10 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Targets for Week 12
We're here once again to look at 10 of the most interesting players to emerge off fantasy basketball waiver wires over the past week.
As always, make sure you're checking out last week's edition (and the week before for good measure). We try not to repeat ourselves, but there are always some high-priority options to be found in previous iterations of this column who should still be on your radar if they're out there.
All rankings come courtesy of Basketball Monster.
Now, let's hit the wire.
Tomas Satoransky, PG/SG, Washington Wizards
Yahoo Ownership: 45%
John Wall is set to undergo season-ending heel surgery, so Tomas Satoransky becomes the top waiver wire add this week with a (Washington) bullet.
When Wall missed two months last season, Satoransky was a borderline top-50 player in nine-category leagues over 27 consecutive starts, averaging 10.4 points, 1.0 three-pointer, 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers in 30.3 minutes per contest, while shooting 53.6% from the field and 90.0% from the free throw line.
Satoransky hasn't been as good this season starting for Wall whenever Wall has been out of the lineup, but now he'll have a chance to get comfortable in his role as the Washington Wizards' de facto starting point guard from here on out.
If you need a Wall replacement or a point guard in general, Satoransky is a priority add and is still available in more than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Justise Winslow, SF/PF, Miami Heat
Yahoo Ownership: 65%
Goran Dragic has missed all but 14 games for the Miami Heat this season and is likely out until after the All-Star break after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery less than two weeks ago. Without much depth at the point guard position, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has experimented with forward Justise Winslow running the show lately, and the results have been so positive that Spo has committed to Winslow as the team's starting point guard going forward.
Over his last four games (the last three of which he's been firmly entrenched as the team's starting point guard), Winslow has been the 23rd-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 19.3 points, 1.8 threes, 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers in 31.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 51.6% from the field and 57.1% from the charity stripe.
He has flirted with fantasy relevance at various points this season -- we had him as an add three short weeks ago -- but now he has the opportunity to flourish as a mid- to early-round guy going forward. He's a must-add, must-start player while we see how this experiment continues to play out.
Elfrid Payton, PG, New Orleans Pelicans
Yahoo Ownership: 55%
Elfrid Payton has not had a season to write home about so far in his first go-round with the New Orleans Pelicans. He's played a mere six games so far in 2018-19 due to a fractured left finger that required surgery, but he's probable to return tonight and should be added wherever he's available.
Last season was an inconsistent one for Payton as he missed a total of 19 games due to injury and was unceremoniously traded from the Orlando Magic to the Phoenix Suns at the deadline for a 2018 second-round pick that became Jarred Vanderbilt (a guy who has yet to play an NBA minute).
Payton's last full and consistent NBA season, his 2016-17 campaign with Orlando, was a top-100 effort in nine-category leagues, featuring averages of 12.8 points, 0.5 three-pointers, 4.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers in 29.4 minutes per contest, and a shooting split of 47.1% from the field and 69.2% from the free throw line.
His lack of three-pointers and low free throw percentage are a pain from the point guard position, but the rest of his line makes him well worth owning in standard leagues. He's likely to reclaim his starting job from Tim Frazier immediately and will have plenty of opportunity to thrive playing alongside Anthony Davis and company.
Kyle Anderson, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies
Yahoo Ownership: 60%
Kyle Anderson had a rough start to his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies, but he has really put it together as of late.
Over his last five games in particular, he's been the 17th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 10.4 points, 0.2 triples, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 33.2 minutes per contest while shooting an absolutely blistering 71.9% from the field and 83.3% from the free throw line.
While he's never going to rack up many points or threes and the shooting mark from the field is obviously going to come down, he's shot over 50% from the floor for two seasons running, and the boards and defensive numbers are very much for real.
He's locked in as a starter for the Grizz, is filling up the box score in a variety of interesting ways, and simply shouldn't be unowned in 40% of Yahoo leagues.
Jerami Grant, SF/PF, Oklahoma City Thunder
Yahoo Ownership: 70%
If you are in a competitive league, Jerami Grant is probably not available on your waiver wire, but he's out there in 30% of Yahoo leagues, so we have no choice but to mention how consistently solid he's been since mid-December.
