Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the season, we'll need to source stats from free agency to maximize our imaginary rosters.
In this weekly series, we identify players available in at least half of ESPN leagues at each position. Some nominations are purely specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last spot or two on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. It can help to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
If your league continues until the end of the regular season, be sure to check our Fantasy NBA Daily Notes that run each weekday to keep up with what should be ever-shifting rotations down the stretch. I've long advised adopting a DFS approach to seasonal leagues, given how deftly daily fantasy parses immediate changes in value, thus it could also be helpful to check ESPN's DFS content each day as well.
Point guard
Trey Burke, New York Knicks (rostered in 47.7 percent of ESPN leagues): It's a good week for Michigan basketball. The most added player in ESPN leagues this past week, Burke is enjoying an exciting career revival as a gifted scorer for the Knicks. He's averaging 21.3 PPG and 7.8 APG in nearly 32 MPG during the past six games. If he's still somehow floating around during the fantasy finals, scoop up this emergent playmaker for the cost of a few clicks.
D.J. Augustin, Orlando Magic (21.9 percent): Found at No. 9 in the NBA in potential assists during the past five games -- just behind Burke -- Augustin can help fantasy managers in need of passing production. It also helps that the Magic claim the fourth-easiest strength of schedule the rest of the way (.455 opponent winning percentage).
Isaiah Taylor, Atlanta Hawks (6.7 percent): The Hawks have ruled out Dennis Schroder for the rest of the season, which vaults Taylor into a high-usage role for Atlanta. During the past three games, all starts, Taylor has averaged 19.3 PPG, 6.0 APG and 15.3 shots per game in 30.3 MPG.
Shooting guard
Reggie Bullock, Detroit Pistons (20.9 percent): Quietly productive in the wake of the Blake Griffin blockbuster that sent Avery Bradley and Tobias Harris to the Clippers, Bullock averaged 15.4 PPG and 2.6 3PG across 14 games in March. You won't get much else besides points and 3-point volume, but it helps that Bullock provides clean percentages (46.3 percent from 3-point range and 92.9 percent from the stripe).
Tyler Ulis, Phoenix Suns (12.1 percent): Among the league leaders in assists this past week, Ulis is a peer of Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker in regards to touches per game (82.3) during the past three games. It's a small sample, but we need to act quickly on these interim surges in opportunity to gain an edge in the fantasy finals. Adding to Ulis' value is the fact he's eligible at shooting guard, arguably the shallowest position in fantasy hoops this season.
Troy Daniels, Phoenix Suns (6.6 percent): Sticking with the Suns, Daniels has had just one assist during the past six games, but he has averaged an absurd (in the best way) 10.2 3-point attempts per game during this stretch. For some context, Daniels leads the NBA in 3-point volume during the past six outings.
Josh Hart, Los Angeles Lakers (5.0 percent): If Michigan gets some love in fantasy free agency, Villanova can surely get a nod as well. Hart was sidelined for a month with a broken hand, but came back to action this past Friday to deliver 13 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes in a loss to the Bucks. Hart is only a viable play as long as Lonzo Ball is sidelined.
Small forward
Bojan Bogdanovic, Indiana Pacers (36.2 percent): You won't get much from Bogdanovic besides shooting and scoring results, but he's become a valuable specialist in this regard, averaging 22 PPG and 2.5 3PG during the past four games. If Bojan is scooped in your league, maybe take a look at Bogdan Bogdanovic (20.3 percent) of the Kings, as he's capable of producing both 3-pointers and a respectable assist rate.
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic (9.1 percent): Even as he's transitioned to the sixth-man role, Hezonja continues to pile up steals, with seven in his past three games. His rebounding and 3-point rates also offer some versatility to his profile.
Kevon Looney, Golden State Warriors (7.5 percent): Ranked No. 6 in the NBA in blocks during the past seven games, Looney offers rare upside in what is the most difficult statistic to source from the waiver wire. Given the Warriors' lack of mobility in the standings as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Looney should continue to see steady minutes as the veterans around him rest.
Power forward
Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers (39.4 percent): Even though he's gone frigid from the field, Aminu continues to provide value thanks to an incredible 15 steals across his past five games. It also helps that this "glue guy" has delivered 6-plus rebounds in 10 straight games with 9.0 RPG during this stretch. When we also consider Aminu has hit 2.1 3PG during this stretch, it's clear he's among the best "3-and-D" additions on the waiver wire.
Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets (27.2 percent): A point forward of sorts, LeVert quite often has the ball in his hands as a creator for Brooklyn. This role surfaces in the numbers, with LeVert averaging 14.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG and an impressive five dimes per game during the past 11 contests. Adding value to his profile is the fact LeVert is eligible at shooting guard, small forward and power forward in ESPN leagues. Such versatility should prove very valuable when trying to maximize lineups in the fantasy postseason.
Marcus Morris, Boston Celtics (27.6 percent): The Celtics are turning to Morris to provide some of the offensive firepower Kyrie Irving had created. Given the rare freedom to shoot and create, Morris has topped 20 points in four straight games and should be scooped up in all competitive leagues during the fantasy finals.
Anthony Tolliver, Detroit Pistons (10.1 percent): Blake Griffin has been sidelined with an ankle ailment, granting Tolliver a rewarding uptick in both minutes and shots. For those in need of a boost from beyond the arc, this capable shooter is a key addition.
Center
Larry Nance Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers (44.3 percent): We've seen Nance's ownership percentage dip with some recent injury concerns, but I'm still intrigued by his unusually high steal rate and the potential to be an efficient scorer as the "roll man" in the pick-and-roll with LeBron James.
John Collins, Atlanta Hawks (40.8 percent): With at least one block in four straight games, and an impressive rebounding percentage for a rookie, Collins could prove valuable with heavy minutes down the stretch for an NBA team in pursuit of lottery balls.
Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn Nets (17.6 percent): Ranked sixth in the NBA in blocks during the past 10 games, Allen can help fantasy managers deal with rim protection woes. We can also bank on steady minutes down the stretch for Allen, who has emerged as one of Brooklyn's most promising prospects.
Cristiano Felicio, Chicago Bulls (3.6 percent): Don't sweat the questionable contract Chicago gave Felicio and instead focus on the fact he's up for grabs in nearly all fantasy leagues. He could easily earn heavy minutes down the stretch as the team auditions him as a frontcourt building block. I'm also intrigued by shares of Boston's Aron Baynes (1.5 percent), as he'll steal minutes to finish the season.
