Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Kyle Anderson is a big-ticket pickup after Timberwolves hit by injury bug
By Gabe Allen, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
With just over a month remaining in the NBA regular season, fantasy leagues are winding down as well. Leagues with postseasons have either already started or are right about to begin. Keeping that in mind, this week’s waiver wire article highlights eight players to add across leagues of every format and size.
About half of the following players are recommended as longer-term adds, while the other half are best suited for streaming purposes. Additionally, a list of 10 recently recommended players who remain available in at least 50% of leagues has been included at the end.
Max Strus, Cleveland Cavaliers (49% rostered)
Strus (knee) will miss his third straight contest Friday versus the Timberwolves, and fantasy managers are becoming restless — evidenced by the fact that he has been dropped in 7% of leagues over the last day. Boasting career-high averages of 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in 32.2 minutes, he is also among the most reliable 3-point shooters (2.4 3PG). If Strus happens to be available, scoop him up sooner rather than later. Once he returns from injury, he’ll be picked up quickly.
Royce O’Neale, Phoenix Suns (35% rostered)
O’Neale is fitting in well with his new squad, posting well-rounded averages of 13.0 points, 6.8 boards, 4.8 assists, 3.3 3s, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks across the last six games. Devin Booker (ankle) has missed the last three contests and could be ready to rejoin the rotation for Saturday’s matchup versus the Celtics. However, O’Neale may still be worth adding even with the Suns at full strength.
Kyle Anderson, Minnesota Timberwolves (35% rostered)
Anderson is perhaps the most obvious add on this week’s list. With Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) out indefinitely, Anderson offers plenty of upside. Anderson won’t be the only Timberwolf to benefit; Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels will compete with Anderson for the minutes left over by Towns’ absence. However, Anderson has long been a well-rounded contributor capable of stuffing the stat sheets across multiple categories when he’s afforded decent minutes. As such, if Anderson is available, I’d recommend adding him right away.
Duop Reath, Portland Trail Blazers (32% rostered)
Deandre Ayton (hand) is likely to miss his fifth straight game Friday against the Rockets. Meanwhile, during Ayton’s recent absence, Reath has been very effective. Across the last four contests, Reath is averaging 18.0 points, 4.8 boards, 2.0 3s, 1.5 blocks, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 29.2 minutes. With four games on tap for the coming week, Reath will be a strong add if Ayton remains sidelined. At the very least, put Reath on your watch list and keep tabs on Ayton’s injury status this weekend.
Caleb Martin, Miami Heat (27% rostered)
Across the last six games, Martin is averaging 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 3s, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks in 29.8 minutes. Miami just learned that Josh Richardson (shoulder) will be out for the rest of the season, and Tyler Herro (foot) and Kevin Love (heel) will miss their seventh and fifth straight games, respectively, on Friday. Regarding Martin, keeping an eye on the status of Love is crucial. Martin gets most of his minutes at the forward positions, particularly thriving as a small-ball power forward. If Love remains sidelined through the weekend and there aren’t any encouraging signs that he’ll be back next week, Martin makes sense as a streaming option.
Vasilije Micic, Charlotte Hornets (21% rostered)
With Tre Mann (groin) listed as questionable ahead of Friday’s matchup versus the Wizards, the injury report just keeps getting longer for the Hornets. Since Cody Martin (ankle) and Seth Curry (ankle) will both be sidelined for the entirety of next week and there remains no concrete return date in sight for LaMelo Ball, Micic is an intriguing streaming option even if Mann’s injury is a short-term one. Over the last three games, Micic is averaging 15.3 points, 5.7 dimes, 2.3 boards and 2.0 steals in 30.9 minutes – numbers which make him attractive across all formats.
Lonnie Walker IV, Brooklyn Nets (13% rostered)
Small sample size alert! Walker has combined for 40 points, nine treys and eight boards in 59 minutes across the last two contests. If the Nets do not get a few players back from injury heading into next week, Walker will be a decent deep-league streaming option in points leagues. If one or both of Cameron Johnson (ankle) and Cam Thomas (ankle) remain sidelined, there should be plenty of shots to go around for Walker, who is rarely shy about letting it fly.
Jake LaRavia, Memphis Grizzlies (10% rostered)
LaRavia has been pretty involved of late, averaging 12.5 points, 6.2 boards, 1.5 assists, 1.2 3s, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 steals in 24.5 minutes across the last six games. Although his less-than-stellar field-goal percentage limits his value in category leagues, the second-year forward seems like he’s going to continue earning decent minutes down the stretch this season. As a result, he’s worth a speculative add in deeper points leagues; or at the very least, put him on your watch list heading into silly season.
Recent recommendations still rostered in less than 50% of leagues: Marvin Bagley, Nick Richards, Caris LeVert, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski, Tre Mann, Kyle Lowry, Grant Williams, Rui Hachimura, Santi Aldama