Greetings to my fellow NBA Fantasy Basketball playoffers! Not many chances to tweak your team for that final championship push now. As with every other week, there are always opportunities from injuries and rotational changes to have a fantasy league impact. We’re not in the garbage time part of the NBA regular season just yet so if your league runs to the very end, there’ll be another significant reshuffle of the cards in the upcoming weeks. For now, these are the guys off the waiver wire for week 20:
Week 20 Fantasy Basketball Deep Waiver Wire Adds
Tyus Jones, PG – Memphis Grizzlies (45% rostered)
Stat highlight: Ranks 8th in 9-cat fantasy in games where Ja Morant doesn’t play
With Ja Morant out for at least two games for his proclivities for extra-curricular activities, the fantasy world turns to Tyus Jones. And rightfully so – in the 10 games he’s played without Ja Morant this season, Jones has averaged 19.4 points, 8.1 assists, 2.7 steals, and 2.4 threes made. That would rank him as the 8th best per-game player in 9-cat fantasy. With Morant playing, Jones is outside the top 150 so a long Morant suspension is key for a potential fantasy league-winning run for Tyus Jones.
Kris Dunn, PG/SG – Utah Jazz (19% rostered)
Stat highlight: Ranks 54th in 9-cat since signing for the Jazz
Having signed his second 10-day contract, Dunn has impressed in both real and fantasy basketball this season. The averages of 13 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals with 55% from the field rank him as the 54th-best 9-cat fantasy player for the timespan. The second 10-day contract will run through the next four games so Dunn is a relatively safe add for the next week. Safe as in he won’t be out of the league just yet. Dunn’s playing time is ultimately tied to Collin Sexton’s hamstring strain, which will be re-evaluated today.
Xavier Tillman, PF – Memphis Grizzlies (21% rostered)
Stat highlight: Ranks 102nd in 9-cat since the All-Star break
Steven Adams still seems a ways away from returning from his knee injury and, therefore, Xavier Tillman is the starting center for the Grizzlies. Since the All-Star break, Tillman ranks as the 102nd-best fantasy player with his main contributions being 11 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1 steal, 0.8 blocks, and 52% from the field. With Brandon Clarke out for the season, Tillman should be getting decent minutes even after Steven Adams returns. So, go pick him up if you need a big man.
Charles Bassey, C – San Antonio Spurs (11% rostered)
Stat highlight: Ranks 84th in 9-cat since the All-Star break
With four injured players in the Spurs frontcourt – Jeremy Sochan, Doug McDermott, Zach Collins, Khem Birch – Charles Bassey finds himself back in the Spurs rotation in a big way. In the last week, Bassey has averaged 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 69% from the field. With an expected minutes-bump with all the injuries, that’s not bad at all for a guy you can grab off the waiver wire right now.