Fantasy Basketball: Top tips for adding waiver wire pickups in points leagues

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A friend asked me for advice on a few players to add to his fantasy basketball team. He plays in a 12-team H2H points league, and based on his “TLDR” response, I should’ve just given him a name rather than analyzing each player and their current environment.

It was a good reminder that my process isn’t everyone’s, but for those who may want to understand my strategy for hitting waivers in points leagues, here are several tips that inform my decisions.

1. Riding the hot hand — player performance trends

This one’s obvious, but it needs to be said. If a player is lighting it up recently, pay attention. Maybe someone’s been dropping 20 points a game out of nowhere or collecting a ton of other counting stats. Hot streaks matter in points leagues because the scoring system doesn’t penalize inefficiency beyond turnovers.

For example, Cole Anthony (26% rostered) has been a top-80 player over the last two weeks, averaging 33 fantasy points per game. Anytime a player averages 30 fantasy points on waivers for over a few games, it’s time to scoop them up. Kel’El Ware (37% rostered) is another example of a player playing on a must-roster level recently.

If a guy’s on fire and you wait until their stats hit Reddit or X, you’ll already be too late.

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2. Understanding the path to consistent playing time

Minutes played is one of those “duh” stats, but it’s necessary to generate fantasy points while serving as a foundational anecdote for establishing a player’s baseline. If someone’s suddenly logging starter-level minutes, they’re more likely to get fantasy stats simply because they’re on the floor more.

Injuries to teammates, rotations switching up or coaches benching underperformers can open up opportunities.

Imagine this scenario — your starting center hurts his foot, and now the backup big man gets 30 minutes a night (like Daniel Gafford). You’re leaving points for your opponents if you’re not swooping in to grab that guy.

Don’t sleep on monitoring rotations, either. Coaches might move someone into the starting lineup who instantly benefits from being surrounded by better…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-basketball-top-tips-for-adding-waiver-wire-pickups-in-points-leagues-154856475.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-23 15:48:00

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