The All-Star break has passed and we are onto the back half of the NBA season. Plenty of players are going through COVID-19 protocols and are unable to play this week, as well as a few big-names still sidelined due to injury. Injuries happen. This is why you must stay active on the fantasy basketball waiver wire each week to help fill any voids on your team.
Here are the top fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of the NBA season. In order to be included in the weekly waiver article, players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of ESPN fantasy basketball leagues.
All stats are gathered on the morning of Mar. 14 and do not take into account Sunday night’s results.
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups
Kevin Huerter, Hawks (58.3%)
Despite shooting a career-low 36.3% from three this season, Kevin Huerter is having a very consistent and well-rounded year thus far. Since interim coach Nate McMillan took over the Hawks, they’ve won five of their last six, and Huerter is a big part of that. He averages 12.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest across 31.9 minutes. He’s transformed into somewhat of a playmaker this season, posting at least three assists in seven of his last eight games. Usually, he’d be a good target for three-pointers made in 8-cat and 9-cat fantasy basketball leagues, but he’s providing much more than just steals at this point.
Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers (54.8%)
Larry Nance Jr. finally returned to the court after missing the previous 12 games due to finger surgery. He didn’t have much rust at all, scoring double-digit points. Before being sidelined, Nance was averaging 9.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals and was a nightly triple-double threat for a short stretch. He is a steal in category-based leagues because of his high field-goal percentage and consistency in steals and blocks. Especially with rumors of Kevin Love being moved soon, the door could open wide for Nance. The Cavs need help down low lately and feeding Nance might be the best fantasy option outside of Collin Sexton.
Robert Williams III, Celtics (27.9%)
I put Robert Williams in my fantasy basketball waiver wire piece a few weeks ago because he was underappreciated. But here we are again; give Williams more minutes! In just 17 minutes on Wednesday night, he posted only two points, but four rebounds, four assists, one steal and six blocks. Over the past three games, he has 12 blocks. He is a usual double-digit point scorer whenever he does get the minutes, but his defensive attributes can’t go overlooked. At this point, his lack of minutes don’t even matter, because he produces every time he’s on the court. For 8-cat and 9-cat leagues, grab him as soon as possible for his rebounding and block totals for such low minutes per game.
Jalen Brunson, Mavericks (24.8%)
When he received the start on Thursday, Jalen Brunson posted 26 points on 9-15 shooting with four rebounds and four assists. Despite normally being a bench role player, Brunson has come out of his shell a little bit this season. On the year, he’s averaging 12.9 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists across 25.1 minutes per contest. He can be a sneaky addition to 12-man leagues or category0based leagues for his solid field-goal percentage. Outside of his shooting, the 24-year-old can pass and play defense.
At this point, Brunson should be a fantasy basketball waiver wire target in every deep league.
Other considerations for all league-types: Rudy Gay, Spurs (17.0%); Immanuel Quickley, Knicks (15.3%); Michael Carter-Williams, Magic (13.1%); Hamidou Diallo, Pistons (9.7%); Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (4.8%)
