We’ve made it to the final week of the 2022-2023 fantasy basketball season and week 25 is always a dangerous week for the NBA because we really don’t know who will play their full slate of games. Look for teams that are out of it that have been utilizing their bench a bit more. Those bench options who are now getting extended minutes are very valuable, especially if they have a full slate of games. Be careful with teams like the San Antonio Spurs because they continue to stagger who plays and who doesn’t on a given night. As teams lock in their playoff spots, they will look to be cautious with their prioritized players so they can stay healthy for the postseason. For the final time this season, here are a few players to look to add that could be on your fantasy basketball waiver wire. 

 

Fantasy Basketball NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

Delon Wright G Washington Wizards-26% rostered

The Wizards have already been without Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma, but a couple of days ago starting point guard Monte Morris injured his ankle and sat out the last game. The Wizards were eliminated from playoff contention last night and it wouldn’t be surprising seeing them hold out players. This could benefit Wright big time especially if Morris is out of the lineup. He’ll be the main ball handler and he's hit the 30-minute mark in 4 straight outings. He’ll occasionally give you the big scoring games, but it’s the boards, dimes and steals that he specializes in. He’s logged three multi-steal games in his last four and he pulled down no fewer than five rebounds in each of his previous five outings. Wright has three beatable matchups on the schedule this week against the Hawks, Heat and Rockets. The matchup against the Bucks won’t be as easy. With the current active Wizards players, Wright is looking at a two-and-a-half percent usage bump. He’s taken nine or more shots in four of his last five contests.

Kevin Knox II F Portland Trail Blazers-2% rostered

The Blazers have a ton of players that are out and even Cam Reddish and Nassir Little are banged up and they've had to look way down their bench and rely a bit more on Knox to give them a boost offensively. Shaedon Sharpe will continue being the main scorer, but Knox has taken double-digit shots in four straight games. Knox doesn’t have a complete game, so he hasn’t been able to get significant minutes on the teams he’s played for. He’s scored 10 points or more in 5 of his last 7 games. He should be flirting with 30 minutes of action for all four of his remaining games and he has a very good schedule that features a lot of fast-paced games against the Grizzlies, Spurs and Warriors. The game against the Clippers will move on the slower side, but there’s a chance they may protect Kawhi Leonard and keep him out of the lineup. They are already without Paul George. Knox has been helpful on the glass a bit too and he’s swiped the ball in four straight contests.

Dillon Brooks SG, SF Memphis Grizzlies-42% rostered

The reason why Brooks is as available as he is on waivers is that he’s mainly a scorer, but if you look at recent game logs, he’s pulled down at least four boards and dished four or more assists in three of his last five outings. He’s taken no fewer than 11 shots in each of his previous 4 games. Brooks’ shooting has been up and down throughout the year, but the shot volume continues to be there, and he sinks nearly two three-pointers per game. Brooks has also logged steals in five of his last six games. Brooks is an aggressive player who is constantly on the move on offense. He doesn’t just stand around. He looks to take advantage of openings on the court, but he has to keep his famous temper under control. He’s become the new “bad boy” of the NBA with the number of times he got in opposing players' faces this season. We’ll have to see which Bucks players are in and out of the lineup by the time Memphis reaches that game, but the Blazers, Pelicans and Thunder are all good matchups for Brooks. 

Killian Hayes G Detroit Pistons-49% rostered

Hayes was mentioned to grab in a recent waiver wire article, but he’s still out there and should be added with Detroit having a full slate of games this week. Hayes has scored 12.2 points per game and pulled down 4.2 rebounds over his last 5 matchups. He’ll be the main floor general for the Pistons as they get ready for the offseason. He’s taken 12 or more shots in 3 of his last 4 battles and scored in double figures in all 4 games. He’s swiping 1.4 balls per outing this year and he provides a steady flow of assists dishing over 6 per contest. He’s a good driver and has tremendous speed. He’ll draw a lot of contact. He took eight free throws last game. Hayes has pulled down five or more boards in three of his last five outings. Hayes will be especially beneficial when the Pistons match up against the Bulls and Pacers to end their season. Hayes has a high basketball IQ and it was eye-opening at the start of the season seeing him start alongside Cade Cunningham with Jaden Ivey coming off the bench. He’s not a three-point shooting threat at all, but he’s good at reading screens and using his agility to cut to the basket with the ball.

Corey Kispert SG, SF Washington Wizards-16% rostered

Last week, Deni Avdija was spotlighted, and this week and with the Wizards playoff hopes done, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kristaps Porzingis join Kuzma and Beal on the sidelines just to keep him healthy. We could see both Avdija and Kispert in the starting lineup for the rest of the way. He’s taken no fewer than 10 shots in 6 straight contests and hit the 20-point mark in scoring in 3 of those games. He’ll also provide minor rebounding help as well as he should pull down three to five rebounds per game for the final four games of the Wizards season. Kispert has hit over 54 percent of his shots and nearly 53 percent of his three’s over his last five outings. We normally like to target players that produce in multiple categories, but Kispert’s shooting will also help boost your field goal and three-point shooting percentages if those categories apply to your fantasy basketball league. 

Trendon Watford PF, C Portland Trail Blazers-22% rostered

This recommendation comes with a warning because if Watford’s minutes don’t rise in the next two games because of his ankle pain, release him. There aren’t too many centers out there that are available to grab, but with Jusuf Nurkic and Jerami Grant out for the rest of the season, Watford, along with Drew Eubanks become very valuable and both should start for the rest of the way. Even though he only played 19 minutes last game, he still scored 15 points and he’s logged 15 points or more in 3 of his last 5 battles. Watford has two days to rest his ankle and unless it swells up, we should expect him to play around 30 minutes for all 4 games. Three of his four matchups are against soft frontcourts and as long as he’s fully healthy, we should see Watford take 10 shots or more in his matchups for the week. Save at least one waiver move for the middle of the week just in case his playing time stays down. Look to pivot to Daniel Gafford from the Wizards if you need a big man and Watford isn't coming through.

Svi Mykhailiuk SG, SF Charlotte Hornets-5% rostered

Mykhailiuk is the three-game player being recommended for the week as Kelly Oubre Jr and Terry Rozier continue to sit out. Mykhailiuk has scored nearly 16 points per game hitting over 49 percent of his shots over his last 5 outings. He’s played over 33 minutes per game during that span. He’s taken no fewer than 12 shots in each of his last 3 games and with Charlotte heading to the NBA lottery, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Rozier and Oubre not hit the court again this season. Even Gordon Hayward has been banged up and off the court. Mykhailiuk's stolen the ball multiple times in three of his last four contests and blocked shots in two of those games. He’ll even help run the offense a bit and has dropped five dimes or more in three straight outings. Mykhailiuk’s been a multi-category producer over the last couple of weeks.

 

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