Fantasy Basketball Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups | Should You Add Terance Mann, Jaden Ivey and Nicolas Batum?

Another week of the fantasy basketball season has passed by, which means it’s time to take a look at some of the top waiver wire options. 

This week, we will discuss Los Angeles Clippers’ Terance Mann, Detroit Pistons’ Jaden Ivey and Philadelphia 76ers’ Nicolas Batum.

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Terance Mann Fantasy Outlook

Mann began the year injured and is just getting back into the swing of things. He’s played in the team’s last nine games, starting the last five.

Mann is averaging 5.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal and 0.4 blocks across 25.3 minutes. He’s only averaging 2.3 fouls and 0.7 turnovers per game. Mann is shooting poorly so far, at just 40% overall and 13.6% from behind the 3-point line.

His best game of the season was in the team’s last game, when he scored 17 points after making half of his 14 field goal attempts. It was just his second game in double figures.

Mann has secured five or more rebounds in four of his nine contests, and has reached five or more assists twice. He’s got at least one assist and one block in four contests.

Verdict: While he’s only had a couple decent scoring games so far, Mann is a player who has averaged over or near 10 points per game the past two seasons. As he gets back into game shape, his shooting percentages should increase, which should boost his points close to those levels. While he’s going to likely keep playing at or above 25 minutes a game, there’s so many other scorers on the team that I’m not sure he’ll be anything more than a 10-point per game player. I’d hold off on adding Mann unless I was in a deeper league - I just don’t think he fills the stat sheet like some of the other waiver wire options out there.

Jaden Ivey Fantasy Outlook

Ivey had a ton of expectations after being drafted fifth overall to the Pistons in 2022. He had a strong rookie season, making the All-Rookie team, but has taken a bit of a step back so far this season.

Ivey has played in 12 games (three starts) and averaged 23 minutes. Last year, he averaged 31 minutes and started 73 of the 74 games he appeared in.

This season, Ivey is averaging 12.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.3 steals, while at 2.3 turnovers and 2.5 fouls per contest. Most of his averages are down, which makes sense considering he’s playing quite a bit less. Ivey is shooting 52.9% overall, which is over 10% higher than his rookie season. His 3-point percentage (32.5%) is just a bit down.

Ivey has been playing better of late. He’s started the team’s last three games and finished with 9, 17 and 25 points in those contests. He’s had at least three assists in each game, but turned the ball over seven times over the past two games.

Verdict: Turnovers and defense were part of the reason why Ivey wasn’t starting to begin the season. Ivey’s offensive talent isn’t hard to notice, but if he isn’t starting or playing a ton of minutes, he doesn’t get enough minutes to be a viable fantasy asset. He’s trending in the right direction over the past few games - with three starts and over 28 minutes played in four straight - so I’d take a chance on Ivey. Again, he’s not going to add a ton of stats outside points, but if he’s starting and playing nearly 30 minutes, he’s capable of some big-time point totals, which makes him a fantasy asset in my eyes.

Nicolas Batum Fantasy Outlook

The 34-year-old Batum is playing in his first season with the 76ers. He’s played in 11 games (five starts) and is averaging 26.4 minutes, which is his most since the 2020-21 season.

Batum is averaging 7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.4 steals per contest, while also at 2.3 fouls and 0.6 turnovers. He’s shooting a highly-efficient 59.4% overall and 53.6% from deep.

Batum has played 20 or more minutes in eight of his 11 contests. He’s reached double digits in points twice and had over five rebounds in a pair of games. He’s got a steal and block in six games.

Verdict: Batum is one of those players that’s seemingly been around forever and played on just about every team in the league. He isn’t relied on heavily for offense in Philly, so there likely are some better waiver wire options out there in the scoring department. He fills the stat sheet fairly well otherwise, but I’m not adding him to my team unless it's a deep league. I’d like to see an increase in his field goal attempts before making the move, and I’m not sure that will happen with the scorers Philly already has playing a ton of minutes.