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As you assess your fantasy basketball rosters heading into the first full week of December, here are five guys to add off the waiver wire in your league.
All stats and ownership rates are good as of before game action on Sunday, Dec. 3.
Ersan Ilyasova, PF Atlanta Hawks
ESPN Ownership: 9.8% Yahoo! Ownership: 35%
It’s been a war of attrition for Atlanta’s big guys, with Dewayne Dedmon (leg) and John Collins (shoulder) recently joining Mike Muscala (ankle) on the injured list. That has opened things up for Ilyasova, who has averaged 25.2 minutes per game over the last four games with the expected uptick in production (10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.5 shot attempts per game (1.5 makes from beyond the arc) over that span.
Muscala appears close to returning, but Dedmon and Collins have just started what are expected to be multi-week absences. So Ilyasova should get plenty of playing time, and as long as that’s the case he can be useful to fantasy owners in deeper leagues.
Tony Parker, PG, San Antonio Spurs
ESPN Ownership: 9.5% Yahoo! Ownership: 12%
Parker recently returned from a quad injury, and he has yet to play more than 18 minutes in his three games. But he has been pretty productive, averaging 8.0 points and 4.3 assists per game 18.0 points and 9.7 assists per 36 minutes).
Parker is sure to be rested regularly, Popovich-style, particularly on one end or the other of a back-to-back, and the presence of Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray will put a lid on his minutes in games he does play. But the 35-year old is still a usable fantasy commodity when healthy, and Parker is worth a roster spot in all leagues.
Nikola Mirotic, PF, Chicago Bulls
ESPN Ownership: 10.6% Yahoo! Ownership: 32%
After missing time with a face injury after a preseason fight with teammate Bobby Portis, Mirotic is on track to make his season debut at some point this week.
Portis and rookie Lauri Markkanen have held down the fort nicely at power forward for the Bulls. But Mirotic has been a useful player (10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for his career) in mostly a bench role, and once he’s up to par with his conditioning he may push for significant minutes.
Mirotic is merely an add-and-stash in fantasy leagues right now. But there are plenty of worse ways to fill a bench spot with a big man.
Courtney Lee, SG, New York Knicks
ESPN Ownership: 36.3% Yahoo! Ownership: 63%
Over his last six games, Lee is averaging 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while making nearly 53 percent of his three-pointers. So far this season (21 games), he’s averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game with a career-best 46.7 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Lee has been useful to fantasy owners even before his recent scoring surge. His playing time (nearly 33 minutes per game) and starting role is not going away.
Dion Waiters, SG, Miami Heat
ESPN Ownership: 52.8% Yahoo! Ownership: 71%
Waiters has scored 19 or more points three times in his last six games (17 or more four times), while averaging 16.7 points, 5.0 assists and 2.7 three-pointers (on eight attempts) per game over that span.
Waiters comes with warts (40 percent from the floor, 2.8 turnovers per game this season). But as long as he’s got shot volume and scoring, as he does right now with no real end in sight along with some positive reinforcement from Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, he’s a fantasy factor. Especially in ESPN leagues, there’s plenty of room to add Waiters and reap the benefits.