X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Bench Risers: Waiver Wire Sleepers for Fantasy Basketball (Week 16)

NBA teams have a multitude of players coming off the bench, each with a unique role to fill. As a fantasy owner, you need to decide which of those players can contribute across multiple categories and have the potential to make the most of their time on the court.

To find bench players that can contribute more than just energy and defense during their time on the court, I will analyze usage rate and Per 36 statistics.

Below are my Week 16 bench risers and waiver wire adds for fantasy basketball. These are some bench players whose stock should be rising based on their recent play and could be great fantasy pickups for deep leagues.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders leads the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with his exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Rising NBA Bench Performers

Note: I will only be selecting players who are not regular starters and who are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.

Lucas Nogueira (PF/C, TOR) 32% owned- Nogueira is one of those players who looks better on a fantasy stat line than in real life, but that's what we're here for after all. Patrick Patterson is injured and Jared Sullinger has been uninspiring since returning from his own injury. Nogueira's playing time, or lack thereof, has been the biggest knock on his value. Only recently has he seen around 25 minutes consistently and he has only stretched past the 30-minute mark once in the past month. When he's on the court, he's been mostly productive on a limited offensive basis.

Nogueira has been dominating the FG% category with a .676 mark this season, but it's only translating into 5.4 PPG. The problem is that he barely shoots the ball over five times per 36 minutes on the floor, relying mainly on putbacks. If you're looking for blocks and rebounds, he is your man. Nogueira averages 8.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per 36. If he can stay on the floor longer, he may be valuable in deep leagues for blocks and FG% alone.

 

Matt Barnes (SF/PF, SAC) 20% owned - He won't win the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award any time soon, but Barnes is still a valuable asset to NBA teams. In the absence of Rudy Gay, Barnes has been an unlikely beneficiary. In the last two games, Barnes has hoisted up 10 shot attempts in each, resulting in 11 and 19 points respectively. He's not a threat to score 20 on any given night (he's done so once all season), but his rebounding has been more than impressive. In the last four games, Barnes is pulling his best Dennis Rodman impersonation (tattoos and all) by grabbing 47 boards.

Known for his defense more than his shooting, Barnes can hit the three but not consistently enough to rely on. He's jacking up 5.5 threes per 36 minutes, but hitting at a modest .328 clip. His overall shooting percentage is even more of a drag, at .378. He is also contributing a career-high 3.9 assists per 36, which could also climb if he stays involved offensively. Believe it or not, Barnes's value could rise even higher if the Kings deal Aaron Afflalo. He provides good rebounding stats for a SF, decent scoring for a PF, but likely slots at your extra forward spot in deeper leagues for the remainder of this season.

 

Larry Nance Jr. (PF, LAL) 21% owned - Senior must be proud. Highlight-reel dunks aside, Nance Jr. has suddenly become a double-double machine. In the last two games, his minutes reached the 30-minute mark both times after having done so only three times all year. He responded with 18/11 against the Celtics and 10/10 against the Knicks. In his second NBA season, Nance is nearly averaging a double-double per 36 minutes on the floor, with 11.3 points and 9.0 rebounds. This also comes with a solid .563 FG%.

Unfortunately, there aren't many secondary stats giving Nance a boost, as he doesn't block many shots (1.1 per 36) or dish out assists (3.0 per 36). The key will be opportunity and usage. At 13% usage on the year, Nance hasn't figured too prominently in the offense yet. If the Lakers' youth movement fully takes over in the second half, you can at least expect more double-doubles in the near future for Nance Jr.


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nolan Arenado8 hours ago

Red Sox Emerge As Strong Candidate To Land Nolan Arenado
Chris Martin8 hours ago

Rangers Agree On One-Year Deal
Christian Watson8 hours ago

Packers Confirm Torn ACL For Christian Watson
Ezekiel Elliott9 hours ago

Signing With Chargers
Jalen Johnson9 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
Bilal Coulibaly9 hours ago

Could Be Ready To Return Against Houston
Malcolm Brogdon10 hours ago

Will Not Play Tuesday
Jordan Poole10 hours ago

Uncertain Against Houston
Bub Carrington10 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Tuesday
Jalen Green10 hours ago

Questionable Against Washington
Tari Eason10 hours ago

Doubtful Tuesday Against The Wizards
Josh Richardson10 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Lauri Markkanen10 hours ago

Could Return Tuesday Against Atlanta
Keyonte George10 hours ago

Ruled Out For Tuesday
John Collins11 hours ago

Out Tuesday Against Atlanta
Jordan Clarkson11 hours ago

Will Miss At Least Two Weeks
Yuki Kawamura11 hours ago

Available To Play Monday Against The Mavericks
Anthony Santander11 hours ago

Viewed As "Focus" For Toronto
Luke Kennard11 hours ago

Available To Play Monday
Desmond Bane11 hours ago

Downgraded To Out Against Dallas
Tanner Scott11 hours ago

Seeking $20M AAV On Open Market
Luis Arraez11 hours ago

No Longer Viewed As Option For The Yankees
Jalen Brunson11 hours ago

Cleared To Face Orlando
Karl-Anthony Towns11 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Michael Lorenzen12 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Kansas City
Luke Kennard12 hours ago

Available For Monday's Game
Andre Drummond12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Suns
Gavin Lux12 hours ago

Traded To Cincinnati
Deandre Ayton12 hours ago

Available On Monday
Ben Simmons12 hours ago

Won't Play On Monday
Kyler Murray12 hours ago

"100 Percent" Chance That Kyler Murray Will Start For Cardinals In 2025
Brock Purdy12 hours ago

