Feb. 9-11 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Luguentz Dort, Caleb Martin, Simone Fontecchio, Ricky Council IV, Rui Hachimura and More

Taking a look at some of the top performances from NBA games played on Feb. 9-11 from waiver wire options.

While the Super Bowl dominated the headlines over the weekend, there were plenty of great individual performances happening on NBA courts.

Let’s go over some of the top performances from waiver wire options (including rookies) from Feb. 9-11.

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Sunday’s Best Outings

There were just two games on Sunday, so there weren’t a ton of options.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Luguentz Dort, who is owned in just 40% of leagues, tallied 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals and one block across 33 minutes in the team’s win over the Sacramento Kings.

It was the third time in the past four games that Dort scored in double figures. He doesn’t usually do a whole lot else on the court, so the rebounds and steals were great to see. With this looking more like a one-game blip than a sign of things to come, I’d suggest rostering Dort in deeper leagues and then keeping an eye on him in standard leagues.

Miami Heat’s Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson each had solid outings in the team’s loss to the Boston Celtics.

Martin finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and one assist across 36 minutes played. He’s owned in 31% of leagues.

Robinson tallied 15 points, two rebounds and one assist across 33 minutes off the bench. He’s owned in 31% of leagues as well.

It was the third time in the past four games that Martin scored in double figures, with him missing it by a point in the other game. He usually stuffs the stat sheet pretty well otherwise, but I still only see him as a good fantasy asset in deeper leagues. He might be worth streaming in standard leagues if Jimmy Butler is out (like he was Sunday).

Robinson scored in double figures for the first time since late January. He also recently missed three games, so maybe Sunday was the start of a hot streak for him. Again, with Butler being out, that afforded Robinson some more scoring opportunities, so I still only view him as a deep league option (and a streaming option in standard league if Butler is out again moving forward).

Saturday’s Top Performers

New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III recorded 24 points, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal across 30 minutes in the team’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s owned in 44% of leagues.

It was one of the better outings for the season for Murphy, who has missed a ton of games already. Over his past seven contests, he’s averaging 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals and assists. Those numbers are solid enough to roster him in deeper leagues, but until he can improve all around, he isn’t a great option in standard leagues.

Atlanta Hawks’ Saddiq Bey, owned 76% of leagues, recorded 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal and block across 39 minutes on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. He had 18 points, 11 rebounds and one assist and steal across 34 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.

Bey has scored in double figures in four straight games now, averaging 21.3 points per game. He’s also averaging 7.8 rebounds over that span, and those averages alone are enough to at least add him in all formats for the time being.

New York Knicks’ Alec Burks recorded 22 points, two rebounds and one assist across 22 minutes in his first game with his new team. He’s owned in 29% of leagues.

Burks was brought to New York to provide a scoring punch off the bench, and did just that in his first game. His role might not always be as big, because OG Anunoby - among several others - were out for the contest. Burks can be rostered and played in deeper leagues, but a lack of minutes will probably keep him from being a standard league option.

Detroit Pistons’ Simone Fontecchio, owned in 27% of leagues, finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and one assist and steal across 32 minutes off the bench in his first game with his new team. 

Fontecchio only averages 9.1 points per game this season, so the 20-point outing in his first game with Detroit was definitely a surprise to many. With the rebuilding state of the team, Fontecchio should be added in deeper leagues. If he continues to produce good nights, he’ll also be a fantasy option in standard leagues.

Philadelphia’s Ricky Council IV, barely owned in any leagues, recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds and an assist across 29 minutes against the Washington Wizards. 

Council continues to make this article despite not getting too much playing time. Several Sixers were inactive on Saturday, so that allowed Council to serve a pretty big role for the team. He’d be a streaming option in deeper leagues if the team continues to play without a few regular rotation guys.

Charlotte Hornets’ Vasilije Micic, owned in 16% of leagues, totaled 18 points, nine assists and one rebound across 26 minutes in the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies. 

Charlotte is without LaMelo Ball and Kyle Lowry right now, so Micic (who just got traded to Charlotte) is a pretty good deep league option, at least for the time being. He didn’t have a ton of opportunities with OKC, so this could be his chance to be a good fantasy asset.

Memphis’ GG Jackson II had another strong outing in the team’s loss on Saturday. Jackson, owned in 45% of leagues, recorded 16 points, two assists and steals and one block and rebound across 26 minutes.

Jackson has scored in double figures in four straight games, and should remain a solid fantasy asset with so many Memphis players out with injuries. I’d roster and play Jackson in deeper leagues and dynasties, and at least consider him in standard leagues.

Houston’s Amen Thompson, owned in 56% of leagues, finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and one steal across 33 minutes played against the Hawks. He had eight points, nine boards, four assists and one steal across 32 minutes against the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Thompson has started three straight games for Houston and delivered solid numbers in all three games, averaging 11 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1 block. Those numbers are good enough to roster him in deeper leagues and dynasties, but he’d probably have to score a little more to consider him in standard leagues.

Friday’s Standouts

Milwaukee Bucks’ Malik Beasley knocked down seven 3-pointers in the team’s rout of the Hornets. He finished with 21 points, two rebounds and assists and one steal across 24 minutes played.

Beasley, owned in 40% of leagues, bounced back from a rough 1-for-13 outing in the previous game. Milwaukee was playing without Khris Middleton, so that opened some extra scoring opportunities for Beasley. Middleton is expected to be out of action for a bit, so Beasley is a decent streaming option in all formats.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, owned in 20% of leagues, recorded 21 points, five rebounds and one assist and block across 37 minutes in the team’s win over the Pelicans.

Hachimura typically plays enough minutes to be a solid fantasy asset, but it was the first time in five games that he scored in double figures. He tends to be a streaky scorer, so maybe he’s worth streaming for the next couple nights.

Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly totaled 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals across 33 minutes in a loss to Boston. He’s owned in 15% of leagues.

He’s another player that logs enough minutes to be a solid fantasy asset, but usually doesn’t score enough. He scored 13 points on Saturday, so maybe he’s in a hot streak. He’s an option in deeper leagues and dynasties for the time being.

Houston’s Cam Whitmore, owned in 27% of leagues, finished with 17 points, three rebounds and one assist across 18 minutes in the team’s loss to the Raptors.

Whitmore has enjoyed a nice surge of late, but also is dealing with an ankle sprain now. That will cause many fantasy owners to drop him, but I want to make you aware that he was a good fantasy option in deeper leagues and dynasties before the injury. Keep an eye on his status and add him when he returns to the lineup.

#waiver-wire #luguentz-dort #caleb-martin #simone-fontecchio #ricky-council-iv #rui-hachimura