Gang, we did it. We’re at week 24 with our weird fantasy basketball leagues that go until the very end. If a fantasy league title gets decided this week, I can’t imagine how unfair that is but otherwise, this is fertile grounds for finding random waiver wire players that will have the week of their career. So keep digging. Below is a list of five players that could have a solid fantasy impact in the last week of NBA regular season basketball.
Week 24 Fantasy Basketball Deep Waiver Wire Adds
Svi Mykhailiuk, SF – Charlotte Hornets (5% rostered)
Stat highlight: Ranks as the 16th best 9-cat fantasy player over the last week
With six of the highest usage players (Ball, Washington, Smith Jr., Oubre, Rozier, Hayward) for the Hornets out with injuries, it’s been all Svi for the last week. And, since there’s really nothing in play for the Hornets, it’ll likely be all Svi for the rest of the way too. In the last 3 games, he’s averaged 20 points with 3 threes, 6 assists, 1.7 steals, and a block in 34.7 minutes. The Hornets will play three games in the last week with 2/3rds of the league playing four so there will be a downside to Svi in weekly leagues.
Corey Kispert, SG/SF – Washington Wizards (16% rostered)
Stat highlight: 2nd in the league with 5.4 made three-pointers per game in the last 5 games (Klay is 1st, Steph is 3rd)
Corey Kispert is coming off consecutive career highs in points scored in his last two games – 27 points against Orlando and 29 points against New York. With Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma unlikely to return for the last four games, Kispert will hope to continue his streak of career highs. Besides threes, and points by association, Kispert does not really contribute to other fantasy categories but – hey – 20+ points per game is hard to come by off the waiver wire.
Doug McDermott, SF/PF – San Antonio Spurs (3% rostered)
Stat highlight: Averages 4.4 made threes in his last 7 games
Would you like 30 points from a waiver wire add? Well, Dougie McBuckets over here just scored 30 off the bench in a win over the Kings. What’s better than overreacting to a single game in fantasy and getting 7 points back in the next game? Here’s the opportunity. In reality, though, McDermott has attempted 10 or more shots per game in the last three games so he does seem to have a somewhat considerable role in the Spurs offense. If McDermott is taken, take a look at Julian Champagnie who scored 26 in the same Kings game. He’s definitely available in your league. And will definitely score 26 points per game for the rest of the way.
Theo Maledon, PG – Charlotte Hornets (2% rostered)
Stat highlight: 10.7 assists per game in the last 3 games
Another beneficiary of the Hornets injury calamity, Maledon has been playing close to 40 minutes per game while contributing 12 points, and 10.7 assists per game. He’s also had 5 blocks in the last 3 games from the point guard spot, which is nice to see, though I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it to continue. In any case, what you get here is a classic end-of-season fantasy point guard. Assists are one of the rarest categories on the waiver wire.
Skylar Mays, SG – Portland Trail Blazers (0% rostered)
Stat highlight: 44.6% three-point shooter for the season
Sounds like the Blazers found their guy for their post-Lillard future. Just kidding. Or am I? Coming in with a 10-day contract, Mays has averaged 13.5 points with 2 threes, and 7.5 assists in 30 minutes per game. With Portland really hoping not to win again this season and therefore unlikely to bring back any veteran players, Skylar’s high playing time could continue for the last four games of the season.