November 18 Fantasy Basketball Waivers: Dalton Knecht, P.J. Washington, Grayson Allen and More
NBA players who had good games over the weekend and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
Every NBA team played at least once over the weekend. Each game provided valuable insight for fantasy basketball owners.
Let's hop straight into the top performances that caught my eye from waiver wire players.
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On Saturday, Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht started his first game and played exceptional. For most of the year, his minutes have staggered between 10 and 20 per game. But after D'Angelo Russell continued to struggle, he eventually got the nod against the New Orleans Pelicans.
He finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. JJ Redick has seemed to put a lot of trust in Knecht, so this move seems imminent for now.
Dalton is owned in 32% of fantasy leagues, but he saw the second-biggest jump in his own percentage over the weekend. His ability to shoot the ball at a high rate and efficiently will keep him on the floor for the rest of the season. As long as his defensive concerns don’t overshadow his shooting, Knecht should be a really good fantasy contributor this year. He should be your top-priority waiver wire target.
Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington started the year off shaky but seems to have gotten back on track in his latest game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder. Washington played just his second game since missing five straight with an injury.
He finished the game with 27 points, 17 rebounds, and two assists in just 28 minutes. Granted, this performance came against a Thunder team with no big man, but we finally saw Washington hit his jumper at a respectable rate.
I don’t think that he will perform at this same rate when Luka Doncic returns to the lineup, but I still do think he will be a huge contributing factor on the Mavericks. He is currently owned in 74% of leagues, but he saw a 5.66 own increase. It may be hard to acquire him through waivers, but if he’s available, it’s a lock that he will immediately positively impact your team.
Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen is a guy who is going to benefit from the unfortunate injury to Kevin Durant. When the year started, Allen's role seemed to be somewhat diminished from last year, but now he is getting more minutes and opportunities.
In his latest game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and one assist in 24 minutes of action. Allen being one of the best 3-point shooters in the league fits seamlessly into Mike Budenholzer’s scheme, so I don’t see a reason why he can't continue to produce like this while the Suns are short-handed.
Allen is only owned in 36% of fantasy leagues, which is surprisingly low to me at least. Allen did see an increase of 2.69 though; his role increase definitely had something to do with that. When the Suns are back to full health, he will be relegated back to a spot-up shooter, but I think that he can still be a very solid contributor in that role. He is very attainable, so if you have a chance to snag him off waivers, I say take the chance.
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, in my opinion, is a top defender when he is healthy, but that’s the problem: he can’t really stay healthy. He is one of the best at accumulating steals and blocks anytime he is on the floor.
His offensive game is more of a spot-up shooter, but with the Magic’s main shot creators missing time, he has gotten more on-ball reps. In his last game, he scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 25 minutes.
Isaac is only owned in 18% of fantasy leagues; a rate that low is a steal in my opinion. Isaac was rewarded with a new contract in the offseason, so he is obviously a part of the Magic’s future and current plans. As long as he can stay on the floor, I don’t see any reason why not to pick him up.
Los Angeles Clippers center Mo Bamba is finally returning from injury and is finally ready to play. I am optimistic on his impact for the Clippers, but I think he will be a good player for them. The Clippers have desperately searched for answers at their backup center spot but have not been able to get consistent good minutes from anyone. I think Bamba takes over that role for the Clippers pretty easily.
Bamba is a very deep-league sleeper and might not be a flashy waiver pickup, but he could be a steal. He’s one of the only two true big men on this Clippers team, so they will need his size.
