Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the season, we'll need to source stats from free agency to maximize our imaginary rosters.
In this weekly series, we identify players available in at least half of ESPN leagues at each position. Some nominations are purely specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last spot or two on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. It can help to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
If your league continues until the end of the regular season, be sure to check our Fantasy NBA Daily Notes that run each weekday to keep up with what should be ever-shifting rotations down the stretch. I've long advised adopting a DFS approach to seasonal leagues, given how deftly daily fantasy parses immediate changes in value, thus it could also be helpful to check ESPN's DFS content each day as well.
Point guard
J.J. Barea, Dallas Mavericks (rostered in 25.5 percent of ESPN leagues): Are you chasing dimes down the stretch in a roto league? Need an uptick in passing production with superstars such as Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry sidelined? Barea is likely the best source for consistent assist production among the population of players available in at least 70 percent of ESPN leagues. Since March 11, Barea leads the NBA with an assist percentage of 49.5 percent, which means he's responsible for half of his team's assists while on the floor.
D.J. Augustin, Orlando Magic (20.9 percent): A top-20 point guard during the past 15 days on the Player Rater, Augustin nearly delivered a triple-double this past Saturday against Phoenix. You'll need to accept a low scoring floor with Augustin, but having 24 assists across his past three starts supports streaming value for Orlando's lead distributor.
Trey Burke, New York Knicks (11.3 percent): Word is that the Emmanuel Mudiay experiment could be concluding. If there is indeed a depth-chart shift underway, Burke could be the key beneficiary. The Michigan product has averaged 14 PPG, 4.8 APG in 24.5 MPG during his past five outings and could see a rewarding bump in usage down the stretch.
Shooting guard
Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings (43.4 percent): I'm assuming Hield is rostered in most traditional fantasy formats, but he could be floating in free agency in shallower leagues or those with particularly short benches. If you can acquire Hield, you'll net one of the most efficient perimeter scorers in the NBA during the past two weeks. The Kings are finally truly trusting their young players, thus Hield is poised for a strong finish. If Hield is rostered in your league, New Orleans' E'Twaun Moore (16.2 percent) could serve as an approximation of Sacramento's shooter.
Quinn Cook, Golden State Warriors (29.8 percent): While it's likely impossible for Cook to remain as hot from the field as he's proven during the past several games (52 percent from 3-point range), it's completely viable to expect him to continue to earn meaningful minutes and opportunities with Curry sidelined.
Yogi Ferrell, Dallas Mavericks (9.1 percent): With Dennis Smith Jr. back in the fold, it was encouraging to see Ferrell play 24 minutes and loft 10 shots this past Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets. For those streaming and in need of guard production, it helps to note the Mavericks are one of 16 teams with four games during the upcoming week.
Small forward
Denzel Valentine, Chicago Bulls (28.3 percent): With Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine ailing, Valentine has averaged 18 PPG, 4 RPG and 3.4 APG during his past five games, all starts. Keep a close eye on the status of Dunn and LaVine for the coming games, as Valentine sees a sizable boost in offensive opportunities when they are sidelined.
Corey Brewer, Oklahoma City Thunder (19.9 percent): Found at ninth among small forwards on the Player Rater during the past two weeks, Brewer has capably stepped into a 3-and-D role for the Thunder. This savvy vet has been quite larcenous lately with 2.7 SPG the past seven games, which rates third in the NBA during this stretch.
Mario Hezonja, Orlando Magic (6.7 percent): For those in truly deep leagues (at least 12 teams or large rosters), Hezonja can be considered a lesser version of Brewer in that he's capable of producing helpful batches of steals and 3-pointers.
Power forward
Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers (36.0 percent): One of the hottest fantasy free agents of the past several weeks, it's fitting to see Aminu among the most added players in ESPN leagues during the past week. Aminu is 11th among small forwards and 13th among power forwards on the Player Rater during the past 15 days. While Aminu's recent scoring bender is likely unsustainable, his ability to amass steals and rebounds at atypically high rates helps drive a high floor, even if he cools down from the field.
Cheick Diallo, New Orleans Pelicans (2.4 percent): The Pelicans have asked Diallo to contribute as a glass-cleaner of late, as he's second only to Anthony Davis on the team with 15.5 rebounding chances (within 3.5 feet of an available rebound) during the past five games. You won't get much besides boards, but few fantasy free agents are enjoying as many opportunities.
Center
Dewayne Dedmon, Atlanta Hawks (31.4 percent): The market is warming up to the idea that Dedmon is a starting fantasy asset; he's among the most added players in ESPN leagues thanks to averaging 11.8 PPG, 11 RPG, 1.3 BPG and 1.5 SPG during his past four games. The recent return of John Collins to the lineup didn't curb Dedmon's minutes or touches, so it could be a fun finish for the journeyman.
Cristiano Felicio, Chicago Bulls (5.8 percent): Even with Robin Lopez back in the rotation, the team is making a clear effort to get their young big man more experience. The team is experimenting with starting Felicio in the second half of games recently. Felicio has responded to the uptick in opportunity with 12.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 64.3 percent shooting from the field during his past five games.
Nerlens Noel, Dallas Mavericks (8.4 percent): This gifted, if enigmatic, player has tallied 24 rebounds, 11 steals and 6 blocks across his past three games. Noel claims historically good steal and block rates, but struggles to stay on the court for a variety of reasons. It appears the team is willing to audition him down the stretch with increased work, thus he's one of my favorite acquisitions at the moment.