Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we'll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I've ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
Point guard
Derrick White, Boston Celtics (Rostered in 52.2% of ESPN leagues): Last year's deadline saw Boston secure this unique 3-and-D guard from San Antonio. The statistical results haven't always been loud, but when White is hot from the floor, he's entirely worthy of a roster spot in fantasy formats. The combo guard has averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 boards and three dimes over the past week and for the season claims one of the best block rates among guards.
Donte DiVincenzo, Golden State Warriors (9.7%): Another combo guard with eligibility at the point merits mention, as this Villanova product should see more minutes, touches and shots in the wake of Stephen Curry's multi-week injury.
Bones Hyland, Denver Nuggets (11.3%): This one is all about speculation, as Hyland's scoring pop could really surface if he's dealt to a team that plans to really unleash him. A trade seems quite likely, so stashing Hyland until Thursday doesn't represent much opportunity cost.
Shooting guard
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans (21.0%): While the Pelicans might be seeking more defensive talent via trade, they already have an emergent stopper and shooter in Murphy.
Malik Monk, Sacramento Kings (15.8%): Thriving as the Kings' Lou Will, Monk brings playmaking and a robust steal rate to help flesh out an underrated fantasy profile.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets (11.4%): When given the opportunity, this guy is a bucket, as the kids say. A career-high 44 points over the previous weekend confirms this. Meanwhile, the Kyrie Irving deal and Seth Curry's continued injury issues could spell a more sustainable role for Thomas.
Small forward
De'Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks (19.7%): The Hawks have a notable lack of wing depth, which fuels heavy minutes and top defensive assignments for Hunter. Small forward is a coveted position in the NBA and it's also fairly shallow in a fantasy context, with Hunter proving underappreciated by the market.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Brooklyn Nets (12.3%): Likely to fill a similar role to the one he had in Dallas, "DFS" might see more freedom to shoot on a team lean on scoring talent sans Kevin Durant.
Norman Powell, LA Clippers (31.6%): Sometimes a player can prove valuable as a pure specialist. Powell is almost solely a scoring and shooting contributor, although he's worth rostering when he's hot from the floor, which is absolutely the case of late (25.7 PPG over the past week).
Power forward
Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors (19.3%): One of the most popular additions in ESPN leagues over the past week, Achuiwa regularly flirts with double-double results and claims strong defense numbers while having eligibility at both power forward and center. The most important factor driving Achuiwa's growing value is the potential for Toronto to ship off several top talents, opening even more upside for this Kentucky product.
Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards (14.5%): It's starting to come together for this former lottery pick; Avdija can deliver atypically high steal and playmaking rates for a power forward.
Kenyon Martin Jr., Houston Rockets (13.3%): One Western Conference team that won't be seeking upgrades via trade is Houston, as they've leaned fully into their young roster and the pursuit of lottery equity. This in part means Martin should continue to see plenty of minutes as an energy and effort forward in this rotation.
Center
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz (30.3%): This is getting redundant, but endorsing Kessler continues to be a priority in this section given the gap between his impact and roster percentage. Don't sweat the modest scoring clip, as this rookie is already among the truly elite rim protectors in the league and no longer plays second fiddle to Kelly Olynyk.
Larry Nance Jr., New Orleans Pelicans (11.3%): It's unlikely Nance ever earns a truly large role in the Pelicans' frontcourt rotation, but he's proving capable of delivering relevant production in this limited capacity. After all, he's averaged a double-double with elite steal results in just 23 MPG over the past week.
Mark Williams, Charlotte Hornets (2.0%): Another speculative pursuit, it's time to act on all the trade talk around Mason Plumlee. If the Hornets ship off their veteran pivot, Williams might finally be unleashed for this lottery-bound team.