This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The trade deadline is Thursday, and that is the single-most important event on the fantasy calendar. Managers in leagues with strict acquisition limits should exercise caution with most of the names below, as values unearthed by trades have potential far beyond this week's relatively mediocre waiver wire crop. Preserving flexibility in these final days before the deadline is more important than anything else.
This week's waiver wire is full of solid adds, but lacks a headliner. Tomas Satoransky and Wayne Ellington can help pretty much every fantasy team regardless of settings, but neither are likely to be that key piece that gets you to the championship. Beyond those two, all of these players are add-able, but are also pieces who you shouldn't fret about if you can't fit them in. Lots of good options, but nothing approaching great.
Bobby Portis doesn't qualify for this article anymore, but if he's still available, he's probably a better add than anyone listed below.
As always, all players must be owned in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues.
Adds for All Leagues
Tomas Satoransky, Wizards (36 percent owned)With John Wall out for at least the next five-to-seven weeks, there is a lot of value available in the Wizards' backcourt. Wall has already missed four games, and Satoransky has started all four, averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals. In the first game without Wall, Satoransky was productive, but played less than Tim Frazier. In the three games since,
The trade deadline is Thursday, and that is the single-most important event on the fantasy calendar. Managers in leagues with strict acquisition limits should exercise caution with most of the names below, as values unearthed by trades have potential far beyond this week's relatively mediocre waiver wire crop. Preserving flexibility in these final days before the deadline is more important than anything else.
This week's waiver wire is full of solid adds, but lacks a headliner. Tomas Satoransky and Wayne Ellington can help pretty much every fantasy team regardless of settings, but neither are likely to be that key piece that gets you to the championship. Beyond those two, all of these players are add-able, but are also pieces who you shouldn't fret about if you can't fit them in. Lots of good options, but nothing approaching great.
Bobby Portis doesn't qualify for this article anymore, but if he's still available, he's probably a better add than anyone listed below.
As always, all players must be owned in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues.
Adds for All Leagues
Tomas Satoransky, Wizards (36 percent owned)With John Wall out for at least the next five-to-seven weeks, there is a lot of value available in the Wizards' backcourt. Wall has already missed four games, and Satoransky has started all four, averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals. In the first game without Wall, Satoransky was productive, but played less than Tim Frazier. In the three games since, however, Satoransky's minutes increased to match his starting role, averaging 27.7 minutes per game. He's a solid, well-rounded addition who should be added by all managers who can afford the slight dip in assists. In very deep leagues (16 teams or more), Tim Frazier (12 percent owned) is a possible substitute.
Andrew Harrison, Grizzlies (39 percent owned)
I'm an Andrew Harrison skeptic, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I tried to ignore his last week. With Mike Conley (heel) now ruled out for the season, and the Grizzlies sidelining Tyreke Evans while they try to finalize a trade, the primary ball-handling responsibilities were up for grabs in Memphis.
Mario Chalmers was the man many (including myself) expected to benefit most, but he was injured for the first two games of Evans' benching, opening the door for Harrison. Harrison took advantage, and by the time Chalmers returned Sunday, Harrison had already laid claim to the starting role. In the three games since Memphis shut down Evans, Chalmers is averaging 30.0 minutes, 15.7 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. There is value to be had here, and if Harrison maintains control of the starting role through the trade deadline (a big if), he could be a strong, long-term add.
Reggie Bullock, Pistons (26 percent owned)
Bullock has been stellar for the last five games. However, more important than Bullock's 33.0 minutes, 15.0 points and 3.2 threes per game over that span is what is happening to the Pistons when he is off the floor. His on/off net rating is third among regular rotation players. The offense looks cramped when he's not there providing spacing -- though, in fairness, the numbers don't match the eye-test on that. If you are adding a three-point specialist, I'd still rather have Wayne Ellington (42 percent owned), but if you've ever read this column before then you probably already knew that.
Other suggestions:Wayne Ellington, Heat (42, percent owned); Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kings (51 percent owned); Marquese Chriss, Suns (50 percent owned); Bojan Bogdanovic, Pacers (53 percent owned); Boban Marjanovic, Clippers (21 percent owned); Royce O'Neale, Jazz (2 percent owned)
Speculative Adds
Terry Rozier, Celtics (58 percent owned)Rozier has been great over the past week with both Kyrie Irving (quad) and Marcus Smart (hand) out. He's an excellent short-term add, as Smart is expected to be out through the All-Star break, but Rozier's immediate value will dip when Irving returns, which could be as early as Tuesday night. Every time Rozier has had the opportunity to play extended minutes, he's shown that he belongs on fantasy rosters.
In the 12 games in which he's played at least 28 minutes, Rozier has averaged 15.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 threes per game (30.6 MPG). That would be fantastic, except that Rozier is usually stuck behind Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown on the backcourt depth chart. There are a lot of rumors about the Celtics potentially acquiring a guard – which would be bad for Rozier – but there are also rumblings about a potential Marcus Smart trade. If Smart is traded and the return package does not include a traditional guard, then Rozier would become a must-add in all formats.
Jarrett Allen, Nets (51 percent owned)
Allen's value isn't necessarily tied to the trade deadline. Rather, the "speculative" nature of this recommendation is that Allen is a raw, talented rookie, and we are reaching the point in the season when non-playoff teams often start giving extended minutes to young prospects. He's already seen his minutes increase to 25.7 per game over the past three contests, up from the 17.2 per game he was averaging before this recent run. Allen is a talented rebounder and shot-blocker, and blocks have been particularly hard to come by on the waiver wire this season.
Other recommendations:Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kings (51 percent owned); Josh Hart, Lakers (9 percent owned); Andrew Harrison, Grizzlies (39 percent owned); Mario Chalmers, Grizzlies (9 percent owned)
