Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Traore, Fears and Dieng Trending Up

The NBA season is on hold after the All-Star break, but that doesn't mean there aren't fantasy basketball moves to be made. Here, we'll go over a handful of waiver wire pickups.

Later in the week, we'll dive into other waiver wire options and more, so check back for the latest fantasy basketball analysis!

Waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP!

Nolan Traore: Rookie Trending Up

Traore has been rising quickly in fantasy leagues. He was under 10% owned on February 10, but is sitting at 42% overall now.

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

All eight of his starts have come in 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 in that stretch. He's shooting 50.7% overall and 37.5% from deep.

The rookie is clearly trending up of late, and there's no reason to expect the team to decrease his role moving forward. Brooklyn has played without Nicolas Claxton, Noah Clowney and Michael Porter Jr. of late, but Traore is a point guard, and none of those guys are point guards. 

I like the idea of adding Traore in deeper leagues at least. He's worth holding until he falls off a bit.

Traore is also worth maybe adding in some standard leagues too, but he's not a must-add waiver guy. He's worth trying in some standard leagues if you have a roster spot to play with.

Keep him in mind if you aren't ready to add him today. It won't take many more good performances for him to be a much bigger waiver add in standard leagues.

Jeremiah Fears: Another Rising Rookie

Fears is owned in about 40% of leagues right now. He was around 33% on February 11.

He's started 44 of the 56 games he's played in for the Pelicans. Fears is averaging 13.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.3 blocks over 25.6 minutes. He's shooting 42.9% overall and 32.4% from deep.

Fears hasn't started any of the team's past 10 games, but he's played 27 or more minutes in three straight. He's scored in double figures in four of the past six contests, including three of the past four. 

Fears has especially looked good over the past two contests, tallying 33 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals and two blocks.

New Orleans is playing without a few players, including Yves Missi, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray. A fully healthy Pelicans' team would likely mean a bit less production for Fears, but on a rebuilding team, I still think Fears should get enough playing time the rest of the season to remain a fantasy asset.

Like Traore, I think Fears is worth adding in a lot of deeper leagues, if not all of them. Watch his production and be ready to move off him if he falls off eventually.

Fears is worth considering in standard leagues too, but only if you have a roster spot to play with. He's not a must-add waiver player, but he's worth tracking, especially if he keeps trending up.

Ousmane Dieng: Excelling On New Team

Dieng is rostered in 18% of fantasy leagues. He was barely owned back on February 12. 

He wasn't playing a lot in Oklahoma City, but he's starting to get some run in Milwaukee. Dieng played 22 minutes in his second game with the Bucks, then started and played 36 minutes in the final game before the All-Star break.

Dieng had 17 points and three rebounds in the game off the bench, then tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, four blocks and one steal in the start.

The Bucks have been without Giannis Antetokounmpo for a while already. Taurean Prince is another forward who has been out for an extended period. Ryan Rollins and Myles Turner both missed the team's last game, which opened more opportunities for Dieng.

Dieng is definitely on the rise, but he needs to prove it longer than two games to get into standard leagues. Right now, he is worth adding in some deeper leagues, but not all of them.

Keep an eye on him as the Bucks return from their break to see if he keeps things rolling. If he does, add him in more deeper leagues.