Deeper Fantasy Basketball Waiver Adds for Week 3

The NBA season is off to one of the best starts in recent years and it has already translated to very entertaining fantasy basketball. With the Rockets and Wizards posting what will probably be the highest scoring game of the season in the first week, we moved onto the next narrative which has been the success of the 76ers, more recently Furkan Korkmaz. Let's be honest, despite Korkmaz winning the game for Philadelphia over Portland in the waning seconds, and while it will do wonders for his confidence, he still has a ways to go in terms of fantasy relevant production.

In the three contest he has played over 19 minutes, he has been able to score over 10 points in two of them. Not good, but a clear improvement from the third-year player. Against Portland he was able to contribute from the lack of attention from the Trail Blazers defense, but the star of the show before Korkmaz hit the game-winning shot was Anfernee Simons. Simons has been primarily a shooter, but when he gets on the court he gets the ball. When he can find consistency to his scoring it will immediately make him a must-add across all leagues, but for now he's only useful in deeper leagues, similar to Korkmaz. Both these players have showed out in certain instances early this season and this should be a foreshadowing of their upcoming impact.

Make sure to stay updated on injuries and return times, but as far as I'm concerned, these next three players will see the biggest benefit. 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.

Free Agent Waiver Adds for Week 3

Dillon Brooks, G  – Memphis Grizzlies 

Ownership: 7%

11.6 PPG /  1,8 3PTM /  .415 FG% /  1.2 SPG

This is still a developing pick but Dillon Brooks should still get plenty of minutes moving forward. He absolutely, without a doubt, needs to start hitting more shots, but we see the result of when he does and it's what the Grizzlies want complementing JA Morant's style of offense.

Brooks is a low-tier guard and doesn't have the highest ceiling so do not expect him to be posting multiple 20-point games a week. What he will do is contribute a fair amount of steals and points these next few weeks and with the Grizzlies rotation, his role should stay fairly consistent.

Troy Brown Jr., PF – Washington Wizards

Ownership 9%

 9.0 PPG /  4.0 RPG /  1.5 SPG / .636 FG%

The Washington Wizards have been one of the most unpredictable teams this season. With their lack of consistent talent at the top end of the roster, it's given players like Troy Brown Jr. the chance to get serious minutes and actually produce. You can't even really consider this a flier pick since the Wizards are taking whatever they can get in terms of offense. Brown isn't a quality scorer, but his ability to fill the rest of the stat sheet when his shot isn't falling gives him enough value to be picked up in deeper leagues.

As long as he continues to contribute, the Wizards will feel the need to play him. Washington won't win many games this season so there is little downside to picking up Brown since the Wizards rotation seems fairly invested in Brown and the rest of the Washington youth.

 Goga Bitadze, C – Indiana Pacers

Ownership 8%

5.3  PPG /  3.8 RPG /  .500 FG% /  2.3 BPG

Goga Bitadze has been impressive recently and the eight blocks across two games are no fluke. He knows how to contribute defensively and that is going to keep him getting minutes on this Pacers squad. He needs to play behind Domantas Sabonis, but one thing Sabonis lacks is the type of defensive pressure that Bitadze has brought whenever he steps on the court. He still needs to improve like every rookie, but as long as his defense stays consistent the minutes will fall into his lap.

Bitadze plays smart basketball and he will contribute across every category. That is just who is. You can expect points, rebounds, and blocks, but don't be surprised when he starts posting a 4-5 assists two games a week.

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