Jan. 29 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Donte DiVincenzo, Kelly Oubre Jr., Cody Martin, Keyonte George, Cam Whitmore and More

There was a massive 12-game schedule of NBA action on Monday, so there’s a ton to break down from a fantasy basketball perspective.

Like we do every weekday, let’s break down some of the top performances from waiver wire options and rookies and then determine if you should be targeting any of those guys in your leagues.

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. Use our fantasy basketball trade analyzer to break down trade scenarios.

Waiver Wire Options

Another day, another time where Dallas Mavericks’ Tim Hardaway Jr. makes this article. Hardaway was 11-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-9 from 3-point land to score 36 points in the team’s win over the Orlando Magic. 

Hardaway, who is owned in 78% of leagues right now, also had eight rebounds and one assist and steal across 36 minutes played. Dallas was playing without Kyrie Irving, so Hardaway started and had another huge game. 

I’ve given up pleading with fantasy owners to add Hardaway to their fantasy teams. He’s a good fantasy option whether the team is at full health or not, which is shown by his nine-game streak of scoring at least 10 points. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals over that span. It’s not a ton of production consistently outside of points, but his scoring alone is good enough for fantasy purposes.

New York Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo scored 28 points in the team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. He made 10 shots overall, half of which were 3-pointers. DiVincenzo also had six rebounds, five assists and a steal across 42 minutes.

DiVincenzo is currently owned in 71% of leagues. He continues to start for the Knicks and stuff the stat sheet on a pretty regular basis. He’s scored in double figures in 15 of the past 16 games. He does enough else on a nightly basis to add him to your fantasy team if you have the space or can make room for him.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Kelly Oubre Jr. tallied 25 points, six rebounds and one assist across 31 minutes played in the team’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s currently owned in 62% of leagues.

Philly had several players sit out, including Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, so that allowed Oubre to take on more of a scoring role. It was Oubre’s second straight 25-point outing and that one was also without Maxey and Embiid. If those two continue to miss games, Oubre is a fantastic option to stream, but otherwise, his scoring has been a little too inconsistent of late to roster him.

Phoenix Suns’ Eric Gordon, owned in just 24% of leagues, recorded 23 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals and blocks across 34 minutes in the team’s win over the Miami Heat.

Since missing a couple games, Gordon has averaged 15.3 points over the last three contests. Unfortunately, that’s about where his fantasy value stops, as he’s averaging 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.7 blocks over those same games. He’s a decent option in deeper leagues on his scoring alone, but his own percentage won’t get much higher unless his other numbers start showing up regularly.

Dallas’ Jaden Hardy was 8-of-9 overall and 4-of-5 from deep to tally 20 points in the team’s win. He also had seven assists and one rebound, steal and block across 27 minutes.

Hardy, owned in just 1% of leagues, took advantage of Irving being out. He’s had seven assists in each of the past two games, so if Irving is out for another couple games, Hardy is a bit of a sleeper streaming option in all formats.

San Antonio Spurs’ Cedi Osman recorded 20 points, three rebounds and two assists and steals across 29 minutes in the team’s loss to the Washington Wizards. He’s also owned in just 1% of leagues.

Osman hadn’t played 20 minutes in a game since Jan. 13, but he took advantage of his minutes on Monday and could get a little extra run in the next game or two because of it. I’d still probably look elsewhere in deeper leagues for a bit more well-rounded player.

Orlando’s Anthony Black went for 20 points, three rebounds and one assist and block across 30 minutes against Dallas. He’s only owned in 3% of leagues.

Black took advantage of some extra playing time and scored in double figures for the first time since Jan. 13. Along with his lack of scoring most games, Black doesn’t fill the stat sheet super well, so I’d leave Black on the waiver wire - just keep an eye on him in case he gets hot.

Brooklyn Nets’ Lonnie Walker IV had 19 points, four assists, two rebounds and one steal and block across 27 minutes played against the Utah Jazz. He’s owned in 7% of leagues.

Walker played over 20 minutes for the first time since Jan. 11, and responded with his best scoring output since that contest. If he can consistently score like this, he’s a decent option in deeper leagues, but I’d still look elsewhere, as Walker doesn’t fill the stat sheet most nights.

New York’s Josh Hart posted eight points, 12 rebounds and seven assists across 39 minutes played against Charlotte. Hart is owned in 66% of leagues.

Monday’s game was a perfect example of what makes Hart a good fantasy option. He doesn’t need to score a ton of points to impact the game and help your fantasy team. Hart averages 7.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and probably is a better fantasy option than several of the other top options on the waiver wire.

Charlotte’s Cody Martin accumulated 14 points, eight assists, six rebounds and one steal across 31 minutes played against New York. Martin is owned in 7% of leagues.

Much like Hart, Martin can be a decent fantasy asset without a ton of points scored. If he scores like he does Monday, that’s just a bonus for fantasy owners. Keep an eye on him in the upcoming game to see if he heats up as a scorer, which would make him a decent fantasy option in all formats. For now, I like Martin in deeper leagues.

Top Rookies

Portland’s Scoot Henderson finished the night with 22 points, four assists, two rebounds and steals and one block across just 22 minutes. He’s owned in 53% of leagues.

Henderson continues to not log too many minutes, but he’s scored in double figures in three of the past five games. If he can start consistently scoring at a decent clip, he does enough else on the court to consider adding in all formats. For now, I’d add him in deeper leagues and dynasties.

Utah’s Keyonte George totaled 21 points, four rebounds and three assists across 27 minutes against the Nets. The rookie is owned in 21% of leagues.

George had been in a shooting funk of late, so maybe Monday’s showing can get him going again. For now, I’d keep an eye on him in standard leagues, while adding him in deeper leagues and dynasties.

Dallas’ Dereck Lively II accumulated 20 points, 11 rebounds and one assist, steal and block across 41 minutes played on Monday. He’s owned in 77% of leagues.

Lively has played well since returning from a five-game absence. He’s averaging 11.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals across 29.1 minutes over the past seven games. He needs to be owned in all deeper leagues and dynasties, and he’s consistent enough to be considered in standard leagues too for the time being.

Houston Rockets’ Cam Whitmore, owned in 32% of leagues, recorded 20 points and six rebounds in just 18 minutes during the team’s win over the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Whitmore seems to really be settling into a nice groove on the court. He’s scored in double figures in four straight games, and he’s added plenty of rebounds over that span too. Whitmore is a solid waiver wire option in all leagues right now.