As we enter week 3 of the season, there are some interesting names available on the fantasy basketball waiver wire. Players are finally starting to shake off their rust and rookies are beginning to show their worth. Some have long-term potential, others have a clear path to minutes due to injuries. Then there are always the overperformers who you need to own and ride their hot streak. Here’s my breakdown for this upcoming week of fantasy basketball.
Week 3 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Pickup of the Week:
Elie Okobo, Phoenix Suns: 3 games
The Suns have had point guard issues since the start of last season. Everyone remembers the Eric Bledsoe fiasco. The Suns addressed that issue in the draft, selecting Elie Okobo with the first pick of the second round. The Suns took a long look at Okobo in two games, playing 18 and 31 minutes most recently. He performed well, showing his range by knocking down 5 threes and dishing out 9 dimes.
Isaiah Canaan went down with an ankle injury which led to Okobo’s 31 minutes. But the Suns are clearly in rebuild mode, which could push them to take an even longer look at the Frenchman. This could be Okobo’s shot to grab a hold of the point guard position in Phoenix.
Other Week 3 Fantasy Basketball Pickups:
Justin Holiday, Chicago Bulls: 4 games
Justin Holiday has made a career on depleted teams. He was fantasy relevant on the Knicks last season and finds himself relevant once again on a banged-up Bulls team. Holiday is going to get a ton of minutes with Kris Dunn, Bobby Portis and Lauri Markkanen out. He has already played some power forward this year.
Holiday is still available in over 65% of fantasy basketball leagues. He’ll help you everywhere minus blocks and FG percentage. He could average over 30 minutes per game for a nice stretch until the Bulls get a little healthier.
Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets: 3 games
Miles Bridges was one of my small forward sleepers coming into the year and now may be the time to grab him. James Borrego has already played around with his lineups and Bridges suddenly finds himself as the sixth man for Charlotte. Bridges has been great on the fast break and has enough of a stroke to nail it from deep. Bridges has played 26 and 30 minutes his last two games and responded with solid performances. The rookie could also see minutes at power forward in small ball lineups.
Bridges is still available in over 80% of fantasy basketball leagues. It would be wise to scoop him up before people start realizing his current role in Charlotte.
Bryn Forbes, San Antonio Spurs: 4 games
Forbes made my fantasy basketball waiver wire list last week and he is still available in over 70% of leagues. The Spurs are thin at guard and have made DeMar DeRozan their primary ball handler putting Forbes in the sharpshooter role. Forbes has shot the ball extremely well and has been able to chip in in other categories.
It wouldn’t shock me if Forbes became one of the premier three-point point shooters in the league as the season goes on. The Spurs aren’t expecting anyone to return to the lineup anytime soon.
Damyean Dotson, New York Knicks: 4 games
When Kevin Knox went down, many thought Mario Hezonja would be inheriting his minutes, including myself. But Damyean Dotson has played at a much better level defensively and it has kept him in games. Known as a shooter coming out of Houston, Dotson has chipped in with some nice rebounding numbers and even locked in a double-double against Miami.
The Knicks lineup has been puzzling, and it might get worse with the return of Emmanuel Mudiay. But Dotson is the type of player that knows his skills and doesn’t try to do too much, which should endear him to coach Fizdale. He’s still available in over 70% of fantasy basketball leagues.
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Through two weeks, fantasy basketball rosters are bound to see a ton of changes. Early busts are cut loose, hot names are added and sometimes players you desperately need to find their way on the waiver wire. Make sure these guys aren’t free agents in your leagues:
Nemanja Bjelica, Sacramento Kings: 4 games
The Kings have Bagley and Giles but it’s Nemanja Bjelica who has been lights out all season and earned more minutes in Sacramento. The 30-year-old has completely outplayed both youngsters with contributions in the passing game (3 apg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), and on the defensive side of the ball (1.2 spg). Bjelica has been a part of the Kings’ top three most played lineups.
Since he’s owned in over 60% of leagues, it might be too late for some. But if he’s out on your waiver wire, grab him and ride the hot streak before the Kings realize they have young talent to develop in his stead.
Larry Nance, Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 games
Larry Nance should have been drafted and is sitting at around 75% ownership. But if you’re in the lucky 25% then I’d advise you to grab him ASAP. The Cavaliers just made a head coaching change and reports say Kevin Love could be on the shelf for over a month. This screams opportunity for Nance, and on a roster lacking talent, the former Laker should see a massive uptick in minutes.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see him average a double-double on good shooting splits. The Cavaliers are a mess and he could see a ton of work alongside rookie Collin Sexton. Make sure he’s not on your waiver wire.
Keep an eye on:
Zach Collins, Portland Trail Blazers: 5 games
Though Collins has been performing well, he’s only playing 20.4 minutes per game. He’s also shooting at a ridiculous 69.2% mark, which is a far cry from the 39.8% he shot from the floor last year. Granted, he’s supposed to improve, but shooting near 30% better and leading the league with an 82.8 true shooting percentage is unsustainable for a stretch big.
If he starts getting more playing time over this coming week, then he could be in consideration for a pickup. Though, it might be tough to hold back though the former 10th overall pick is already sitting at over 40% ownership through two weeks.
DeAndre’ Bembry, Atlanta Hawks: 4 games
Raise your hand if you knew Deandre’ Bembry was the 21st pick in 2016. I’ll wait.
The Hawks forward made a name for himself at St. Joseph’s, averaging 17, seven, and four his junior year. Bembry hasn’t had much of an opportunity to play so far in the NBA. But he’s averaging 25.8 minutes per game this year, and while his numbers aren’t eye-popping, he’s contributing in a variety of categories. He’s contributing with big defensive numbers and the Hawks are starved for talent. He could play himself into a nice role this season.
If he can boost his sub-40% shooting, Bembry could become a name we talk about more this season. I wouldn’t recommend picking him up just yet, as he’s still available in over 90% of fantasy basketball leagues. Keep an eye on him though.
If you have any pressing fantasy basketball questions, feel free to ask me on twitter @JPBalladier.