The deeper a fantasy league, the harder it is to hit a winner with your last few picks. It is also harder to find decent help from the waiver wire if your late round picks don't do you justice. If you picked up a few stinkers, don't lose hope just yet. I will try to help you pick up a winner.
Here are my Week 9 deeper league waiver wire pickups for your fantasy basketball teams. These players should be available in most leagues and they might just help you out, whether it's a few weeks rental or a long term fix to a problem your team is having. If a guy on your team is frustrating you with his weak performances, give some of them a go. They might just be worth it.
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Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Allen Crabbe, PG/SG, POR (23% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Allen Crabbe is the main guy off the bench for the Portland Trailblazers. He is averaging 28 minutes per game this season and that's a lot for a guy owned in less than a quarter of the leagues. There is a reason though why he is not on more fantasy teams at the moment. He doesn't really contribute in all categories. He is more of a points, threes, FT% specialist in deep leagues.
His averages this season are 9.8 PTS with 1.5 3PM on 44.9 FG% and 85.5 FT%, 3.0 REB, 1.2 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.2 BLK and 0.9 TO. Ten points and one and a half three-pointers a game can come in handy from a guy off the waiver wire. The free throws are nice, but he only shoots 1.7 a game so it doesn't help owners too much. And the rest of the stats contribute a little and don't hurt fantasy owners.
Furthermore, Allen Crabbe signed a four-year, $74,832,500 contract with the Portland Trail Blazers this past offseason, so it is very likely that his minutes and looks are guaranteed. If you're in need of the stats he provides, and are in a roto league or aren't punting any categories in head-to-head, you should give Crabbe a look.
Super Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Montrezl Harrell, PF, HOU (12% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Montrezl Harrell is a second round pick in his second year in the NBA. He has played an average of 10 minutes in 39 games in his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, and was getting 13 minutes a night this season until Dec. 17. Then Clint Capela got hurt. And although Nene Hilario was the one starting for Capela in the first two games he was out, Harrell took over his starting gig.
In the three games since Capela injured himself, Harrell has 14.0 PTS on 65.5 FG%, 5.3 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.3 STL, 1.0 BLK and 1.3 TO in 26 minutes a game. Those points, FG%, defensive stats and even rebounds are stellar for a guy who can be had from the waiver wire in most leagues. His only weakness is his free throw shooting where he hits just 52.9%. But he is shooting two or three free throws per game, so at the moment it's not too harmful.
Even though Capela is scheduled to return in four to six weeks, and Donatas Motiejunas has signed with the Rockets (we still don't know what the hell is going on with him), Harrell could be more than a very decent rental. Anyways, his value while Capela is out is more than good enough for owners in deep leagues.
Insanely Deep League Waiver Wire Add
Cory Joseph, PG, TOR (5% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Cory Joseph is your typical average Joe. He contributes everywhere, but just a little. And for a backup point guard behind Kyle Lowry, you can't expect much more. His 8.8 PTS with 0.5 3PM on 44.7 FG% and 78.0 FT%, 2.8 REB, 2.8 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.1 BLK and 1.0 TO in 21 minutes of action this season don't really leave people in awe. But he produces constantly, doesn't miss too many games and doesn't hurt anywhere. That's Joseph for you. A real team player.
The assists and steals are nice, and the percentages and points for a guy owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues aren't too bad either. Furthermore, Toronto is sitting pretty in the number two spot in the East 4.5 games clear of Boston and just 1.5 behind Cleveland. And while it is still possible for them to snatch the Eastern Conference title on paper, LeBron James is unlikely to let that happen. So it is likely that the main reason for Joseph having just around 20 minutes per game is so Kyle Lowry can get an occasional rest day, which would boost Joseph's contribution.
So, if your league is insanely deep, and some points, steals and assists are what you're looking for, Joseph could be the guy for you.
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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.