Waiver-wire pickups: Look to Cameron Johnson and Bruce Brown
Cam Johnson returned to the Suns last week and has double-double potential for a Suns team in need of production. (0:49)
Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we’ll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
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A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I’ve ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
T.J. McConnell, Indiana Pacers (Rostered in 19.9% of ESPN leagues): Found at 11th on Player Rater among point guards over the past week and fresh from a triple-double opus against the Suns, McConnell is a valuable addition to all fantasy rosters for as long as Tyrese Haliburton remains sidelined.
Killian Hayes, Detroit Pistons (29.3%): Still thriving as a distributor even as his shot isn’t falling, Hayes really doesn’t have much competition for minutes atop a lean Detroit depth chart.
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls (10.5%): Essentially mimicking the production Ben Simmons has delivered in recent weeks, Caruso has posted a nice blend of rebounds, assists, and steals over the past several games.
Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder (28.8%): Both Dort and Jalen Williams have surfaced as helpful two-way players both in real and fantasy terms. Dort has been particularly helpful thanks to averaging 15 points and five boards across his last eight games.
Donte DiVincenzo, Golden State Warriors (6.4%): Strong steal and rebounding rates help DiVincenzo earn steady minutes the Warriors’ rotation.
Seth Curry, Brooklyn Nets (20.2%): Back on the floor and providing steady scoring and shooting results, Curry is a specialist for those in deeper leagues.
Kyle Anderson, Minnesota Timberwolves (23.2%): This methodical playmaker has been central to the team’s offensive efforts lately, regularly flirting with triple-double results as a two-way player for the Timberwolves.
Norman Powell, LA Clippers (27.1%): Hot from the floor in recent games, this scoring guard has impressively averaged 21.3 points in 28 MPG over his past eight appearances and should continue to play a significant role in the coming weeks.
Bruce Brown, Denver Nuggets (27.7%): One of the league’s better glue guys, Brown scores efficiently as a cutter and does enough on defense to merit more attention from managers in roto leagues.
Eric Karabell explains why fantasy managers should invest in Bruce Brown as a valuable player for all fantasy basketball formats.
Josh Richardson, San Antonio Spurs (7.5%): There will be some quiet lines from Richardson in a role that can include some fluctuations in minutes, but he’s also capable of filling the box score as a two-way force for the Spurs.
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks (19.4%): A shallow forward depth chart in Atlanta means big minutes for Hunter, who has been a steady source of scoring for a few weeks now.
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns (17.7%): The Suns’ sharpshooter is back in the fold and ready to space the floor for a Phoenix team in need of his perimeter touch. Mostly a specialist for scoring and shooting value, Johnson could really take off once the team’s star backcourt is back.
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz (14.3%): Even upon Kelly Olynyk‘s eventual return to the rotation, Kessler swats enough shots to merit continued interest. As a starter, he’s an elite source of rebounds and one of the league’s top rim protectors.
Al Horford, Boston Celtics (48.1%): This savvy vet is doing a bit of everything lately, as managers might want to look past his modest scoring clip and appreciate positive contributions across several categories.