Chuma Okeke (PF, ORL): Week 19 Waiver Wire Pickups

Magic forward Chuma Okeke is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 19 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 26% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Before we go ahead with Chuma Okeke's post: the rookie got banged up last Wednesday facing Cleveland, and he already missed a game in yesterday's affair with Memphis. Alright, now you know what's going on with Okeke and that DNP. That being said, Okeke is not expected to miss ample time. Obviously, though, this is a move to make only if you're not really desperate at the position because of the risk of Okeke not seeing the court soon enough to help you. If you can take the flier, though, you should be doing so to have Okeke on your team once he comes back.

Okeke has been great for the Magic, and although he only started 2-of-28 games to kick his pro-career off, he's been on the starting lineup every day from Mar. 26 when he started and played a massive 37 minutes against Portland. In the 17 games he's played since that one, Okeke has put up a good 12-5-3-1 line with 0.7 BPG. Okeke is not going to the line, sure, but his shooting prowess from long distances is quite nice for a big man: he scoring 1+ 3PG on the year and 1.7 in the last seven games he's played.

Orlando's season is lost for good, and they're just starting their long-term rebuilding effort. Okeke should be one of their building rocks, but that also works against us fantasy GMs this season as they might opt to shut him down or limit his minutes out of fear of injury aggravation. If he proves to be healthy enough and plays some five/six games, he might be a good addition for those in super deep leagues looking for big-man help. Okeke is putting up numbers in all cats excepts blocks, and although the turnovers are a bit high nearing 1.3 per game, all of the other stats are quite nice for a widely available nightly starter.

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 February 13, 2025

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 February 2, 2025

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 January 30, 2025

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 January 26, 2025

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 February 19, 2024