Feb. 8 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | AJ Green, Josh Hart, Andre Drummond, Grayson Allen, Marcus Sasser and More

Taking a look at some of the top performances from NBA games played on Feb. 8 from waiver wire options.

Nine NBA games took place after the trade deadline passed. With traded players not being available, there were several waiver wire options and rookies that delivered big outings on Thursday.

Let’s go over some of the biggest performances from Feb. 8 and determine if any players are worth adding to your fantasy basketball team.

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Waiver Wire Options

We’ll open things up with Milwaukee Bucks’ AJ Green. He shot 9-of-11 overall (with seven 3-pointers) to tally 27 points in the team’s lopsided loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Green, who is barely owned in any leagues, also had three assists and two rebounds.

The Bucks were without Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton and only had 10 players available for the game, and with the lopsided nature of the game, Green got some extra run. At full strength, Green isn’t likely to have too many scoring outings like Thursday, but he’s a streaming option until the Bucks are healthier. Green is a guy to keep an eye on, as the team has been struggling of late and didn’t make too many big moves at the deadline.

New York Knicks’ Josh Hart, owned in 82% of leagues, recorded 23 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and one steal across 39 minutes in the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Hart was just 8-of-22 from the floor.

Hart has logged a ton of minutes of late for the Knicks. Some of that should be alleviated with a couple of the moves the team made, but you can still expect him to get enough minutes to be a solid fantasy asset. Hart probably isn’t going to score this much most nights, but with a healthy amount of rebounds and assists in each contest, he’s a player to own in all formats.

Milwaukee’s Jae Crowder started on Thursday and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one steal across 37 minutes. He’s owned in 9% of leagues.

He got the start with Middleton out, and until Middleton returns, Crowder could be streamed in all formats, especially if Lillard is still out. Crowder has played a combined 117 minutes over the past three games, averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Even with the team at full strength, Crowder is still likely going to play enough each night to be a decent fantasy option in deeper leagues.

Chicago Bulls’ Andre Drummond totaled 21 points, 13 rebounds and one assist, steal and block across 31 minutes off the bench in the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Drummond is owned in 64% of leagues right now.

Drummond has gotten over 30 minutes in the team’s past two games and has responded by combining for 37 points, 29 rebounds and five blocks. He’s worth streaming in all formats until his production drops off.

New York’s Miles McBride, owned in 6% of leagues, accumulated 21 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals across 45 minutes on Thursday. McBride started for just the third time this season and easily played his most minutes in a contest this year. 

New York only played eight players in the contest, and were without Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and their couple of trade acquisitions. McBride typically only averages a few minutes a game, so I’d probably leave him on the waiver wire for now. 

Phoenix Suns’ Eric Gordon, owned in 33% of leagues, totaled 19 points, four assists, two rebounds and one steal and block across 38 minutes in the team’s win over the Utah Jazz.

The Suns played without Devin Booker, which allowed Gordon to get a spot start. Gordon is a solid scoring threat off the bench (even at much fewer minutes), so he’s a solid asset in deeper fantasy leagues. I’d avoid him in standard leagues unless a key rotation player or two are out for an extended period.

Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr., owned in 81% of leagues, recorded 19 points and two rebounds and assists across 30 minutes on Thursday.

The Mavs added a couple players at the deadline, but I still expect Hardaway to be a big part of the rotation every single night. Even coming off the bench, Hardaway is capable of playing a good amount of minutes and scoring plenty of points. Keep an eye on his numbers as the team works its new players into the mix, but do that with Hardaway on your roster.

Dallas’ Derrick Jones Jr. started and played 30 minutes in the winning effort, tallying 18 points, five rebounds and three assists along the way. He’s owned in 8% of leagues.

I’m very curious to see what kind of role Jones has when the newly-acquired Mavericks work their way into things. Jones usually stuffs the stat sheet pretty well, so he’s an option in deeper leagues, especially if he can produce like he did on Thursday.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Jabari Walker, owned in 17% of leagues, had 17 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and blocks and a steal across 43 minutes in an overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons.

Portland played without a couple key rotation players, including Deandre Ayton, so that allowed Walker to cover some more minutes. It was his first time scoring in double figures since mid-January, but he’s usually a pretty solid rebounder. If he can stay in a groove as a scorer, he’d be an option in deeper leagues for a bit.

Minnesota’s Naz Reid, owned in 73% of leagues, finished with 17 points, four rebounds and one steal and block across nearly 24 minutes played in the team’s win. 

It was his third straight game scoring in double figures. Reid is a pretty solid fantasy asset despite coming off the bench and only playing half of most games. His floor is pretty safe, but his ceiling is limited unless Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert are out.

New York’s Precious Achiuwa accumulated 13 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and one block across 41 minutes on Thursday. It was Achiuwa’s fifth straight game playing over 40 minutes, and that might be needed even after a couple of trades because Anunoby is out for a couple weeks. 

Achiuwa, owned in 65% of leagues, should probably be rostered and playable at least until Anunoby is back.

Phoenix’s Grayson Allen finished the night with eight points, 14 assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block across 35 minutes played. He’s owned in 76% of leagues.

It wasn’t a great scoring game for Allen, but he had huge assist numbers (which is rare to see looking at his 3.1 assist per game average). He’s only reached double figures in points once over the past six games, which coincides with the Suns being healthier. I’d still roster Allen for a bit longer, but we’re getting close to being able to drop him outside of deep leagues.

Top Rookies

Portland’s Toumani Camara, owned in 4% of leagues, recorded nine points, 10 rebounds and one assists and steal across 36 minutes of action.

It was Camara’s first time over 30 minutes since mid-January, with most games around 22 or so minutes. He’s scored nine or 10 points over the past three games, along with adding in some rebounds. If Portland continues to play without several key rotation players, then Camara is a streaming option in deeper leagues and dynasties, but I’d try to look elsewhere.

Memphis’ GG Jackson II totaled 27 points, nine rebounds and one assist and steal across 32 minutes on Thursday. He’s owned in just 23% of leagues. Jackson got a four-year contract with the team, so that’s definitely a positive sign.

For the time being at least, Jackson needs to be rostered in deeper leagues and dynasties. He’s scoring the ball well enough and doing enough else on the court to be a pretty solid fantasy asset most nights.

Detroit’s Marcus Sasser makes this list again after going for 17 points, 11 assists and two rebounds and steals across 38 minutes. He’s owned in 17% of leagues.

With a few of the moves Detroit made, Sasser’s own percentage should steadily climb. He’s going to play a ton of minutes and if he can turn in assist numbers somewhat regularly along with his scoring, he’s going to be a fantasy option in all formats.

The Golden State Warriors had two rookies, Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski, who both performed well in the team’s win over the Indiana Pacers. Santos, owned in 1% of leagues, had 13 points, eight rebounds and one assist across 21 minutes. Podziemski, owned in 78% of leagues, added nine points, seven assists and rebounds, two steals and a block across 34 minutes.

I’ve been telling people to add Podziemski for a while now, and that remains the case after another well-rounded performance. Santos is likely to see his production fall off when the team is at full health, but he’s a decent streaming option until that happens.

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