Fantasy Basketball Week 4 Waiver Wire Pickups | Should You Add Cam Reddish, Nick Richards and Norman Powell?
Every week, we discuss some of the top waiver wire basketball players. With week four of the season underway, we have a trio of names to talk about.
Let’s talk about the top three waiver wire players as of the time this article was published: Los Angeles Lakers’ Cam Reddish, Charlotte Hornets’ Nick Richards and Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell.
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Cam Reddish Fantasy Outlook
Reddish is in his first season with the Lakers. He’s played in 10 games, four of which he’s started.
Reddish is currently averaging 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.4 steals and 0.3 blocks across 22.8 minutes. He’s also averaging 1.7 fouls and 0.6 turnovers. Reddish is shooting 41.1% overall, just 29.6% from 3-point land and 84.2% from the free-throw line.
Those numbers don’t really stand out, but a deeper dive into his game logs show some promising things. Reddish has started four of the team’s last six games, and has played at least 23 minutes in all those contests. He scored 35 points over the team’s last two games, and shot much better from the floor. Reddish also has 10 rebounds and six steals over that span, which look a lot better than his current averages.
Verdict: With the Lakers battling a multitude of injuries, I’m all for adding Reddish for the time being. He’s going to get plenty of minutes while some of his teammates sit out, and if he plays well enough now, he could earn himself some more playing time going forward. He’s been a pretty solid fantasy option of late, so if you have a short-term need, or rostered one of the injured Lakers, by all means take a chance on Reddish.
Nick Richards Fantasy Outlook
Richards has come off the bench in all nine of the games he’s played this season, but he’s filling up the stat sheet nicely despite only averaging 17.8 minutes per contest.
Richards is averaging 9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 0.3 steals and assists per contest. He’s shooting 78.9% from the floor and is an efficient 75% at the line.
It’s hard to trust players who are not even playing 20 minutes a game, but Richards has hit double digits in points more often than not and also has pulled down six or more rebounds in all but four contests. He’s got blocks in all but two games. Anything he adds for assists or steals is a bonus.
Verdict: While there might be some waiver wire big men that play a lot more minutes, not too many are probably producing as consistently as Richards is. You’d love to see him get more minutes, and maybe that’s coming at some point, but he’s doing enough to be a solid fantasy asset, especially in deeper leagues.
Norman Powell Fantasy Outlook
Powell is another guy coming off the bench, but producing enough to get some fantasy love from owners. He’s averaging 24.2 minutes played across the nine games he’s appeared in so far for the Clippers.
Powell is averaging 12.7 points, 2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.6 steals and blocks per contest. He’s shooting a strong 52.6% from the floor and 43.9% from 3-point land. He’s only at 66.7% from the free-throw line, surprisingly. Powell also averages 2.4 fouls and 1.3 turnovers per contest.
It’s not always easy for players to consistently contribute off the bench, but Powell has been pretty good to start the season. He’s reached double figures in all but two contests, and has a pair of 20-point performances already. Powell might not fill up the stat sheet in too many other areas, but he’s getting a healthy amount of playing time and usage while he’s in, so he does usually add a couple rebounds and assists, and then occasionally gets a steal or block.
Verdict: I like the long-term value of Powell the most of the three players in this discussion. The Clippers aren’t dealing with any kind of injuries to players that would take minutes away from Powell, so I’m all for adding him now. Even with some stars on the team that take a bunch of field goal attempts, Powell has still been able to produce because he’s coming off the bench. If he’s ever inserted into the starting lineup, fantasy owners will hope it’s because of an injury, otherwise his shot attempts and usage will drop significantly.
