Isaiah Stewart (C, DET) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 18% of leagues

ANALYSIS: I understand that it is still early to judge, but here's a little nugget I found while digging through my spreadsheets: 16 players have averaged a double-double in the early season through Saturday. Only 15 of them are not named Isaiah Stewart.

Another way to put that is to say that Beef Stew might not be the type of player you envision when you hear "big man" or "center" or anything of the like, but he knows how to bully his way toward points and bords like the best of chefs out there.

Stewart, of course, is the only player rostered in fewer than 40% of ESPN leagues among those in that 16-player group, and one of two below 64% along with Nicolas Claxton. Gotta strike when the iron is hot, brothers and sisters.

If you want to add even more value to Stewie's ongoing dub-dub averages, it must be said that he's been able to keep it up through three games played and a total of 87 minutes. That's a mark topped by just four other players on that dub-dub madness, just in case you thought Stewart's exploits are fluky.

Stewart has put up either 10 points or 10 rebounds in all of his three games to date and although the shooting has sucked more than its fair share (32 FG%) at least he's making up for that with the dub-dubbing by the way of the free-throw line (8, 4, and 10 FTA).

The turnovers have been low at just 1 TOPG through Saturday and even playing a back-to-back series this weekend Stewart has managed to stay on the court for 31 and 30 MP in each of those two nights. Must-roster in all leagues and a must-start in any 12+ team league out there with the Pistons expected to run with the young guns as much as they can.

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 1 week 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 3 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