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.
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 available in free agency in at least a third of 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.
Point Guard
Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks (Rostered in 42.2% of leagues): The absence of heliocentric superstar Luka Doncic has led to Brunson becoming a fantasy force in recent games. Entering Sunday's slate, the Villanova product has averaged 18.7 points and 6.7 assists during his last three games. As long as he's the team's lead creator, Brunson merits more attention from fantasy managers.
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers (55.1%): Tied for eighth in total assists and found at 16th in total steals entering Sunday's action, Rubio has been a positive contributor in multiple categories in both real and fantasy regards in this successful first stint in Cleveland.
Patty Mills, Brooklyn Nets (23.3%): As one of the rare Brooklyn regulars available to play this week, the green light to find his own shot is even brighter for Mills these days. Averaging 17 points and 3.2 3-pointers during his last nine games, all starts, Mills has surfaced as a worthy shooting specialist amid this interim bump in opportunity rates.
Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets (26.8%): While he'll never really rise as a passing force given Nikola Jokic's elite distribution skills, Morris has thrived in a complementary creation role as Denver's starting point guard recently. Despite being an afterthought in most fantasy formats, Morris has averaged 17.1 points and solid passing and shooting results in December.
Shooting Guard
Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies (56.9%): Third among shooting guards on the Player Rater during the last 15 days thanks to elite scoring and shooting efficiency, Bane continues to enjoy a breakout second season in Memphis. Showing real shooting prowess even as the volume and degree of difficulty of his attempts increase, Bane is one of the best shooting specialists to target.
Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder (45.8%): Flirting with a triple-double on most nights while averaging 10.3 PPG, 11.3 RPG, and 7.0 APG during the last week, Giddey's encouraging block percentage hints at a fun fantasy ceiling down the road. For now, a lack of shooting acumen and a high turnover rate offsets some of his playmaking skills. Such a high rebounding rate, however, is helpful for those with a need for support on the glass.
Small Forward
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic (47.4%): A stellar 10-game stretch dating back to November 29 includes this rookie averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 dimes, and respectable defensive rates. The passing acumen is impressive for a rookie wing, as is the ability to score efficiently. Maybe Wagner's numbers dip once some shooting regression and increased roster competition mounts, but he's one the most underrated forwards in fantasy at the moment.
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies (37.7%): Tasked with a greater offensive workload in the wake of Morant's injury, Brooks has joined Bane as strong complementary perimeter scorers for a surging Grizzlies roster. Just barely behind Jaren Jackson Jr. for the team lead in usage rate whenever Morant isn't on the court, Brooks should continue to score at a relevant rate in the weeks ahead.
Power Forward
Jae'Sean Tate, Houston Rockets (28.7%): Somewhat like Wagner, Tate has taken on a larger role for a young roster and has responded with atypically strong passing rates for a wing. During his last 10 games, Tate has impressively averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 boards, and 5.0 dimes to go with a stellar 2.7 combined steals and blocks. Tallying a Robert Covington-like defensive profile while flashing some passing potential is a fun combination for such a widely available player.
Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons (50.8%): With the highest leap in usage rate among Detroit's starters whenever Jerami Grant is off the floor this season, Bey stands to "benefit" most from his peer's absence due to injury. More shots and more screens to free him for free looks means an uptick in scoring and shooting value from Bey, who seems to be enjoying a positive correction in shooting efficiency.
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets (50.0): The defensive numbers aren't very impressive despite his on-ball prowess, which limits Gordon to being a borderline fantasy starter. This said, Gordon plays heavy minutes in a good system and should see plenty of easy looks next to Nikola Jokic.
Center
Chris Boucher, Toronto Raptors (54.8%): With Precious Achiuwa ailing, Boucher has been given a chance to reclaim a key role in the Raptors' rotation. An awesome source of blocks and 3-point production last season, Boucher has posted at least one block in eight straight games and has posted at least seven rebounds in four of the last five. It's unclear if this role endures, but it's great to see Boucher regain relevance.
Steven Adams, Memphis Grizzlies (38.6%): Rebounding chances are defined as being the closest player to an available rebound. Adams is fifth in the entire league during the last 10 games with 19.6 chances on the glass per game during this sample. While you won't net much in terms of scoring from Adams, volume rebounding and a helpful steal rate help keep him relevant as a streaming option.