Working the waiver wire early on in the NBA season could be instrumental to both the short and long term success of a fantasy basketball league manager. While you might be searching for a short term boost, there could be options available in your league that will have a much greater long term impact than you might think. We took a look at a few of the potential waiver wire options that could still be available. Here is a look at the top five NBA waiver wire picks of the week for fantasy basketball leagues.
PG/SG: Terry Rozier, Boston Celtics
Injuries to Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart have opened the door for Rozier, who is eligible at both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Rozier has averaged 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 27.0 minutes per game this season. He has also chipped in from beyond the arc with 2.0 three-point shots per game. Boston will continue to lean on Rozier as they continue to deal with injuries. If he proves he belongs, he could end up earning a bigger role for the course of the entire season.
PG: Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs
Murray is coming off his first double-double of the season so you might want to grab him now before somebody else does. The second-year guard scored 16 points with 14 rebounds and six assists in a 101-97 win over the Toronto Raptors. Murray has averaged 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game along with 1.3 steals. The Spurs figure to lean a lot more on their young point guard this season so he should continue to produce at the point guard position.
The Spurs are just one of two teams in the NBA that is still undefeated to this point. They have won all four of their games to start the season as have the Los Angeles Clippers.
SF/PF: DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets
Carroll struggled over the past couple of years with the Raptors but he has looked good early on with the Nets. Carroll has averaged 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists with Brooklyn this season. He is also averaging 2.0 three-point shots per game. A lack of talent on the Nets roster means that Carroll should continue to play substantial minutes this season. His dual eligibility at the small forward and power forward positions could make him more valuable in fantasy basketball leagues this season. He has come out and openly said that his knee is finally healthy, which it wasn’t in Toronto.
Keep in mind that the Nets have been very competitive this season. While the general thought was that this team would be one of the worst in the NBA, they have actually been impressive. They are 3-2 and their only losses were on the road at Indiana and at Orlando. Carroll has scored at least 17 points per game in each of his last four. With D’Angelo Russell and a number of other quality young parts around the Nets – and the fact that they play in the Eastern Conference – and the Nets might be a near .500 team.
C: Tyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns
Chandler turned 35-years-old earlier this month and he clearly isn’t in his prime any longer. That said, the veteran center has looked good for Phoenix early on. Chandler has averaged 8.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in 25.3 minutes per game for the Suns this season. While he is limited in terms of the number of categories he will produce in, he should be a steady source of rebounds all year. If you need help at the center position, you might want to consider adding Chandler to your roster before another GM scoops him up in your fantasy basketball league.
Keep in mind that the Suns are in midst of trade talks as they are trying to move disgruntled guard Eric Bledsoe. On Friday, reports surfaced that the team is also trying to throw in Tyson Chandler with that package as he has a big contract and is past his prime. Keep an eye out on how this plays out as Chandler could go from playing healthy minutes to shifting to more of a bench role.
The 2017-18 NBA is well underway. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
