When you find yourself in a fantasy league where the usual suspects just aren’t found on the waiver wire – what do you do? Well, here’s a list of players just for you – seven players trending up on the fantasy rankings as well as their teams’ depth charts. Some might be permanent, some only injury replacements but, hey, nothing is truly permanent. This week, among others, we’ll take a look at the ever-changing rotation of the Brooklyn Nets and the opportunities within.
Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Deep Waiver Wire Adds
Seth Curry, PG/SG – Brooklyn Nets (29% rostered)
Seth Curry is still gearing up to play at full capacity after returning from an ankle injury earlier in the month. He does seem to have a minutes limit and he might not be playing back-to-backs yet. However, things seem to be trending toward Curry eventually being the second-highest-scoring guard on the Nets. In the last game, he scored 29 points with 7 threes in 28 minutes against Portland.
Jevon Carter, PG – Milwaukee Bucks (24% rostered)
A top-100 player for the season but only the 211th most-owned fantasy basketball player, Carter has established himself as a starter for the Bucks. Unlike Grayson Allen, whose production is tied to the inevitable return of Khris Middleton, Carter will have more long-term value. Carter’s 1.8 threes, 1.5 steals, and 4 assists could be a nice addition to the end-of-bench in deeper leagues.
Paul Reed, PF/C – Philadelphia 76ers (15% rostered)
As long as Joel Embiid is out, which he might be for a while, Paul Reed is a must-roster. In the 4 games since Embiid’s injury, Reed has averaged 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.8 steals with 11 points on an excellent field goal percentage. That ranks him as a top 30 player in category leagues. Top 30 isn’t something that is going to last – particularly after Embiid returns – but Reed is a useful pick-up if you need big-man stats.
Yuta Watanabe, SF – Brooklyn Nets (12% rostered)
Watanabe is expected to return any game now from his 4-game-absence with a hamstring strain. In the previous four games, Watanabe averaged 14.5 points with 3 threes. With the Nets rotation in a state of flux, it is anybody’s guess who the long-term second-tier scorers are going to be but Watanabe has certainly put in a claim.
T.J. Warren, SF/PF – Brooklyn Nets(12% rostered)
The Bubble Jordan, T.J. Warren, is scheduled to make his return to NBA basketball on December 2, after missing two years with a foot injury. As a reminder – Warren ended the 19-20 season as the 12th-best fantasy basketball player in 9-cat leagues. It would be nice to get an elite player off the waivers but, realistically, that’s not going to happen. More likely – Warren will be eased into regular basketball in the upcoming months with, maybe, playing a bigger role during the fantasy playoffs.
T.J. McConnell, PG – Indiana Pacers(11% rostered)
Fantasy basketball legend T.J. McConnell seems to have played himself into a stable role as Tyrese Haliburton’s backup. His upside will always be limited unless Haliburton goes down but McConnell has shown himself year-in-year-out to be able to produce solid fantasy returns in limited minutes. In the last 4 games, McConnell has averaged 6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 13 points with great percentages and low turnovers.
Vlatko Cancar, PF – Denver Nuggets (1% rostered)
With Jeff Green and Michael Porter Jr. out of the Nuggets lineup for the past two games, Cancar has averaged 16 points with 2 blocks and 2.5 threes in 28 minutes. As long as those two remain out, Cancar should be used in most fantasy leagues. After that – back to the waiver wire.