We're almost at the halfway point of the season, and it's getting harder and harder to find quality options on the wire, while it's getting easier and easier to cut bait on dead weight. Everyone in your league is probably thinking the same way, so it's time to look deeper and deeper for those guys that everyone's missed.
This column will feature only players owned 25% or fewer fantasy leagues.
Here are today's Week 12 deeper league waiver wire pickups for your fantasy basketball teams.
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Deep League Adds for Week 12
Gerald Green, SG, Houston Rockets (25% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)
Over the last 3 games, Gerald Green has played 27, 22 and 28 minutes and has put up some decent numbers, highlighted by a 27-point 7 triple outburst on Wednesday night. The Rockets up-tempo system has made worse players fantasy relevant in the past, and with James Harden out anywhere from 2-6 weeks, Green looks to be a solid cheap source of points and 3s if he continues to get these minutes.
Obviously, the 54.3 field goal percentage is bound to regress, but Houston's system is designed to get shooters like Green all the shots they can handle. This is a short term add and Green loses all semblance of value once Harden is back, but for now, treat him like an even poorer man's Wayne Ellington - a streamer who can break open the 3s category in any given week.
He's getting added in droves even in standard and shallow sized leagues, but he still just hits the threshold for this deep league piece, and he was a guy who was largely unowned even in 20 teamers a few weeks ago -- if he's still available in any leagues with more than 12 teams, it's last call.
Delon Wright, PG/SG, Toronto Raptors (13% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)
Delon Wright has firmly taken hold of the backup point guard spot behind Kyle Lowry and has cemented a 20-25 minute role. His fantasy game is varied enough to return solid value during that time, and he should definitely be owned in more than 13% of leagues.
Over the last 2 weeks, Wright is averaging 10.0 points, 0.8 3s, 3.0 boards, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks, and he's been doing that on very solid percentages, especially for a young guard. There's no way his current 48.5 field goal percentage can stay that high all year but he should be able to settle in around a 45% shooter, as he doesn't take that many 3s, and the defensive stats from a guard spot are definitely not something you find on the waiver wire.
If anything were to happen to Kyle Lowry or DeMar Derozan, and Wright were to get 30 minutes a game, he would be a top-75 player hands down. Decent enough floor return with upside like that does not belong on the wire of 14+ team leagues.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings (14% Owned in Yahoo! Leagues)
It's almost beating a dead horse at this point but Bogdan Bogdanovic is still only owned in 14% of leagues so we need to keep bringing him up. Yes, the Kings are an absolute tire fire as an organization but they have almost no reason to not see what they have with their prized Euro import as the latest in their lost seasons moves on.
Bogdanovic is the 84th ranked player in the last 2 weeks on averages of 12.0 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds with 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks. The big number is 28.3, which is the minutes that he's averaged over that span, and more indicative of the role he will play for the Kings moving forward. In a role closer to 30 minutes, 2Bog will flirt with top-100 value all season, and should be owned in all 14+ team leagues.
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