Jan. 30 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Wiggins, Josh Hart, Thaddeus Young, Brandin Podziemski and More

There were just five NBA games played on Tuesday night, but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of players to discuss.

As we do every weekday, let’s go over the top performances from waiver wire options and rookies from Jan. 30.

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

New York Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo makes this article again after a 33-point outing against the Utah Jazz. DiVincenzo, who is currently owned in 71% of leagues, was 11-of-22 overall and 9-of-15 from 3-point land on the night. He also had five rebounds, four steals and assists and one block.

It was the second straight game DiVincenzo had over 20 points and seventh straight game he’s scored in double figures. He’s a pretty consistent rebounder and also dishes out his fair share of assists. I’d definitely consider adding DiVincenzo in all formats right now, at least until he cools off a bit offensively.

Indiana Pacers’ Aaron Nesmith makes another appearance on this list after a solid outing against the Boston Celtics. Nesmith, owned in 71% of leagues, tallied 26 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and a block across 41 minutes played.

Indiana got Tyrese Haliburton back (although he only played 22 minutes) but was missing Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell, so that afforded Nesmith some extra minutes. He continues to stuff the stat sheet while on the floor, and could be used as a streamer until his numbers or minutes dip.

Toronto Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr., owned in just 38% of leagues, made six 3-pointers on his way to a 24-point outing. He also had five rebounds and one assist and steal across 32 minutes in the team’s win over the Chicago Bulls.

Trent has started the team’s past seven games after the Raptors made the Pascal Siakam trade. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.1 blocks across 28.2 minutes over that span. His scoring numbers are good, but he lacks many other noticeable averages. For now, Trent is a solid option in deeper leagues, but he should remain off rosters in standard leagues.

Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins contributed 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block across 38 minutes played in the team’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. After a tough start to the season, Wiggins is only owned in 74% of leagues.

Wiggins appears to finally be getting back to his old ways. He’s started the past seven games and is averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1 block and 0.9 steals across 33.4 minutes across that span - those averages are pretty similar to what he was producing a season ago. Now would be the time to add Wiggins, otherwise you might miss out on him.

Chicago’s Ayo Dosunmu totaled 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block across 39 minutes on Tuesday. He’s currently owned in 52% of leagues.

Dosunmu continued his recent surge, scoring in double figures for the eighth straight game. He’s taken advantage of Zach LaVine being out, and with LaVine being involved in trade rumors, adding Dosunmu now could work wonders for you if LaVine were to be moved. Right now, he’s doing enough on the court to add in all formats.

Toronto’s Bruce Brown tallied 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists and steals and two blocks across 38 minutes played against Chicago. He’s owned in 62% of leagues.

Brown has played six games in Toronto, and is another guy who could be traded (again). He’s averaging 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks across 29 minutes with the Raptors, which is probably enough to roster him in most formats. He’s a guy to keep close tabs on at the very least.

Philadelphia’s Furkan Korkmaz, who is barely owned in any leagues, tallied 19 points, three assists and two rebounds across 22 minutes on Tuesday. He made 5-of-6 from 3-point land.

Philly was missing several key rotation players, with the biggest being Tyrese Maxey, which opened some extra scoring chances and minutes for Korkmaz. His strong shooting night should afford him some extra minutes in the next couple games, so he might be worth streaming in deeper leagues.

Atlanta Hawks’ Saddiq Bey, owned in 63% of leagues, totaled 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal across 35 minutes played in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bey has enjoyed some additional minutes since the trade of Dejounte Murray. He’s now scored in double figures in five straight games, and has been a fairly consistent rebounder over that stretch too. He’s a pretty solid option in all formats if you have the space, or can make room for him.

Toronto’s Jordan Nwora had another productive showing in the team’s win on Tuesday. Nwora was 5-of-7 overall and 4-of-5 from deep to tally 17 points. He also had two rebounds and a block across 19 minutes played.

Nwora, suddenly owned in 20% of leagues, is taking advantage of several of his teammates being inactive. He’s a good option in deeper leagues with his scoring potential alone, but only if several teammates are out for more games. His strong outings the past two games should mean at least one more game of opportunities.

New York’s Josh Hart appears in this story again after another well-rounded effort on Tuesday. He posted a triple-double, tallying 10 points, rebounds and assists on the night. Hart also had two steals and blocks across 43 minutes played.

Hart, owned in 67% of leagues, continues to stuff the stat sheet. His point totals aren’t impressive, but with a healthy amount of rebounds and assists and some occasional steals and blocks, he’s a fantastic waiver wire option in all formats. He likely won’t play 40+ minutes most nights, but he’s capable of well-rounded efforts in just 25 minutes, which he usually hits.

Indiana’s Obi Toppin totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and two assists across 22 minutes on Tuesday. He’s owned in 33% of leagues.

Toppin has had a few strong outings of late, but he’s also had his fair share of stinkers. After 13- and 23-point outings, he tallied just three points the next game. He should be monitored closely over the next few games, and if he can consistently produce like on Tuesday, then he’s a better fantasy option in all formats instead of just a deep league option.

Los Angeles’ Christian Wood, owned in 23% of leagues, posted nine points, eight rebounds and two assists across 22 minutes on Tuesday. 

Wood got some extra playing time with Anthony Davis inactive. He’s shown to be a capable scorer and rebounder in the past, so he’s a decent streaming option for the games Davis misses. Keep Wood on your watch list.

Toronto’s Thaddeus Young, owned in only 10% of leagues, accumulated 16 points, six rebounds and six assists across 32 minutes. 

The savvy veteran has gotten a decent amount of playing time since Jan. 9. He’s made six starts across 11 games since then, averaging 7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.2 blocks across 22 minutes. He’s not a half bad option in deeper leagues with those averages.

Top Rookies

Yesterday, I talked about Utah rookie Keyonte George possibly getting out of a shooting funk after a solid game on Monday. George followed that up with a 15-point showing on Tuesday, where he shot 6-of-12 overall. He also tallied two rebounds and one assist across 23 minutes played.

George is only owned in 27% of leagues. He’s got solid averages (11 points, 4.2 assists, 2.7 rebounds) for the season and seems to be reverting back closer to those numbers again. He’s not a great option in standard leagues, but is definitely worthy of an add in deeper leagues or dynasties.

Golden State’s Brandin Podziemski is the other rookie I want to discuss. He's owned in 40% of leagues and went for 11 points, six rebounds and three assists across 37 minutes on Tuesday.

Podziemski started for the first time in five games and responded with a solid all-around outing. Like most rookies, he struggles with consistency, but he’s certainly capable of putting up decent fantasy numbers. He’s another player I like in deeper leagues and dynasties.