By the time you read this, your favorite fantasy basketball player may be suiting up for another team. The trade deadline is here in the NBA and while stars are moved and other players roles are massaged, there will be other--younger--players whose responsibilities increase. Whether it's the front office wanting to see what kind of player they got in this year's draft, or a team shipped its best player and is just phoning it in for a better draft position, there is potential to be found on the waiver wire.
As a reminder, for standard (10-12 team) league adds, we use a general rule of thumb of an ownership rate of under 50% on Yahoo. All position eligibility based on Yahoo leagues.
Looking back at last week's waiver picks, Terry Rozier had a triple-double and 31-point game, finishing the week ranked 27 in nine-cat leagues. Tomas Satoransky averaged two steals per game while also adding 9.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, ending the week ranked 41. Finally, Al-Farouq Aminu had a tough week scoring in double-digits just once.
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Standard League Adds for Week 17
Josh Jackson, SG/SF – Phoenix Suns
Ownership: 51%
10.8 PPG / 3.8 REB / 0.9 STL / . 404 FG%
Jackson's 51 percent ownership is above the threshold allowed for this column, but the fact he is only owned in half of Yahoo's leagues is ridiculous.
It's not clear on whether or not Jackson was brought into head coach Jay Triano's office or if he got a big case of the "forget-its," but since the start of 2018, Jackson has been on an incredible tear compared to the start of his rookie season.
Jackson went from averaging 8.9 shots per game from October through December to 12.9 shots since. His minutes are up, his points have almost doubled, he is rebounding better, passing better and his turnovers are down. Over the last seven days, Jackson is averaging 21.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 56 percent shooting from the floor. That's top-30 value in nine-cat leagues. On Tuesday he had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Only the second double-double of his young career.
There is no reason to believe this will stop anytime soon. The Suns have put together a young nucleus who plays with the fourth fastest pace in the NBA. They'll be a lot of points put up and Jackson will be one of the key contributors through the last 30 games.
Jarrett Allen, PF/C – Brooklyn Nets
Ownership 49%
7.2 PPG / 4.8 REB / .587 FG% / .753 FT%
When Brooklyn dealt starting center Tyler Zeller to Milwaukee for shooting guard Rashad Vaughn and a second-round pick, the message was clear, it was Jarrett Allen's turn.
Allen has started the last five games. During that period he is averaging 16. 5 points and six rebounds and shooting 71 percent. His recent play has caught the eye of head coach Kenny Atkinson.
“He’s doing it on both ends, too. He’s a big part of our offense, and then his defense is obviously rim-protecting and his agility.”
In his last three games, Allen has upped the intensity on the offensive side of the ball shooting 11 times in each game. Since the majority of his points come on dunks, he's been very effective. Over the course of the last week, Allen has produced top-70 value. As he continues to get more minutes--he's topped 25 minutes just three times this season--Allen's numbers should climb.
Andrew Harrison, PG/SG – Memphis Grizzlies
Ownership 28%
8.2 PPG / 2.8 AST / 2.3 REB / .405 FG&
Consider this a gut decision more than anything else. The Grizzlies have made it very clear they are sellers this trade season, and Tyreke Evans is as good as gone. There have been rumors that Mario Chalmers may be sent to a contender as well. With Mike Conley out for the season, Andrew Harrison is more the last man standing than anything else.
Harrison has taken advantage of the increased playing time, averaging 14 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 29.2 minutes while shooting 47.2 percent the last five games. Should one or both players disappear from the rotation, they'll be even more of a reliance on Harrison to take over the role both Evans and Conley have thrived in for Memphis over the years.
Memphis is not here to win games, and Harrison has not lived up to the potential that made him one of the top recruits out of high school. When trade season comes around, however, some of the most unexpected players can be the difference in your fantasy basketball season.
More Fantasy Basketball Analysis
By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.