Chuma Okeke (PF, ORL): Week 15 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 46% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Chuma Okeke couldn't have a worse closure to the 2020 calendar year: an injury that left him out of basketball courts all the way up until Feb. 2. That probably hurt, but that also made Okeke come back a much stronger and better player than the version he showed through the first week of his freshman season.

Okeke has played 27 games since that comeback-game against Toronto back in early February, and he's raising the bar nightly, most of all of late. Since coming back from the AS break on March 11, Okeke has logged six starts in 12 games for a Magic squad that, in that same span, has seen all of Nikola Vucevic, Evan Fournier, and Aaron Gordon depart Florida. Makes sense to find Okeke getting rather large playing runs (average of 33 MPG in his last four starts) as the Magic are now surely into the first steps of a top-to-bottom rebuilding effort and need to know what they have and what they don't in tow.

For fantasy GMs, this is a golden opportunity to score themselves a quite nice asset ROS. Okeke is almost rostered in half of Yahoo leagues already, and that percentage will keep creeping upward during the next few days and weeks. Okeke has averaged a ridiculous 16-6-2-1 line in his last five games (four starts), has been above-average on a per-minute basis posting 1.03 FP/min, and his fantasy scores have not fallen from 28 FP since he became a starter, topping at 41 against Portland with a 22-6-4-2 stuffed line. Okeke is shooting incredibly well (60% from the floor on 10+ FGA), hitting 2.4 3PM a night in the last week, and comes with both rebound/diming upside. Must-have players for those in even not-so-deep leagues still widely available.

More Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

RotoBaller Writing and Media Team Nominated For 13 FSWA Awards in 2024

It's awards season for the fantasy sports industry, and RotoBaller is honored to be recognized by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) with various award nominations from our writing and media team in 2024. The RotoBaller brand continues to shine among the many talented companies and analysts throughout the fantasy sports industry for their editorial […]

RotoBaller 2 weeks ago

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (2024-25): February 3 - February 9

If you're like me, you woke up to one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history (Luka for AD) and are still trying to make sense of it. It will likely be the biggest trade of the week, but it won't be the only deal made this week as Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. […]

Dan Palyo 3 weeks ago

League Winners: Second-Half Trade Targets and Stashes - 2025 Fantasy Basketball

Things have not gone as planned for fantasy basketball managers who drafted players like Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. But there's plenty of basketball left to be played and it's time to reassess how we view players going forward. If you want to win that fantasy basketball league championship, worry less about where your players […]

Dan Palyo 4 weeks ago

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (2024-25): January 27 - February 2

We flip the calendar to February this week and edge closer to both the All-Star break and the NBA trade deadline. Some of the moves you can make in the next few weeks could greatly impact your team's ability to compete for a fantasy championship in March or April! Most leagues have a weekly moves […]

Dan Palyo 4 weeks ago

League Winners: Players To Stash For the Stretch Run - 2024 Fantasy Basketball

The All-Star Break is upon us and while it's nice to have some time off from setting lineups, making DFS lineups, and placing bets. It's also a nice time to look ahead and what moves you can make to put your team in the best position possible to win a fantasy basketball title. Remember, the […]

Dan Palyo 1 year ago