Tuesday Fantasy Basketball Adds and Drops: Fred VanVleet, Jared McCain, and More

Let's go over another round of fantasy basketball adds and drops as the NBA regular season takes shape.

Here's the story we did on Monday - we won't cover any of those players again here.

Fantasy basketball waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP! Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest-of-season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant.

Drops

Cason Wallace - Oklahoma City Thunder

Wallace is owned in 46.74% of leagues right now, after being at 67.93% earlier in the season. He tore his left labrum and will miss several months, and maybe the rest of the season. That's a big blow after the Thunder also lost Jalen Williams, who has the same injury length projection.

In the first three games of his season, Wallace was averaging 16.3 minutes a night. He also averaged 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and steals and 1.3 assists. He's had a bit more production in the past, but now the Thunder will need to replace him.

Wallace wasn't a big-time fantasy asset to begin with, and now out several months, at least, he can safely be dropped in all redraft standard leagues. He's also droppable in some deeper redraft leagues.

He could be held onto in some really deep redraft leagues, especially if you have an IR spot to utilize, but he's not a big fantasy force, so don't worry if you end up dropping him. He could be scooped up later this season if he's able to work his way back on the court.

Aaron Gordon - Denver Nuggets 

Gordon is sitting at 88.04% rostered right now. He was at 91.59% three days ago, so he's starting to trend down.

In his first three contests, Gordon has averaged 11.3 points, 5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.3 blocks over 30 minutes. His averages are a bit down to start the year, but we are also just three games in.

I'd hold Gordon and expect him to turn things around soon. If he continues to struggle for another week or longer, then he could be let go.

He's one to definitely keep holding in deeper leagues. The only leagues he is a drop candidate at all are standard redraft setups.

Fred VanVleet - Houston Rockets

VanVleet is owned in 97.01% of leagues, but is starting to be dropped in a few leagues.

He's played in three games so far, but also missed one contest. That absence came in the second half of back-to-back games, and the report is that he's going to sit one half of the back-to-backs all year, so that knocks his fantasy value down a bit.

So far, VanVleet has averaged 8.3 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 0.3 blocks over 30 minutes a game. His scoring is way down, but it could improve as he settles back in after an entire season off.

I'd also try to hold VanVleet, but I can understand dropping him since he's going to miss a bunch of games already. He can be a very good fantasy asset, and even if he regresses from past seasons, that could be the case. Only consider dropping him in standard redraft leagues, and be ready to scoop him up if he ever takes off.

Adds

Daniss Jenkins - Detroit Pistons

Jenkins has jumped to 22.83% owned, after being at 2.31% three days ago.

He had played 15 and 22 minutes off the bench in the team's first two games, but then started in place of Ausar Thompson in game three. Jenkins went for 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a block across 38 minutes, so he's on the rise as a fantasy asset today.

Jenkins had 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and one steal in the first two games combined, which is just enough production to consider him in deeper leagues. If he's ever in the starting lineup though, he has streaming appeal in standard leagues.

He's one to keep in mind if a Piston faces a lengthy injury absence. Otherwise, be watching the injury report to see what his role might be for his next game.

Jared McCain - Oklahoma City Thunder

McCain is an OKC player on the rise after the injuries to Williams and Wallace. McCain sits at 56.25% owned. He was at 52.52% a couple of days ago, but had been up at 73.5% back on October 22.

He started on Monday, which was a day after all the injuries in OKC. He logged nearly 30 minutes and provided 18 points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal and block. McCain had 27 points, three rebounds and assists and two steals across his first three games off the bench - he played between 18-22 minutes in those contests.

With a bigger role, McCain has more fantasy appeal, and it makes sense to see him rising today. He's a very good deep-league asset, and he even has some standard league appeal already.

The more he produces, the more leagues he'll be added in. Don't wait to add McCain - scoop him up today if you like how the guard is trending.

Precious Achiuwa - Sacramento Kings

Achiuwa is owned in 56.79% of fantasy leagues, which is way up from the 21.74% mark he sat at three days ago.

He's another player who joined the starting lineup in his team's last game - that was due to an injury to Keegan Murray. Achiuwa played nearly 39 minutes in his start, recording 12 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He had 29 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and three assists across his first two games - Achiuwa played 28 and 26 minutes in those contests.

When starting, his fantasy floor is safer, and his fantasy ceiling is higher. Achiuwa could be streamed in all leagues as long as he's in the starting lineup. 

Be watching the injury report and ready to move off Achiuwa if he reverts back to the bench and his numbers fade a bit. He's an overlooked fantasy asset, so I see him as a pretty good deep-league asset all season, along with being a decent standard league streamer most games, even while coming off the bench.