Ahhh, it’s one of my favorite times of the year, the NBA season. With the NBA season comes the fantasy basketball season, more importantly. Fantasy Basketball is not the most widely played format of fantasy but it arguably is my favorite. With that being said, let me welcome you to the first installment of the Waiver Wire Wishlist for fantasy basketball. The season is just underway and Week 2 is upon us. Let’s dive head first into things and sort through the first week of waiver additions!
I made the mistake of not entering a fantasy basketball league on ESPN, so I won’t have ownership numbers for there, but when it comes to basketball, the ownership between Yahoo and ESPN are very similar. With that being said, I will tend to stay under the 40-percent owned mark on Yahoo for my waiver wire suggestions this season. You can find out how our previous week went below and see the results of the entire season at the end of this article. I will suggest at least five players each week which will cover every position (PG, SG, SF, PF and C.) My suggestions too will revolve around both points and categories leagues. Also please note that position eligibility is not the same between Yahoo and ESPN so that will differ as well. Additionally, I will suggest at least one player owned in less than 10-percent of leagues to cater to all league shapes and sizes.
Week 2 Suggestions
Cam Reddish, SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks - Owned in 32% of Yahoo Leagues
Week 2 Matchups: vs. DET, @NOP, @WAS & @PHI
Cam Reddish exploded off the bench for the Hawks in their season opener, putting up 20 points in just 21 minutes. He looked both confident and comfortable with the ball in his hands. He also put up 19 points in 28 minutes in the Hawks’ loss to the Cavaliers. Not only is Reddish off to a hot start on offense, he is a near elite perimeter defender, which will keep him in the Hawks rotation all season long. If either Bogdan Bogdanovic or DeAndre Hunter are to miss any sort of time with injury, we can assume Reddish will be the next man up. Add him before it’s too late.
Monte Morris, PG, Denver Nuggets - Owned in 26% of ESPN Leagues
Week 2 Matchups: vs. CLE, @UTA, vs. DAL & @MIN
Monte Morris is the starting point guard for the Denver Nuggets, one of the best teams in the Western Conference. There is a strong chance that Jamaal Murray could miss the entire season, which would see Morris the Nuggets’ lead guy for the entirety of the ‘20-’21 season. He’s played at least 28 minutes in each of the Nuggets’ first two games, He hasn’t been the most productive but it will come, and that’s a promise. It’s inevitable that the assists start climbing when playing with the likes of Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Precious Achiuwa, SF/PF, Toronto Raptors - Owned in 40% of Yahoo Leagues
Week 2 Matchups: vs. CHI, vs. IND, vs. ORL & @IND
Precious Archiuwa was sent to the Raptors in part of the Kyle Lowry trade and he has had a good start to his ‘20-’21 campaign. He most recently played 33 minutes in the Raptors’ 95-103 loss to the Mavericks. He has two double-doubles on the season going for 15 points and 15 rebounds against the Celtics and 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Mavericks. This is a guy you want to target this week. It’s tough to find bench rebounds for your fantasy team. Well, here you go.
LaMarcus Aldridge (Brooklyn Nets) - Owned in 37% of Yahoo Leagues
Week 2 Matchups: vs. WAS, vs. MIA, vs. IND & vs. DET
I really hate to suggest a Nets player but I have to here. Aldridge will be a boom or bust type of player for you if you are to choose to add him. He played 23 minutes against the 76ers and went for 23 points. He also played 16 minutes against the Bucks to open the season and had one point. That’s what I mean. You’ll either get a big game out of the former all-pro, or get nothing. However, if you’re in need of a center, getting one tagged to this Nets’ team isn’t the worst.
Damion Lee, SG/SF, Golden State Warriors - Owned in 4% of Yahoo Leagues
Week 2 Matchups: @OKC, vs. MEM & vs. OKC
Damion Lee has served as the Warriors’ sixth man through the first two games of the season. He’s played 29 minutes in both of the Warriors two games to start the season. Over those two games, he’s averaging 13 points, two assists and one-and-a-half three pointers. I’ll take anyone with significant minutes in this Warriors’ rotation, especially in deeper leagues where Lee is owned in just four-percent of leagues.