NBA Fantasy: Early Season Waiver Wire Pickups

Wizards’ rookie Alex Sarr makes the roster for RotoWire’s early-season waiver wire additions.

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We’re less than two weeks into the NBA season and injuries are piling up across the league. That means some fantasy managers may already be looking to fill holes in their roster. Let’s highlight some players who are still available in at least half of the Yahoo leagues to target on the waiver wire.

Andre DrummondPhiladelphia 76ers (53% available)

The 76ers still have not provided a timetable for the return of Joel Embid (knee). Given his extensive injury history, don’t expect them to throw him back on the floor. The 76ers want to win a championship, and to do that they need Embiid fully healthy for the playoffs. Their best signing of the offseason Paul George (knee) has yet to appear in a match this season.

Drummond is a more than capable injury fill-in for Embiid. Over four games, he averaged 9.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals. While his 52.9% shooting percentage from the charity stripe was tough, he hasn’t hurt fantasy managers in that department as he averaged just 4.3 free throw attempts per game. Drummond should be included in more than half of the Yahoo leagues. Those who drafted Embiid should at least cuff him with Drummond. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Drummond started more than 30 games this season.

Nick RichardsCharlotte Hornets (57% available)

We’ve seen this story unfold before. Mark Williams is the center of the future for the Hornets, but he is injured again, this time with a foot injury. When he missed time last season, Richards averaged 10.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over 51 starts.

Richards has filled in even better for Williams this season, averaging 13.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over four games. After shooting 69.1% from the field last season, he has shot 65.6% this season. While he may not be a flashy name, adding Richards and going with him until Williams gets healthy could still be a winning strategy now.

Bilal CoulibalyWashington Wizards (61% available)

There are some things up in the air Kyle Kuzma (groin) now. He did not play against the Hawks on Wednesday and has already been ruled out against the Heat on Saturday. When he first suffered the injury, the Wizards said his status would be “updated as necessary.” He could be out for more than a few games.

Coulibaly exploded against the Hawks, recording 27 points, nine rebounds, three steals, one block and three three-pointers in 35 minutes. He has played at least 30 minutes in all four games this season, so even when Kuzma has been healthy, Coulibaly has taken on an important role. As one of the focuses of the Wizards’ rebuild, Coulibaly shouldn’t still be available in so many leagues.

Alex SarrWashington Wizards (69% available)

Sarr is a specific type of addition for fantasy basketball. He starts for the Wizards but has averaged a modest 24 minutes per game. He didn’t look good offensively, shooting 29.7% from the field and 23.8% from behind the arc. That has led to him averaging just 8.0 points per game. While he has a lot of talent, the expectation was that he would struggle at least on the offensive end of the floor when he came into the league.

However, it is not all bad news for Sarr. He grabbed at least five rebounds and blocked at least two shots in all four games this season. On Wednesday, he had four blocks against the Hawks. Despite his poor efficiency, he also averages 1.3 three-pointers per game. For those specifically chasing blocks, Sarr should be a prime target to take away the waiver wire.

Degree DickToronto Raptors (68% available)

Injuries have been a problem for the Raptors from the start. Bruce Brown (knee) has not played yet and will be out indefinitely. Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) has missed each of the last four games and is listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Lakers. Their worst news is that Scottie Barnes will miss at least three weeks due to an orbital fracture.

With so many key players sidelined, the Raptors have turned to Dick for extra minutes and scoring. He hasn’t let them down, averaging 18.8 points and 2.2 three-pointers over 31 minutes per game. A plus for fantasy managers is that he has shot 48.5% from the field and 89.5% from the free throw line. However, he is also averaging just 1.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He is a specific target for fantasy managers who are only looking for points and three-pointers, but that doesn’t mean he can’t excel in those two areas.

Jordan HawkinsNew Orleans Pelicans (74% available)

Dejounte Murray broke his left hand in the Pelicans’ first game of the season. Now C.J. McCollum is dealing with right adductor soreness that forced him to sit out Wednesday against the Warriors. Although it was the second game of a back-to-back set, this was not a halftime situation as he has also been ruled out for Friday’s game against the Pacers.

After playing just 17 minutes per game during his rookie season, Hawkins has averaged 31 minutes this year. He even had his first start on Wednesday, producing 23 points, four rebounds and four three-pointers in 39 minutes. He has played at least 29 minutes in three of the four games since Murray went down, scoring at least 17 points in all three of those games. Regardless of the prognosis of McCollum’s injury, Hawkins is worth adding to waivers with Murray sidelined.