March 26 Fantasy Basketball Takeaways: Top Rookies and Waiver Wire Options | Tim Hardaway Jr., Caleb Martin, Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley, Herbert Jones and More

There were only four NBA games played on Tuesday, March 26, but there’s still plenty to talk about from a fantasy basketball perspective. 

Let’s go over some of the top performances from all four games from waiver wire options, as we do every weekday. 

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Mavericks 132, Kings 96

Dallas’ Derrick Jones Jr., rostered in 6% of leagues, finished with eight points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal and block across 21 minutes.

Jones starts for Dallas, but doesn’t typically play more than half of the game. He can stuff the stat sheet from time to time, but is far too inconsistent to own/utilize outside the deepest leagues.

Mavs’ Tim Hardaway Jr. owned in 46% of leagues, went for 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and one steal and block across 26 minutes off the bench.

Hardaway isn’t the fantasy threat he was earlier in the season, but he’s still capable of these kinds of outings when he gets a healthy amount of minutes. It was his second straight game with at least 26 minutes, so he’s worth keeping an eye on to see if it continues, which could make him a solid streaming option in all leagues again.

Dallas rookie Dereck Lively II, owned in 48% of leagues, finished with four points, seven rebounds, two blocks and one assist and steal across 22 minutes off the bench.

Lively has also seen his role decrease since the trade deadline. He’s still a decent option in deeper leagues and dynasties, but there’s also probably better fantasy options available.

Sacramento’s Keon Ellis, rostered in 30% of leagues, tallied 10 points, four rebounds and two assists across 28 minutes.

Ellis’ minutes aren’t very consistent, but he’s playing enough most nights to be fantasy relevant. He fills out the stat sheet fairly well, but his scoring isn’t consistent. Ellis is still a solid option in deeper leagues because of his playing time.

Kings’ Harrison Barnes, owned in 46% of leagues, went for seven points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal across 24 minutes. 

Barnes hasn’t scored in double figures over the past three games, which is leading to more and more fantasy owners dropping him. I’d wait another game or two to see if he can turn things back around, but if you are in a playoff battle and there’s a surging fantasy player on the waiver wire, you probably would be better off making the move now.

Warriors 113, Heat 92

Golden State rookie Brandin Podziemski, rostered in 38% of leagues, tallied six points, five rebounds and one assist and steal across 22 minutes off the bench.

Podziemski has scored in double figures just once over the past six games. He usually stuffs the stat sheet, but he’s also been playing less minutes, so his fantasy ceiling isn’t very high. I’d look elsewhere for help in deeper leagues right now, and still do my best to stash him in a dynasty league.

Warriors’ Kevon Looney, owned in 31% of leagues, had seven points, six rebounds and an assist across 19 minutes off the bench.

Looney had one of his better games in a while. He’s had sporadic playing time of late, and the lopsided score might have played into him getting some extra run, so I wouldn’t read too deeply into the performance.

Miami’s Nikola Jovic, rostered in 11% of leagues, started and played 31 minutes, tallying 11 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Miami was without several key rotation players, so Jovic was one of several guys to take on a bigger role. Jovic has scored in double figures in three of the past four games, but only provided well-rounded efforts in two of those games. He’s a streaming option when several teammates are out, but I’m guessing there’s better options out there.

Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., owned in 40% of leagues, recorded 12 points, two rebounds and one assist across 26 minutes.

It was the rookie’s first time in double figures in the past four games. His playing time has been inconsistent, meaning he might not be a fantasy threat when the team is at full health. Keep an eye on Jaquez, but for now, look elsewhere for fantasy help.

Caleb Martin came off the bench and accumulated 10 points, six assists and five rebounds across 34 minutes.

His minutes have been up and down of late, leading to inconsistent fantasy showings. Martin didn’t shoot all that well on Tuesday, so his better outing might not mean much moving forward.

Haywood Highsmith, owned in just 4% of leagues, recorded 15 points, six rebounds and two steals and assists across 30 minutes off the bench.

He’s scored in double figures in three straight games, playing anywhere from 22-30 minutes. He’s probably the Miami streaming option I’d target after looking at all the team’s recent game logs.

Lakers 128, Bucks 124 (2OT)

Los Angeles rallied from a big deficit and edged Milwaukee in double overtime despite playing without LeBron James.

Lakers’ Spencer Dinwiddie, rostered in 62% of leagues, started and played 42 minutes, recording seven points, four assists, two rebounds and one block along the way.

Dinwiddie struggled as a shooter, but the thing to note is the minutes played. Sure, overtime sessions and no James out there gave him more minutes, but any player can be a fantasy threat at that many minutes. Keep an eye on Dinwiddie in case he starts to get in a good groove.

Rui Hachimura, owned in 54% of leagues, finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and one assist across 39 minutes.

Hachimura has scored in double figures in eight of the past nine games now, averaging 16.2 points, 5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 blocks and 0.2 steals over that span. His rebounds were high last night, but he’s getting enough minutes and usage to consider as a streaming option in all leagues.

Los Angeles’ Taurean Prince, rostered in 13% of leagues, posted nine points, four rebounds and one assist across 28 minutes off the bench.

Prince has scored at least six points across his past nine games. It isn’t a lot of production, but he could help out some fantasy teams in deeper leagues. 

Milwaukee’s Malik Beasley, owned in 45% of leagues, totaled 21 points, three rebounds and one assist, steal and block across 40 minutes. Beasley made five triples in the game, but also missed some clutch 3-point attempts late in the contest.

Beasley gets enough playing time each night to be a fantasy asset, but his scoring is too inconsistent to trust in standard leagues. Some of these bigger scoring nights make him a solid option in deeper leagues, even with not many other stats in most of those games.

Bucks’ Pat Connaughton, owned in just 5% of leagues, had three points, nine assists and three rebounds across 22 minutes off the bench.

Connaughton plays a good amount of minutes off the bench each night, but rarely puts together a well-rounded fantasy effort. If he could put it all together, he’s a sneaky good deep league option. 

Thunder 119, Pelicans 112

Not many waiver wire players stood out in the Oklahoma City win over New Orleans.

OKC’s Luguentz Dort, rostered in 43% of leagues, tallied six points and rebounds and one assist and steal across 32 minutes.

Dort is a big part of the OKC rotation, but it doesn’t translate super well to fantasy success. He’s a solid deep league option, even on the nights he isn’t scoring a ton. Dort’s minutes alone make him a decent fantasy asset, and I’d keep plugging him in my lineup until further notice.

New Orleans’ Herbert Jones, owned in 73% of leagues, finished with 16 points, four assists, two rebounds and one steal and block across 31 minutes.

Jones got back in double figures after tallying just seven points in the previous game. He’s playing enough and has been putting together solid efforts to at least consider him as a streaming option in standard leagues.