March 8-10 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Norman Powell, Georges Niang, Simone Fontecchio, Dalano Banton, GG Jackson II and More

Taking a look at some of the top performances from waiver wire options across NBA games played March 8-10.

There were a number of big individual performances across the NBA over the weekend. Let’s take a look at several of the better showings from waiver wire options and rookies.

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Waiver Wire Options

We’ll open the conversation by talking about Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell, who is rostered in 52% of leagues. Powell had 26 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 31 minutes off the bench in the team’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Powell recorded 18 points, four rebounds and one steal across 27 minutes off the bench in the team’s win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Powell isn’t usually one to stuff the stat sheet outside of his points, but he delivered a couple nie outings over the weekend. He’s scored in double figures in eight of the past 10 games, with 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.2 blocks over that span. Those aren’t great averages, but until he cools off a bit as a scorer, he could be a streaming option in all formats.

Washington Wizards’ Corey Kispert, owned in 24% of leagues, scored in double figures in both the team’s games this past weekend. Kispert went for 22 points, six assists and five rebounds in a win over the Miami Heat on Sunday after tallying 13 points, four rebounds and two assists across 30 minutes in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.

Kispert had been scoring a good amount of points for a couple weeks, but came into the weekend with three straight showings below 10 points. He got things rolling again over the weekend, and while these outings might not continue for long, he’s worth streaming in deeper leagues for the time being.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Georges Niang, owned in 30% of leagues, recorded 20 points, three rebounds and two assists across 25 minutes in the team’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. Niang had 16 points, six boards, four assists, two blocks and one steal across 36 minutes in the team’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

Niang is getting some extra playing time with Evan Mobley out, and with Donovan Mitchell also missing the past few games, it’s given guys like Niang more scoring opportunities. As long as Mobley is out, Niang should get plenty of playing time - Niang could be streamed in deeper leagues until Mobley is back. Niang is also a streaming option in standard leagues until Mitchell returns to the lineup.

Orlando Magic’s Wendell Carter Jr., owned in 73% of leagues, recorded 13 points, 15 rebounds, two assists and one block and steal across 28 minutes in the team’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Carter was limited to seven points, nine rebounds and two assists and blocks across 25 minutes in the team’s loss to the New York Knicks on Friday.

The two showings show why Carter’s own percentage is where it is. He’s too good a fantasy asset to not be utilized in deeper leagues, but until he’s more consistent with his performances, he won’t be owned in more standard leagues.

Detroit Pistons’ Simone Fontecchio, rostered in 43% of leagues, finished with 27 points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal and block across 32 minutes off the bench in the team’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

Fontecchio gets plenty of minutes to be a decent fantasy asset, despite coming off the bench. He’s capable of these kinds of outings, but also could score in single figures, like he did the previous game. I still like Fontecchio as a deep league option.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Dalano Banton, rostered in 50% of leagues, tallied 25 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block across 42 minutes in the team’s overtime win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

Banton has scored in double figures in six straight games, with a decent amount of rebounds most nights too. He should be owned/played in deeper leagues until he cools off. Banton could also be an option in standard leagues for the time being, but the leash for him in those leagues is a lot shorter.

Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr., owned in 64% of leagues, accumulated 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals across 42 minutes in the team’s loss on Friday.

Trent has scored in double figures in four straight games. While he doesn’t fill up the stat sheet super well, he’s another streaming option in all formats until he cools off. 

San Antonio Spurs’ Malaki Branham, rostered in 38% of leagues, finished with 20 points, three rebounds and two assists across 29 minutes in the team’s Friday win over the Golden State Warriors.

Branham has scored in double figures in four straight games. He’s added some other numbers aside from points, but I still only like him in deeper leagues right now - Victor Wembanyama has missed a couple games in a row, and once he returns, I expect Branham’s numbers to dip a bit.

San Antonio’s Jeremy Sochan, owned in 68% of leagues, also took advantage of Wembanyama being out, tallying 20 points, five rebounds and one assist and block across 24 minutes on Friday.

I like him as a deep league option only when Wembanyama is out there, but he’s worth keeping an eye on in standard leagues.

Detroit’s James Wiseman, owned in 10% of leagues, recorded 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and one block across 30 minutes off the bench in the team’s loss on Friday.

Wiseman got a bunch of extra playing time with Jalen Duren getting ejected during the contest. He usually only plays between 12-16 minutes a game, which limits his fantasy ceiling. I’d look elsewhere for my fantasy help, unless you are in an extremely deep league.

New York Knicks’ Precious Achiuwa, rostered in 75% of leagues, tallied 15 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, four assist and two steals across 39 minutes in the team’s Friday win over the Magic. He had eight points, nine rebounds, three blocks and two steals across 36 minutes in the team’s Sunday loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Achiuwa is a good source for rebounds most nights, and fills the stat sheet out pretty well too, but his scoring is what’s holding him back from being a bigger asset in standard leagues. I’d keep a close eye on him, but until he’s consistently in double figures, I’m looking elsewhere for fantasy help in standard leagues.

Charlotte’s Nick Richards, rostered in 68% of leagues, totaled 15 points, 11 rebounds and one block and steal across 31 minutes on Saturday against the Nets. Richards added 10 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and one block across 30 minutes against the Wizards on Friday.

Richards is a double-double threat anytime he’s on the court, but had failed to record one in four straight games going into the weekend. He’s a streaming option in all formats until those numbers tail off again, but you might be better off just playing matchups with him.

Top Rookies

Memphis Grizzlies’ GG Jackson II, owned in 27% of leagues, had 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block across 38 minutes in the team’s Sunday loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jackson started and went over 35 minutes for the first time since early February and delivered a huge showing. Playing time is available for Jackson with several teammates out, but his showings have been inconsistent of late. I’d at least consider him in deeper leagues/dynasties after Sunday’s big outing.

OKC’s Cason Wallace, owned in 7% of leagues, tallied 22 points, four assists, two rebounds and one block across 27 minutes in the team’s win over the Grizzlies. Wallace only had three points and one assist and block across 14 minutes in a Friday win over the Heat.

The two showings are an example of why he’s not owned in more leagues right now. He’s capable of big showings, but those usually only come in lopsided games or ones where several OKC regulars are out. He’s worth monitoring, but I’d think there’s better deep league/dynasty players available.

Utah Jazz rookie Keyonte George, rostered in 72% of leagues, accumulated 29 points, six assists and five rebounds across 38 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to the Denver Nuggets.

George missed a game during the middle of the week, but got right back on track on Saturday. He’s a good option in all formats - being a streaming option in standard leagues until his minutes or production drops off.

Charlotte’s Vasilije Micic, owned in 48% of leagues, had 12 points, 10 assists and five rebounds across 31 minutes in the team’s Saturday win over the Nets, while posting 14 points and three rebounds and assists over 32 minutes in a Friday loss to the Wizards.

Micic has now scored in double figures in five straight games. While he’s not scoring a ton, his assists are always pretty strong marks, so he needs to be utilized in deeper leagues for the time being.

Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., rostered in 53% of leagues, had 25 points and three rebounds, assists and steals across 31 minutes in a Friday loss to OKC. Jaquez only had six points, seven boards and two assists, steals and blocks across 25 minutes in a Sunday loss to the Wizards. 

Until his numbers are a bit more consistent, Jaquez remains a good option in just deeper leagues/dynasties. He’s worth monitoring closely in standard leagues though.

#waiver-wire