One NBA player who has been trending lately is Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac and a lot of people wonder if he’s a must-add from the fantasy basketball waiver wire? The answer is no unless you have a ton of roster spots and have the room to stash him with low expectations for his playing time and the understanding that he will sit out games for the rest of the season. The Magic stuck with him for years as he’s battled through injuries and they aren’t going to risk it by extending his minutes meaning, his fantasy basketball production ceiling lowers. Will he have games in which he stuffs the stat-sheet in 10-15 minutes of action? Yes, but then the next night he’ll sit out especially on a back-to-back. Here are a few players to look to add off the fantasy basketball waiver wire.

 

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

Jeremy Sochan PF San Antonio Spurs-41% rostered

Sochan has slowly improved his game and has been a key contributor for the Spurs lately scoring 14 points or more in 6 straight games and pulled down at least 6 rebounds in all but 1 game during that span. His long-range shooting has been hot lately as he’s hit over 57 percent of his three-pointers over his last 4 contests. Teams think he’s going to drive the lane and defenders will back up a step to give him space at the arc and he’ll just shoot. Why not if he has a better look at the basket if the defender isn’t all over him? He’s been playing deeper into games, and he has decent court vision and has been good at making quick passes in the lane during transition and he’s dropped three-plus dimes in three straight battles. He should continue taking double digit shots until at least Devin Vassell is healthy again. Sochan is tough and battles for the ball in the lane and the Spurs have prided their teams in the past on blue-collared players and Sochan shows his hustle when he’s on the court and has been rewarded by getting more minutes and involvement in the offense.

Kevon Looney C Golden State Warriors-45% rostered

Looney is being brought back to the table because he has been grabbing a lot of rebounds. He posted a double-double a few games ago and has scored in double figures in two of his last three battles. Looney has a few good matchups coming up against the Thunder and Mavericks and he’s pulled down eight or more rebounds in six straight games. Looney’s minutes aren’t too appealing, and the Warriors frontcourt is healthier than they were a month ago, but Looney is doing just enough to deserve to be at the end of fantasy basketball benches. He’s even dished three or more assists in five of his last six battles. He’s been grabbing more steals lately securing five of them in his last four games combined. As long as his minutes don’t drop below 20, Looney can be relied on because he’s still the Warriors best option at center until James Wiseman develops more and can show that he can stay healthy. 

Deni Avdija F Washington Wizards-31% rostered

After trading Rui Hachimura to the Lakers, the Wizards have been riding a five-game winning streak and between Hachimura being off the team and Kristaps Porzingis getting hurt (now he’s healthy again), Avdija has had more opportunities to produce in the Wizards lineup. He’s been more aggressive crashing the boards, posting nine or more boards in three straight and producing two double-doubles in his last three games. When Bradley Beal was hurt, it seemed like Avdija was used more as a secondary playmaker and would help Monte Morris run the point, but the Wizards have needed his size in the post, and he’s certainly come through. Avdija has scored 10 or more points in 4 of his last 5 battles and he’s getting in the lane on offense and isn’t relying as much on his long-range shooting which has been encouraging and if the Wizards want to keep trotting out a bigger lineup on the court with Kyle Kuzma at small forward, Avdija will see crucial minutes off the bench toggling between both forward spots. He’s stolen the ball in five straight battles as well and has hit the 30-minute mark in 2 of his last 3 games.

Patrick Williams PF Chicago Bulls-38% rostered

The Bulls don’t have a lot of size and that’s worked in Williams favor as his production has been volatile throughout the season. He’s more impactful than the stat-sheet has shown. Lately though, he’s been stuffing the stat-sheet and the Bulls have committed to him more. He’s seeing more games in which he’s crossing over the 30-minute mark and he’s scored in double figures in six of his last seven battles and he’s exceeded his rebounding average in five straight contests. He has good leaping ability and can contest shots and has swats in four of his last five battles. Between getting a higher volume of shots and his improved rebounding, along with his steals production in which he’s grabbed steals in five straight games, he has multi-category production potential for the rest of the season. The Bulls have needed Derrick Jones Jr to play which shows their lack of depth. They don’t have other players to turn to help DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic guard the post. 

Dorian Finney-Smith F Dallas Mavericks-33% rostered

Christian Wood and Maxi Kleber are still out, and the Mavericks must show resistance in the post on defense and Dwight Powell can’t do it alone and now that he’s healthy again, Finney-Smith will have to play deeper in the post and that puts him in a better position to grab more rebounds. The Mavericks play good defense on the perimeter already and they need Finney-Smith crashing the boards more rather than just covering the elbow. Finney-Smith posted a double-double a couple of games ago and he’s pulled down nine or more boards in both of his last two games. He’s been shooting better lately and has scored 10 or more points in 4 of his last 5 battles. He’ll help set up the offense if he receives the ball at the perimeter and that has resulted in a slight assist-uptick. On the defensive side of the ball, he’ll continue stealing the ball consistently and he’s posted swipes in each of his last five games and averages one per contest this year. 

Tari Eason F Houston Rockets-26% rostered

The Rockets have multiple starters that are banged up and as Jae’Sean Tate is still having his minutes monitored, Eason has been able to benefit by getting more playing time. He’s scored at least 11 points in 5 of his last 8 games and he posted back-to-back double doubles. Eason was a good defender in college, and it’s been a bit head-scratching that Houston wouldn’t commit to him more at the start of the season with Tate hurt. They are known for making poor decisions such as not wanting to start Alperen Sengun at the beginning of the season. It still makes zero sense to this day. Eason has pulled down nine or more boards in four of his last five battles. He’s also grabbed five steals and blocked five shots over his last four games combined. Eason has a strong mid-range game and he’ll battle his way in the post and has put up at least 11 field goals in 4 of his last 6 matchups. He should continue to see more minutes down the stretch to gain more reps as the Rockets head back to the lottery. 

Pat Connaughton SG, SF Milwaukee Bucks-30% rostered

Connaughton is known for his scoring and with Khris Middleton healthy, his scoring ceiling lowers, but he’s been helpful producing in other areas and if Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to shift up to center to relieve Brook Lopez with Bobby Portis hurt, Connaughton could see more playing time and may even shift up to power forward at times. He’s been impressive on the glass producing six or more boards in seven of his last eight contests. He’s also been helping defensively by causing the opposition to turn the ball over more and he’s stolen the ball in eight of his last 10 contests. He won’t take 10 shots regularly, but his rebounding and steals production makes him appealing, and he’s played 30 minutes or more in 4 of his last 6 outings. Connaughton has been averaging two made triples per game this season as well and he’ll often be used as a bailout shooter on offense when on the floor.

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