Onyeka Okongwu (SF/PF, ATL): Week 24 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 16% of leagues

ANALYSIS: The Hawks are currently the 10th seed in the East but are also tied for 8th and 9th with Brooklyn and Charlotte respectively. There's even a chance (albeit small) that Atlanta could rise as high as to reach the 7th seed if Cleveland flops and the other two low-seeded teams can catch a break either. This is definitely a no-joke situation for an Atlanta team that has found phenomenal production in bulky minutes from Onyeka Okongwu of late, so there might make sense for the Hawks to keep relying on him coming off the pine ROS.

OO has played 28 and 25 minutes in the past couple of games against a putrid team (OKC) and a direct rival (CLE) in back-to-back games to close March. The results were good-not-great, but enough for me to have Okongwu as a potential late-season steal through the WW: 10 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2 APG, and a block in those two were the averages he just put up even on stupid 7.4% and 14.8% usage rates. Nothing truly remarkable, but something definitely worth rostering in deeper formats out there if you're needy.

Okongwu's shooting has been a little bit bouncy of late, but his overall efficiency is sublime since he hit the pine to play with the second unit. Just from the ASB on, the wing is putting up 1.02 FP/min compared to the 0.90 league average, has cut down his turnovers to only 0.5 TOPG in that span, and is providing his fantasy GMs with nightly 8-6-1 stat lines and 1.1 BPG on top of that. Again, nothing remarkable but surely useful and with limited self-damage even if you're part of a TO-penalizing league.

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 2 weeks 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 4 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