Last Call Before the Break: Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Targets

Just three NBA games remain before we hit the All-Star break. Let's put together our fourth fantasy basketball waiver wire story of the week, which will also be the last article of its kind for a few days.

Here are the waiver stories from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. We will go over some of the top waiver options, even if we have already covered them to this point of the week.

Waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP!

Cam Thomas: Breaks Out with New Team

Thomas is up a whopping 17.26% already today. He sits at 66.43% overall.

Thomas is a player we briefly discussed early in the week because he was joining a new team, the Bucks. He played in his second game with the team on Wednesday and erupted.

In 25 minutes off the bench, Thomas had 34 points, four rebounds and two assists. He didn't do much in his first game with the team, but also only played 13 minutes in that one.

Milwaukee is of course down Giannis Antetokounmpo right now, but his presence shouldn't change Thomas' role too much. Sure, with Antetokounmpo around, Thomas and others are likely to score and contribute less, but the Bucks needed more offensive help, and Thomas could be that guy.

The only thing that makes me hesitant to add Thomas today is that he's coming off the bench, which could make his production inconsistent. He's a scorer though, and can erupt any night that he gets enough playing time.

I'm a fan of adding him in all deeper leagues, at least for today. The Bucks play the Thunder tonight, so he's at least a streaming option for that game. I'd hold Thomas until his role/production falls off consistently.

I'd be fine streaming Thomas in standard leagues tonight too. He also could be held in those leagues if he continues to deliver, and there's no better fantasy options on the waiver wire. 

Paul Reed: Bigger Role After Teammate Suspensions

Reed has been added in 12.81% of leagues, bringing his overall mark to 25.61%.

Detroit doesn't play tonight, but Reed is still on the rise after the NBA handed out some suspensions to his teammates. Jalen Duren was suspended two games, while Isaiah Stewart was tagged with a seven-game suspension. They started serving the suspension, and didn't play on Wednesday.

Reed got a start and played 32 minutes in that contest. He produced 22 points, five rebounds, four blocks and three assists and steals along the way.

Reed is capable of these bigger fantasy showings when he starts and/or gets enough minutes. When the team is fully healthy, things are limited a bit for him.

With Duren suspended another game yet, Reed will be worth utilizing after the All-Star break. With Stewart out several games, Reed should have a big enough role to hold and utilize in deeper leagues.

For the next Detroit game, Reed is a fantasy option in all leagues, not just deeper ones. After Duren returns, Reed is likely going to be a better deep-league asset, although he could put up standard league fantasy totals any night, especially in better matchups.

That makes Reed a player to keep in mind for these next few games.

Isaiah Joe: Trending Up Without SGA

Joe is owned in 27.42% of leagues after an 11.03% increase today.

Joe is a streaming option on Thursday against the Bucks, and has been on the rise with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of action.

Over his past five contests, Joe has scored 19 or more points in four of them. He scored two points in the other game, but still is averaging 17 points over that stretch. Joe is also averaging 2.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and steals and 0.4 blocks over 26.8 minutes in those five contests.

So Joe is really just a fantasy asset on his scoring. He's delivered enough of late to add/utilize him in some deeper leagues. SGA is expected back after the All-Star break, so his fantasy value/outlook will drop off after that.

He is a good deep-league streaming option against Milwaukee tonight. I wouldn't stream Joe in a standard league, even if I had a roster spot open - that's because I bet there's better options available than him.

But now is the time for deep-league fantasy owners to take advantage of things with Joe. He's likely to stick as a deeper fantasy asset all season, but the return of SGA will make Joe just an option in deeper fantasy leagues.

Jericho Sims: Coming Off Monster Double-Double

Sims is up 6.14% and is rostered in 7.56% of leagues overall.

Sims is another Buck on the rise. He has picked up more in the absence of Antetokounmpo.

He's played 21 or more minutes in five straight contests, averaging 28.8 minutes a night. Sims is also averaging 8.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals a night in that stretch.

The points and rebounds are good averages, but they don't blow you away. He's mostly on the rise after what he did on Wednesday. In a start and nearly 36 minutes of action, Sims delivered 17 points, 11 rebounds and two assists.

Sims isn't a big-time scorer, only scoring in double figures twice over his 38 games played. He's a good rebounder though, with double-digit boards on three occasions, and five or more rebounds in 17 appearances. 

Sims' fantasy value is definitely going to drop when Antetokounmpo returns, so now is the time to add and utilize him in fantasy leagues. He's just a deep-league fantasy asset though, even coming off his monster performance.

Sims is worth adding for a stream tonight against the Thunder. Don't expect a repeat performance to Wednesday, but with a healthy amount of rebounds, Sims could provide you with several fantasy points at least.

Nolan Traore: Rookie On the Rise

Traore has been added in 7.68% of leagues and is up to 20% overall.

The rookie has played in 31 games for the Nets, starting eight of them. Traore is averaging 7.5 points, 3.5 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocks over 21 minutes a night. He's shooting 40.2% overall and he's 33.7% from 3-point land.

All eight of his starts have come of late, as he's started each of the team's past eight contests. Traore is averaging 12.1 points, 6 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.6 blocks and 0.4 steals over 28 minutes, while shooting 50.7% overall and 37.5% from deep.

Brooklyn does not play on Thursday, so fantasy owners are adding him for the long haul, or so they hope. He's found the scoring touch the past four games, scoring 21, 15, 13 and 20 points in those contests.

Maybe the rookie is starting to settle in a bit, and with a good amount of assists and a handful of rebounds, steals and blocks, the rookie is emerging as a fantasy asset.

He's still a better asset in dynasty/keeper leagues, but he's definitely got some redraft fantasy appeal now. Another big game or two after the All-Star break should help him get into all deeper leagues and even some standard leagues.

Traore is definitely a player to dig deeper into today. He could be worth adding at the end of your bench, and he might stick as a fantasy asset, so don't be afraid to add him to your squad.