December 2 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups: Cason Wallace, Quentin Grimes, Rui Hachimura and More
NBA players who had good games Sunday and are available in fantasy leagues.
Twenty NBA teams were in action on Sunday, December 1. Each provided valuable insight for fantasy basketball owners.
Let's hop straight into the top performances that caught my eye from waiver wire players.
Waiver Wire Options
Dallas Mavericks guard Quentin Grimes has nicely fit in with his new team. He weirdly was out of the rotation to start the year, but it seems as if he’s played his way back into it.
He has put up 73 total points in his last three games; getting this type of scoring output from him is huge. He has been a great catch-and-shoot player for the Mavericks so far. His skills really complement Luka Doncic's and Kyrie Irving's easily, so he should continue to be a main piece of the team. He has averaged 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists on 50% shooting this season.
He is only owned in 28% of leagues, which is a low percentage. He should be a top priority on waivers because he’s shown the ability to produce despite his low usage rate. Another thing to remember is that he is generally getting open shots based on the attention that Irving and Doncic garner. Grimes is a must-add player if he’s available. Luka's absence allowed him to get comfortable and tap into what he’s always been capable of.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura has consistently been one of the Lakers top scorers. Though he hasn't firmly cemented himself as the Lakers third-best player, he still is having a good season. Right now, he's averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist per game in 32 minutes of action.
He has been struggling lately, but that also means his value is slightly lower. It will make it easier to acquire him on the waiver wire. One reason why this is a good pickup is because he gets plenty of opportunities and also more than enough minutes to start producing down the line.
He is only owned in 57% of leagues, but he also saw a +5.65 own increase in the past week. Those numbers are about where I expected them to be; he had fairly high expectations coming into this season. I ultimately believe that he will tap into the potential that made Lakers nation fall in love with him. So if you have a chance to get him, make it a priority.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace has been excellent to start this season. He has fit in well and hasn’t shown any signs of going through the dreaded sophomore slump. When he was first drafted to OKC, many people questioned what his role would be, but he immediately cemented himself as a firm piece of the rotation.
There still is some on-ball creation potential that would be nice if he could tap into, but everything else he has done has been amazing. He’s averaging 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 26 minutes of action.
Cason would be an excellent deep league waiver wire pickup; he’s always constantly on the floor wreaking havoc. If he’s not shooting the lights out, he’s forcing turnovers on the other end. He is only owned in 11% of leagues, so he should be fairly available. If you want someone consistent at the end of your bench, Wallace is perfect.
Chicago Bulls guard Talen Horton-Tucker could also be another deep league waiver wire pickup. Though he started the year at the bottom of the Bulls rotation, he’s seemed to be a spark plug off the bench. He has shown that he can get points in bunches and very efficiently. He’s averaging 7 points, 1 assist, and 1 rebound in 10 minutes on the year.
He has put up 29 total points in his last two outings, ironically both games he saw his most action this year. He should be available in most leagues, so you shouldn't go through any trouble acquiring him. He will be a nice addition for injury insurance.
Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. could also be a potential deep league waiver wire pickup. Though he has been fairly disappointing this year, I believe he will get back to his potential. His role has slightly changed, which could be a reason for his dip in scoring, but I think all the tools are still there to be a good fantasy player.
He has averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 21 minutes of action this year. Once he gets back to shooting the way he was last year, he will be much better. I still would take a flyer on him just because of what I've seen previously. Stashing him on your bench might be your best option for now, though.
