March 1-3 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Waiver Wire Options | Trey Murphy III, Jake LaRavia, Kelly Olynyk, Rui Hachimura, Royce O'Neale and More

There were a ton of big individual performances over the weekend in the NBA.

Let’s take a look at some of the better games from waiver wire options from March 1-3. We’ll cover some widely-available rookies in another story.

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Waiver Wire Options

Let’s open the conversation by talking about New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy III, who is owned in 67% of leagues. He made 8-of-14 shots, including 6-of-12 from 3-point land, to finish with 28 points in the team’s win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Murphy also had seven rebounds, two steals and one assist across 28 minutes.

Murphy has scored in double figures in three straight games, with a healthy amount of rebounds or assists in all those games too. Until he cools off, I like the idea of streaming him in all formats.

Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels, rostered in 36% of leagues, tallied 26 points, seven rebounds and one assist across 45 minutes in the team’s loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

It was McDaniels’ top scoring game of the season, but he followed it up with a six-point showing on Sunday. He’s a good fantasy asset in deeper leagues,  but until he’s more consistent on the offensive end of the court, his own percentage should stay around where it is now.

Memphis Grizzlies’ Jake LaRavia, owned in just 2% of leagues, tallied 21 points, two rebounds and assists and one steal across 26 minutes in the team’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. He followed that up with six points and two boards across 13 minutes in a loss to the Trail Blazers on Saturday.

LaRavia is working his way back from an ankle injury, and with so many injuries to teammates, there’s a chance he could carve out a decent role. He’s a guy to watch in deeper leagues and dynasties.

Indiana’s Isaiah Jackson, rostered in 4% of leagues, recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and one assist across 18 minutes in the team’s Friday loss to New Orleans.

Jackson doesn’t typically get much playing time, but the lopsided loss allowed him some extra run. He’s a streaming option if a couple teammates are inactive, but that’s probably it.

Toronto Raptors’ Kelly Olynyk, owned in 60% of leagues, totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and three assists and steals across 28 minutes in the team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors on Friday. He only had four points, rebounds and assists and two steals and blocks across 26 minutes in the team’s win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

The two games show why Olynyk is owned in some standard leagues, but not a bunch more. He’s capable of big games, but coming off the bench and not always playing even half of the game, Olynyk won’t always turn in solid outings. I’d try to look elsewhere for a fantasy asset in standard leagues.

Atlanta Hawks’ Saddiq Bey, owned in 62% of leagues, recorded 23 points, three rebounds and two assists across 35 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to the Brooklyn Nets. 

It was a nice bounceback showing for Bey, who had just six points in the previous game - that was his only time not in double figures over the past 11 games now. He’s averaging 16.8 points, 6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.2 blocks over 33.6 minutes in that span, which is enough production to at least consider for an add in all league formats. 

Los Angeles Lakers’ Rui Hachimura, owned in 42% of leagues, finished with 23 points, three rebounds and two assists across 37 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Hachimura has started 12 straight games, averaging 31.5 minutes, 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 blocks over that span. It’s solid production, but probably only enough to add him for now in deeper leagues.

Memphis’ Vince Williams Jr., owned in 78% of leagues, recorded 21 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists and steals across 38 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to Portland. 

Williams’ 21-point outing was his first time at 20 or more points since late January. He’d scored under double figures in three of the past four games coming into Saturday, so maybe it will get him back in a good scoring groove. Keep an eye on him over the next couple games to see if he’s worth adding in more standard leagues.

Memphis’ Santi Aldama, owned in 30% of leagues, totaled 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one block across 37 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss.

It was Aldama’s first time over 20 points since November. He’s a decent deep league option, but I’d like to see a couple more games in double figures before making that move.

Phoenix Suns’ Royce O'Neale, owned in 63% of leagues, accumulated 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal and block across 27 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to the Houston Rockets. He then had nine points, four assists, three rebounds and two blocks across 33 minutes in the team’s Saturday loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

O'Neale does a nice job of filling the stat sheet most games, but until he can consistently score in double figures, his own percentage will stick around its current mark. Keep an eye on him.

Indiana’s T.J. McConnell, rostered in 40% of leagues, recorded 26 points, five assists, three steals and two rebounds across 27 minutes in the team’s Sunday loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

McConnell was 13-of-15 from the floor. He rarely hits those kinds of numbers, but he’s usually good for around 10 points a game, with a handful of assists most nights. He’s a decent option in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Clippers’ Norman Powell, owned in 44% of leagues, tallied 24 points, three rebounds and one steal across 27 minutes in the team’s Sunday win over the Timberwolves. 

He’s had some nice outings of late, but he doesn’t usually fill up the stat sheet. I’d add him in deeper leagues, while only using him as a streaming option in standard leagues.

Dallas Mavericks’ Derrick Jones Jr., owned in just 2% of leagues, recorded 21 points, seven rebounds and one block across 26 minutes off the bench in the team’s Sunday loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jones’ playing time has been inconsistent of late, but maybe his Sunday outing can get him some extra run for a little while. He was 7-of-9 from the floor and made all five of his 3-pointers, so while that’s not something he can sustain most nights, he usually also pulls down enough rebounds to be a decent fantasy asset. He’s a streaming option in deeper leagues for his next game.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Sam Merrill, owned in 1% of leagues, went off for 21 points, three rebounds and two assists across 29 minutes in the team’s Sunday loss to the New York Knicks. Merrill made seven triples in the contest.

Merrill is a 3-point specialist, and has made 11 over the past two contests. That makes him a streaming option in deeper leagues for his next game, but he typically doesn’t do enough to roster/play when he isn’t scoring at a good clip.

Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre Jr., rostered in 66% of leagues, ended Sunday’s game with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and one block across 26 minutes.

It was a good bounceback effort from Oubre, who had just three points in the previous game he played (he missed Friday’s game with a shoulder injury). He’s been a good fantasy asset since Joel Embiid has been out, and Oubre should remain a good fantasy asset for a bit longer yet. I still think his own percentage is too low, although it should rise now that he’s fully healthy again.