Jan. 31 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Josh Richardson, Eric Gordon, Amir Coffey, Bilal Coulibaly, Scoot Henderson and More

The final day of January saw 20 NBA teams in action. Let’s go over the top performances from waiver wire options and rookies from Jan. 31.

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Waiver Wire Options

Let’s open the article up by discussing Charlotte Hornets’ P.J. Washington, who has made the list a couple times recently. Washington is owned in 82% of leagues right now and tallied 26 points, eight rebounds and one assist and block across 36 minutes during the team’s loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Washington scored in double figures for the sixth straight game, and continued to take advantage of extra scoring chances with Terry Rozier no longer around. Washington is averaging 20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 blocks and 0.7 steals across the past six contests. 

Those are solid enough numbers to at least add him until he cools off a bit, but I’d only make the move if I had the roster space. Aside from his scoring, Washington hasn’t consistently stuffed the stat sheet enough in other areas.

Brooklyn Nets’ Cam Thomas, who is available in about 14% of leagues, totaled 25 points, four assists and two rebounds and steals across 33 minutes played in the team’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Thomas has scored at least 25 points in his past four games. Like Washington, Thomas doesn’t stuff the stat sheet much otherwise, but it’s hard to pass on Thomas’ scoring ability. He should at least get a roster spot until his shooting cools off.

Miami Heat’s Josh Richardson hit six 3-pointers on his way to a 24-point showing in the team’s much-needed win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. Richardson is owned in about 12% of leagues.

Since missing a few games in late December/early January, Richardson has carved out a pretty decent role, averaging 22.7 minutes per game over the past 14 contests. He’s also averaging 9.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.6 steals and blocks over that span. 

Wednesday’s outing was his best of the season, but I’d like to see another couple games with similar production before really considering him in standard leagues. For now, Richardson is maybe worth an add in deeper leagues if you have the room to accommodate him.

Detroit Pistons’ Danilo Gallinari, who is only owned in a few leagues, posted 20 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal across 23 minutes on Wednesday. 

Gallinari got some extra playing time with Isaiah Stewart out with an ankle injury. Gallinari would only be a fantasy asset in deeper leagues if Stewart were to miss more time, otherwise he probably doesn’t get enough playing time on a nightly basis.

Brooklyn’s Lonnie Walker IV tallied 19 points, seven assists, four steals and three boards across 31 minutes against the Suns. He’s owned in 13% of leagues.

It was the second straight game Walker scored 19 points in, and he filled out the stat sheet better on Wednesday than in the previous game. If Walker continues to play around 30 minutes, he fills the stat sheet up enough to roster and play in deeper leagues. He’ll need a couple weeks of this type of production to get any waiver wire love in standard leagues though.

Phoenix’s Eric Gordon finished with 17 points, four assists, two rebounds and one steal across 32 minutes. Gordon, who is owned in 41% of leagues, got a start with Grayson Allen inactive.

Gordon is a pretty solid scorer off the bench, but doesn’t typically give you much else while on the court. He might be worth streaming if Allen or another Suns’ starter is out, but otherwise he’ll just be an OK option in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Clippers’ Amir Coffey, owned in just 2% of leagues, contributed 17 points and one rebound, steal and assist across 21 minutes in the team’s win over the Washington Wizards.

Coffey got a rare start with Paul George inactive on the night. Otherwise, Coffey plays a decent-sized role off the bench, which caps his fantasy ceiling. I’d leave him on the waiver wire, but keep an eye on him in case he gets another start, or a starter from the Clips is out an extended period.

Dallas Mavericks’ Richaun Holmes got a rare start and played 30 minutes in a lopsided loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Holmes, who is being shown as owned in just 1% of leagues, got a bunch of minutes with several of the team’s starters inactive. 

Holmes finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He usually only plays a couple minutes a game, so unless several key rotation players are out in the future, he likely won’t get much playing time, which means he won’t be a big fantasy asset.

Top Rookies

There were several rookies who did some nice things on Wednesday.

Washington’s Bilal Coulibaly, owned in 24% of leagues, posted 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and blocks and a steal across 37 minutes of action. 

That makes back-to-back games in which the rookie scored in double figures, and he added a few other stats to have a decent fantasy showing overall. With the Wizards rebuilding, Coulibaly has gotten a ton of playing time, which has made him a decent fantasy asset in deeper leagues and dynasties. After his past couple showings, it looks like he might be turning the corner, so it’s worth adding him to see if he keeps up this level of play.

Houston Rockets’ Cam Whitmore, owned in 50% of leagues, had another solid showing on Wednesday. He went for 17 points and added a steal across 20 minutes in the team’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

You’d like to see Whitmore add in a few rebounds and assists, but he reached double figures in points for a fifth straight game. He’s definitely worth an add in deeper leagues and dynasties if he’s still available, but until he can consistently provide some numbers other than points, I’d avoid adding him in standard leagues.

Portland Trail Blazers’ Scoot Henderson totaled 15 points and four assists across 22 minutes in the team’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He’s owned in 61% of leagues right now.

Henderson had a big first half before cooling off the second. He’s scored 37 points over the past two games, while combining for eight assists over the games. He needs to be owned in all deeper leagues and dynasties, and you also should keep a close eye on him for a possible add in standard leagues if this level of play keeps up.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Vasilije Micic accumulated 12 points, five assists and two rebounds across 17 minutes in the team’s win over the Denver Nuggets. He’s owned in about 3% of leagues.

Micic’s playing time has been sporadic this season, but he took advantage of a few extra minutes on Wednesday. I’d like to see at least another game or two of similar production before adding him in any leagues though.

Houston’s Amen Thompson recorded 10 points, six rebounds and a steal across 17 minutes in the team’s loss to the Pelicans. He’s owned in 26% of leagues.

Wednesday was a solid showing for the rookie, but until he can produce similar numbers nearly every time on the court, his own percentage will stay below 30%. He’s still worth stashing in dynasties and some deeper leagues though.

Portland’s Duop Reath contributed 10 points, four boards and a steal and assist across 13 minutes on Wednesday. He’s owned in 12% of leagues.

After putting together some big games that had him being added in all formats, Reath has started to fall into a pretty consistent role. He’s played between 10-13 minutes over the past five games, which limits his fantasy value. I’d probably look elsewhere for a fantasy asset in deeper leagues, but would at least keep Reath on my watch list in case he gets hot again.