Wants Contract Done Sooner Than Later
Christian McCaffrey13 hours ago

"Definitely Close" To Being Fully Recovered
Jayden Daniels13 hours ago

Commanders "Not Concerned" With Jayden Daniels' Leg Soreness
Amari Cooper13 hours ago

Bills Hopeful Amari Cooper Will Be Available In Wild-Card Round
Erik Haula13 hours ago

Expected To Miss "A Few Weeks"
Patrik Laine13 hours ago

Misses Third Consecutive Game
Adam Larsson13 hours ago

Available Monday
Dakota Joshua13 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Elias Pettersson14 hours ago

Remains Out On Monday
Quinn Hughes14 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision For Monday
Aaron Ekblad14 hours ago

Unlikely To Play On Monday
Chicago Bears15 hours ago

Bears Seek Permission To Interview Mike McCarthy For Head-Coaching Job
Jalen Hurts15 hours ago

Still In The Concussion Protocol
Anthony Richardson15 hours ago

Will Be Colts Starter In 2025
San Diego Padres15 hours ago

Padres' Biggest Priority Has Been Roki Sasaki
Luis Arraez16 hours ago

Yankees Talking With Padres About Luis Arraez
Ryan Weathers16 hours ago

Loses Weight In Offseason
Las Vegas Raiders16 hours ago

Antonio Pierce Expects To Return As Raiders Head Coach
Owen White16 hours ago

Reds Acquire Owen White From Rangers
Triston Casas17 hours ago

Very Much Available Via Trade?
Chicago Bears17 hours ago

Chicago Requests Interview With Mike Kafka For Head-Coaching Job
Geno Smith17 hours ago

Expected To Return To Seattle
Christian Watson18 hours ago

Believed To Have Suffered A Torn ACL
Seattle Seahawks18 hours ago

Seahawks Fire Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb
Chicago Bears18 hours ago

Bears Formally Request To Interview Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn For Head-Coaching Job
Zay Flowers18 hours ago

Considered Day-To-Day
Michael Pittman Jr.19 hours ago

Dealing With Fracture In His Back
Brian Thomas Jr.19 hours ago

Tops Century Mark In Loss To Colts
New England Patriots20 hours ago

Patriots Request To Interview Ben Johnson
New York Jets20 hours ago

Jets Request Interviews With Arthur Smith, Bobby Slowik, Joe Brady
Luis Castillo21 hours ago

Baltimore, Seattle Having Trade Discussions Around Luis Castillo
Steven Matz21 hours ago

Cardinals Continuing To Explore Trades For Steven Matz
Ryan Helsley21 hours ago

No Longer Being Shopped
Masyn Winn21 hours ago

Cardinals Have Not Had Concrete Conversations Regarding Masyn Winn's Extension
Nolan Arenado21 hours ago

Boston The "Preferred" Destination For Nolan Arenado
Cavan Biggio22 hours ago

Inks Minor-League Deal With Kansas City
Frank Vatrano23 hours ago

Nets Two Goals On Sunday Evening
Sebastian Aho23 hours ago

Leads Carolina To Victory With Three-Point Night
Bo Horvat23 hours ago

Scores Game-Winner On Sunday
Filip Chytil23 hours ago

Scores Twice On Sunday
Jake McCabe23 hours ago

Exits Early On Sunday
Philip Tomasino24 hours ago

Placed On Injured Reserve
Kris Letang2 days ago

Returns To Penguins Lineup
William Carrier2 days ago

Misses Sunday's Game With A Lower-Body Injury
Aaron Ekblad2 days ago

Sits Out Sunday's Practice
Travis Hamonic2 days ago

To Miss Up To Four Weeks
Linus Ullmark2 days ago

Out Week-To-Week
Frank Vatrano2 days ago

Signs Three-Year Extension With Ducks
Gavin Lux2 days ago

Yankees, Mariners Have Shown Interest In Gavin Lux
Chicago Cubs2 days ago

Cubs Likely To Target Another Starting Pitcher
Baltimore Orioles2 days ago

Baltimore Remains In Starting Pitching Market
Thatcher Demko3 days ago

Joining Team For Five-Game Road Trip
Pyotr Kochetkov3 days ago

Starts Against Wild On Saturday
Xander Schauffele6 days ago

Hoping To Find Success Again At Majors In 2025
Chris Kirk6 days ago

Starts 2025 Defending The Sentry Title
Max Homa6 days ago

Hopes To Rebound After Disappointing 2024 Season
Nick Dunlap6 days ago

Looks To Build On Impressive Rookie Season
Collin Morikawa6 days ago

Heads To The Sentry After Excellent 2024 Season
PGA6 days ago

Sungjae Im Hoping To Start 2025 Season Strongly At The Sentry
Russell Henley6 days ago

Closes Out 2024 Season Strong
Jason Day6 days ago

Looks Ahead To 2025 Season At The Sentry
Akshay Bhatia6 days ago

To Repeat Last Year’s Sentry Performance?
Ludvig Aberg6 days ago

Returns To The Sentry
Maverick McNealy6 days ago

Making First Career Start At Kapalua
Corey Conners6 days ago

Making Third Consecutive Start At Kapalua
Viktor Hovland6 days ago

A Gametime Decision For Year's First Event
Tony Finau6 days ago

Making Sixth Start At Kapalua After Rumor-Filled Offseason
Justin Thomas6 days ago

Looks To Get Off To Fast Start In 2025 At Kapalua