Deep Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Adds (Week 11)

December 30, 2019

Deeper fantasy basketball waiver wire adds for Week 11. These are three NBA players owned in less than 50% of fantasy basketball leagues and should be picked up.

Quite a few players have been making a name for themselves during late-December, so make sure you are taking advantage of injuries and ideal streamer plays. For example, Jordan McLaughlin of the Minnesota Timberwolves has already been assigned to the G-League, but that's still 19 points at the start of the week with little to no adverse effects. If your league doesn't punish you for abusing the waiver wire, do it.

You might see some names you have never seen before, but that's common during this part of the year. You will see this type of trend again late in the season with teams that are safely in the playoffs and teams out of contention, so even though I'll be here to guide you along the way, one injury update or one player getting called up can make a huge difference in your weekly matchup. Those players make all the difference during fantasy league playoffs.

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. If you have any questions find me in the NBA Chat Room or @ on Twitter.

Free Agent Waiver Adds for Week 11

Gary Payton II, SG  – Washington Wizards

Ownership: 10%

11.7 PPG /  7.3 RPG /  .560 FG% /  4.3 SPG / 4.0 APG / 1.7 3MPG

There aren't many players that have made a bigger splash this week than Gary Payton II. He's played in just three games, two times having upwards of SIX steals. That's incredible on it's own, not to mention he has stuffed the rest of the stat sheet. With 13 steals already under his belt, he is carrying teams in that category alone. If you missed the chance, you need to go to the wire right now and put in your claim. There is no way he lasts much longer with that type of production, and looking where the Wizards are headed, he might be the Wizards prized possession here on out.

Regardless of the outcome of each game, Payton is dominating the stats and he will continue to see minutes even if he starts to struggle from the field. It's great to see his defense and athleticism translating to success, so look for this to become a trend and do not hesitate to pull the trigger if you are debating picking him up.

Gorgui Dieng, PF/C – Minnesota Timberwolves

Ownership 30%

 6.5 PPG /  .434 FG% /  5.1 RPG / 1.0 BPG

What? Is it 2016? Is Gorgui Dieng relevant again? Technically, yes. Dieng is posting top 40 numbers over the past two weeks and that shouldn't be taken lightly. Losing games during this part of your fantasy season could cost you later in the playoffs. Dieng won't ensure you win, but he'll sure as heck give you some nice counting stats to help fill any leaks you might have in your roster. His production isn't anything special, but it is similar to what he was doing when he was seeing close to 30 minutes way back when. For the time being, Dieng should be rostered and played, but once Karl-Anthony Towns returns, all his stats are almost guaranteed to take a dip.

Anzejs Pasecniks, PF/C – Washington Wizards

Ownership 1%

9.2  PPG /  4.7 RPG /  .553 FG% /  21 MPG

This is absolutely my favorite pickup of the article, week, month, whatever. Nobody knows about Anzejs Pasecniks unless they have been subjecting themselves to the torture that is Washington Wizards basketball. Truth be told, Jordan McRae, Pasecniks, and Gary Payton II have been great entertainment and diehards like myself, live for blowout games where bench players see starters minutes. In this case, we have a seven-footer with touch around the rim and the ability to actually rebound with little defensive upside. Brutal, but honest.

Pasecniks still needs to prove himself on both ends of the court, but he has the ability to produce against any team, whether it's a blowout or a close game. The Wizards are struggling which means they will resort to their backups sooner rather than later, so Pasecniks size and scoring ability bumps him to the front of the line. The fact that he can help with rebounding doesn't hurt his upside, but realistically he should be utilized for points leagues and anyone punting three's.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis