPPs, stacks and more.
- DFS Value Picks: Our Optimizer helps you find, sort and filter the best lineup values and DFS sleeper picks. Premium stats like "Usage Rate" and "Points/$1K" give you a leg up on the DFS competition.
- Daily NBA Projections: Our secret sauce - the Optimizer Tool provides DFS points projections for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo scoring.
Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool
Click here to see a full size version of the tool
Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet
Premium NBA DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet
Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet
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.
