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Fantasy Basketball: Top NBA Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 19 of 2021-22

Zach Thompson gives his top additions from the waiver wire for your season-long fantasy basketball leagues heading into Week 19, which starts Monday, Feb. 28.

By Zach Thompson
NBA: Golden State Warriors at Oklahoma City Thunder Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA has six weeks left in the regular season, and we’re on the verge of the postseason in most season-long fantasy basketball formats. Coming down the stretch, you’ll want to be sure to maximize the most out of each roster spot, so staying active on the waiver wire will be critical. In the coming week, 11 teams are scheduled for four games while 18 are scheduled for three games. The one outlier is the Portland Trail Blazers, who are only going to play twice. The number of matchups is definitely something to consider as you fill in your final roster spots for the upcoming week, and there are some nice options to consider for those spots listed below.

At the top of this post each week, you can find the top trending pickups who are rapidly disappearing off the waiver wire. Many of them have appeared in this post earlier this season, but if they are still available on your league’s waiver wire, they’re definitely worth considering. On the other extreme, you can find some very available deep-league options at the bottom of the post. In between those two groups, you can find four highlighted sleepers who I think are good pickups trending in the right direction. Things change in a hurry from day to day at this point in the season, so follow along on my Twitter account @ZT_sports if you are looking for single-game streaming options, along with cheap DFS plays on a daily basis.

Top Trending Players

  • PG/SG Seth Curry, Brooklyn Nets
  • PG/SG Cameron Payne, Phoenix Suns
  • PG/SG Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets
  • PG/SG Tre Mann, Oklahoma City Thunder
  • PG/SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Washington Wizards
  • SG/SF/PF Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards
  • SG/SF Terance Mann, Los Angeles Clippers
  • SG/SF Luke Kennard, Los Angeles Clippers
  • SG/SF Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs
  • SG/SF Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio Spurs
  • SF/PF Cameron Johnson, Phoenix Suns
  • SF/PF Oshae Brissett, Indiana Pacers
  • SF/PF/C Lauri Markkanen, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • PF Isaiah Jackson, Indiana Pacers
  • PF Jalen Smith, Indiana Pacers
  • PF Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic
  • C Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards

PG Raul Neto, Washington Wizards (vs. DET, vs. ATL, vs. IND)

The Wizards traded Spencer Dinwiddie to the Dallas Mavericks and lost Bradley Beal (wrist) for the season, and all the vacant usage has resulted in multiple Wizards being good pickups listed above or below. Neto has been one of the biggest beneficiaries and has moved into the starting lineup for each of the past seven games.

In those seven games, Neto has averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals. Although he is averaging under 10 field goal attempts per game over that stretch, he’s making 52% of his shots and typically won’t hurt your percentages by missing a lot of shots. He struggled on Saturday night in a loss to the Cavs, but the whole Wizards team looked a little sluggish on the second night of a back-to-back. He has favorable matchups this week and provides very nice PG production, which is often hard to find on the waiver wire at this point of the season.

SF/PF Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors (at MIN, at DAL, at LAL)

The Warriors' rotation still fluctuates from game to game, but Kuminga has continued to play a big role while Draymond Green (back) has been sidelined. Green is expected to miss at least a couple more weeks and will likely return to the rotation gradually, so Kuminga should continue to contribute. The Warriors used the No. 7 overall pick on the 19-year-old, so they obviously believe in his upside.

In his nine games in February, Kuminga has averaged 26.5 minutes per game with a strong 22.0% usage rate. He has at least 10 points in each of those nine games and has averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. His long-term upside is sky-high, and he has gelled very nicely with Jordan Poole on the Warriors’ second unit, making him a very viable play coming down the stretch, especially as Golden State tries to get veterans some rest before the postseason.

PF/C Marvin Bagley III, Detroit Pistons (at WAS, at TOR, vs. IND)

Bagley seems to have found some extra pep in his step since escaping Sacramento. While sometimes the “change of scenery” stories get a little overblown, it really seems like the No. 2 overall pick felt the pressure with the Sacramento Kings. For whatever reason, he was never able to unlock his potential, but he has looked like a great fit with the Pistons in his first four games in Detroit. He debuted on Valentine’s Day with 10 points and eight rebounds against the Wizards and has been in love with his new team ever since.

He played over 20 minutes in each of his first three games with the Pistons but had to leave Saturday’s game early after tweaking his ankle. It doesn’t seem to be too serious since he was questionable to return, but he still looked solid with 14 points and four rebounds in 18 minutes before departing. He has averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in his four games in Detroit and has a lot of upside since he brings a very unique element to Detroit’s offense. The team will likely give him more work moving forward to see what he can do for them in the future.

PG Brandon Goodwin, Cleveland Cavaliers (vs. MIN, vs. CHA, at PHI, vs. TOR)

The Cavaliers will be without Rajon Rondo for about two weeks after suffering a big toe injury. That should open up at least a regular backup role for Goodwin, but he could be asked to do even more since Darius Garland continues to battle a bad back and Caris LeVert (foot) is out for a few weeks as well. Goodwin has been a nice in-season find for the Cavs and has played well when Garland has been out.

He started without Rondo and Garland on Saturday and produced eight points, six assists and five rebounds. He struggled from the field going just 2-for-11, but normally he’s a much more efficient scorer. He had 15 points, five assists and four rebounds against the Pistons Thursday, and he averaged 10 points, five assists and four rebounds in a four-game stretch without Garland before the All-Star break. He’s definitely. a solid play when Garland is out and contributes solid numbers in multiple categories. Even if Garland plays this week, Goodwin should get enough minutes as his primary backup to be a nice PG play for the coming week.

Other options to consider

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