Over his last eight contests, he's been the 51st-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 14.9 points, 0.8 threes, 5.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers in a healthy 34.5 minutes per contest, while shooting 60.0% from the field and 55.0% from the free throw line.
He's now the 84th-ranked player on the season and 70th over the last month. He flies under most fantasy radars for being a solid all-around asset, as opposed to a strong specialist in any one category, but he's done well enough for long enough now to warrant universal ownership in standard leagues. If he's on your wire for some reason and you've got something to drop at the end of your bench, pick him up.
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns
Yahoo Ownership: 30%
Mikal Bridges has been a consistent starter for the Phoenix Suns since mid- to late-November, but he's now starting to post consistently solid fantasy lines with the opportunity.
Over his last eight games, he's been the 31st-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 9.6 points, 1.9 three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in a healthy 34.9 minutes per contest, while shooting 45.8% from the field and 88.9% from the free throw line.
He's not scoring a bunch, but he's otherwise contributing across the board. The lowly Suns have nothing to play for this season outside of a high draft pick and youth development, so Bridges will likely have plenty of opportunities to fill the box score for the rest of his rookie season. Grab him immediately if he's out there in your league.
Luke Kornet, PF/C, New York Knicks
Yahoo Ownership: 10%
Enes Kanter started 18 consecutive games at center for the New York Knicks over the last month or so, but Luke Kornet has taken over for him over the Knicks' last two contests, and might have done enough to hold onto the job for the next little while.
Over Kornet's last two games, he's averaged 18.5 points, a whopping 5.5 three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers in 31.1 minutes per contest, while shooting 46.4% from the field (without attempting a single free throw).
Knicks coach David Fizdale has used 10 different starting lineups this season, so it's hard to predict how long this current iteration will stick, but feel free to pick up Kornet and roll with him for as long as this lasts. The eventual return of Mitchell Robinson (ankle) will only further muddy things, but you might catch lightning in a bottle if Kornet continues to outplay Kanter.
Derrick White, PG, San Antonio Spurs
Yahoo Ownership: 15%
Derrick White is having a very up-and-down season for the San Antonio Spurs, but he's starting to heat up a bit.
Over his last four games, he's been the 34th-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 8.5 points, 1.0 three-pointer, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers in 28.3 minutes per contest, while shooting 42.9% from the field and 85.7% from the free throw line.
He's never going to give you a lot of points, but he grabs enough boards, racks up enough assists, and adds enough on the defensive end to warrant ownership for as long as he's starting. He's now started 10 of the Spurs' last 11 contests and might have a shot at consistent mid-round value in that role going forward.
Josh Hart, SG/SF, Los Angeles Lakers
Yahoo Ownership: 50%
Josh Hart has been a bit of a letdown this season after a hot start, but he's been solid in three games starting for an injured LeBron James (groin).
Over that span, he's been the 32nd-ranked player in nine-category leagues, averaging 14.7 points, 2.3 three-pointers, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 1.0 turnover in 35.8 minutes per contest, while shooting 53.1% from the field and 60.0% from the free throw line.
LeBron is expected to miss multiple games with his groin strain, so Hart could put up some value for a while. Maybe he finally gets a rhythm going and sustains said value going forward, too. Pick him up if you need a hot hand.
Malik Beasley, PG/SG, Denver Nuggets
Yahoo Ownership: 10%
The Denver Nuggets are suddenly getting healthy, so Malik Beasley's current hot streak might not have much of a shelf life. That said, he's been the 35th-ranked player over his last five games, so he deserves a mention.
Over that span, he's averaged 16.2 points, 2.6 three-pointers, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.0 blocks, and 0.6 turnovers in 27.9 minutes per contest, while shooting 46.9% from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
With Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (hip) both nearing a return, Beasley could be close to losing his minutes and turning into a pumpkin, but feel free to roll him out there as a hot-handed streamer until those guys get back and muck up things for him.
