This year, RotoBaller is separating its waiver wire recommendations by position a little differently. In our three position breakdowns, we'll be separating players into GUARDS, including point guards (PG), shooting guards (SG), and combo guards (PG/SG); WINGS, including small forwards (SF), swing men (SG/SF), and small ball fours (SF/PF); and BIGS, including power forwards (PF), centers (C), and bigs who play both front court spots (PF/C).
All of these positional recommendations will be written from the point of view of rotisserie leagues, meaning they'll value across the board category contributions. They're still useful for head-to-head category leagues, but they won't take into account how well a player fits into your ability to punt categories in H2H settings. We'll provide options who may be available in both standard leagues (less than 50% owned) and deeper leagues (less than 25% owned). All position eligibility and ownership rates based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
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Standard League Waiver Wire Guard Adds
Matthew Dellavedova, PG/SG, MIL (43% Owned)
Milwaukee was able to snatch Matthew Dellavedova away from Cleveland with a four year deal worth $38 million. Apparently, that’s all the point guard depth they needed as they shipped out Michael Carter-Williams to Chicago making them super thin at the PG spot. To be fair, traditional ball handling depth isn’t needed since Giannis Antetokounmpo is the point-forward. So, how are all the minutes at point being distributed in the early going? Matthew Dellavedova is getting the starts with an average of 32.5 MPG over the last two games, with rookie two-guard Malcolm Brogdon seeing to backup duties averaging 16.5 MPG. The only other "point guard" on the roster is JET, the 39-year-old Jason Terry.
Aside from ball handling ability, Delly provides defense on the perimeter and added spacing on the offensive end, an area where Milwaukee has been really hurt by the loss of star Khris Middleton. His current playing situation is great as he’ll have a clear path to minutes all year with little obstacles standing in his way. Dellavedova is widely available in leagues and in terms of season-long value, should be able to hold down the starting spot with relative ease. He’ll be a cheap source of assists, steals, and treys in standard leagues.
Sergio Rodriguez, PG, PHI (34% Owned)
Jerryd Bayless tore a ligament in his wrist during pre-season and what was supposed to be a two-week absence evolved into a month-long stint, just avoiding surgery. It could end up being longer as no firm timetable has been set. Sergio Rodriguez has been getting the starts over T.J. McConnell and should do so until Bayless is healthy enough to return -- and perhaps longer.
Spanish Chocolate has been fantastic in the early season, averaging 1.0 3PTM, 13.0 PTS, 4.0 REB, 7.0 AST in 30.5 MPG. Early speculation was that he’d be time-sharing with TJ McConnell, but that’s since dissipated with Rodriguez’s superb play. It’s entirely possible that Rodriguez keeps the starting job even with Bayless’ return. If he keeps this up, then the Sixers may be forced to give him the minutes.
There’s enough value here to snag him from the wire in most leagues. If you’ve got something at the end of your bench worth cutting, Rodriguez is a decent play. For some reason, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones are more owned in Yahoo leagues. Come on guys.
Standard League Honorable Mentions: Ty Lawson (33% owned), Ish Smith (49% owned), Tyler Johnson (26% owned)
Deep League Waiver Wire Guard Adds
J.J. Barea, PG/SG, DAL (16% Owned)
It looks like Rick Carlisle will go small when the Mavericks decide to rest Dirk Nowitzki (or even when occasionally moving Dirk to center), inserting JJ Barea next to Deron Williams in the starting lineup. On top of that, Barea has been getting the most minutes at backup PG over Seth Curry logging 34.0 MPG in the early season. It’s not a surprise as he remains one of Carlisle’s favorite guards to deploy for his play-making and shot-making abilities. Of course, things could change once Devin Harris gets healthy or if Seth Curry finds his place in the lineup. Regardless, I still like him to post value for low-end assists and treys. The upside isn’t there at his age, but he’s a proven NBA veteran and should continue to get the minutes.
In two games, Barea has averaged 1.5 3PTM, 16.0 PTS, 3.5 REB, 5.5 AST, which is great production from the backup spot. He’ll have peaks and valleys, but with the path to minutes being clear, should be relevant season-long. Add in that he’d be next in line to start should Deron miss time for injury (it’s going to happen) and I like his outlook for the season. He’s available in most leagues and should be owned more than Seth Curry at this point in the season.
Deep League Honorable Mentions: E'Twaun Moore (19% owned), Patrick Mills (19% owned), Wade Baldwin IV (8% owned)
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.