And just like that, it’s back! The turnaround from the end of the bubble to the beginning of the regular season is quicker than anyone could have thought, but rejoice that real, meaningful basketball is back.
The theme of the year is going to be load management, so when we look at players to grab off the waiver wire, we are going to look at those who have a significant role off the bench, or those who we can grab a few weeks prior to their big breakout. Last year, we were all over Christian Wood early in the season, and for those who were patient enough, if paid dividends.
Every other week, we’re going to be looking at players who are widely available and rostered in fewer than 60 percent of fantasy leagues on Yahoo. We’ll be focusing on 8-cat leagues because turnovers are a waste of a category, to be honest. We’ll be looking at players who can help you in each of the eight categories that you can get before your league-mates catch on.
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The eight categories we’ll focus on each week are:
- Points
- Rebounds
- Assists
- Steals
- Blocks
- Threes
- Field-goal percentage
- Free-throw percentage
Let’s get to it.
Points
Darius Bazley (SF/PF – OKC): 47%
Let’s get it out of the way right now. Bazley is going to be the Christian Wood of this year, where he will appear in this article close to weekly until his rostership percentage is up over 60 percent. Unlike Wood, it won’t take Bazley as long, as he’s going to start (sorry, Trevor Ariza fans) and contribute right away for the Thunder. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be a usage monster this year, but he’ll need some help in some form. Enter Bazley, a second-year forward who can score inside and out. He’s still green, but who isn’t on the Thunder roster, really?
Rebounds
Derrick Favors (PF/C – UTA): 21%
Favors is returning back to Utah after a stint in New Orleans. Remember, he played nine years in Utah to start his career, and while he’s old and boring, he’s coming off a year where he set career highs in rebounds per game. The pairing of Rudy Gobert and Favors is definitely old-school basketball in a new-school game, but we just care about the results here, even if it’s in backup minutes off the bench.
Assists
Elfrid Payton (PG – NYK): 53% rostered
If you’re looking at a pickup-and-hold option, it’s Immanuel Quickley (4%), as he’s put on a show during the Knicks’ preseason games. But right now, we know that the returning Payton is going to start for the Knicks out of the gate. He’s good for 7-8 assists per game, and he has more options in the offense now to distribute to in a second-year R.J. Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and rookie Obi Toppin. Payton was drastically overlooked in drafts.
Steals
Isaac Okoro (SF – CLE): 19%
Okoro was drafted for his all-around ability on the floor, including on the defensive end. We saw that defensive prowess on display in his first preseason game, as he ended the game with three steals, as well as 18 points. In total, Okoro averaged 1.3 steals in four preseason games. It looks like Cleveland is leaning toward starting Cedi Osman at small forward over Okoro to start the season, citing “chemistry reasons,” but he won’t be long for the spot.
Blocks
Chris Boucher (PF/C – TOR): 55%
Did you know that Boucher is older than Anthony Davis? Pretty crazy, right? Regardless, there are big minutes available in Toronto at center now that Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka packed their bags for Los Angeles. Aron Baynes is going to be the starter for the Raptors, but he’s 34, with a long history of injuries, and may be better off the bench for the Raptors. Whether he eventually starts or comes off the bench, Boucher will get his run, and he’ll be a consistent contributor for blocks.
Threes
Joe Harris (SG/SF – BKN): 56% rostered
The Nets are retooled, and while it’ll be the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant show, don’t overlook the contributions of Harris, who the Nets just signed to a $72-million deal. He’s the quiet third option on the team, and his job is to knock down threes. Few do it better, so his rostership being this low is absurd.
Field-goal percentage
Mason Plumlee (PF/C – DET): 15%
Look, we know that Plumlee isn’t good. John Hollinger, of The Athletic, put it perfectly when he said that Plumlee is like Wood, but just older and not good. But, the Pistons, for some reason, signed him to a big deal, which means he’s going to start at center for them. He shot 67.7 percent from 0-3 feet from the rim last year, which was 12th among all players in the league.
Free-throw percentage
Jeff Teague (PG/SG – BOS): 56%
The player in this category every other week is going to be good at shooting free throws, of course, but it’s also an excuse to highlight a player who will help elsewhere. With Kemba Walker on the shelf until sometime in January, Teague is going to get first-team run with the Celtics. He’s a good streaming option to hold on to until Walker returns.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
