December 9 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Russell Westbrook, Marvin Bagley, Precious Achiuwa and More
NBA players who had good games Sunday and are widely available in fantasy basketball leagues.
Twenty-four NBA teams were in action on Sunday, December 8. Each provided valuable insight for fantasy basketball owners.
Let's hop straight into the top performances that caught my eye from waiver wire players.
Waiver Wire Options
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook started the season shakily, but has been on a tear recently. He has been an all-around juggernaut for this contending team, and he’s done it consistently this season, whether he starts or comes off of the bench for them.
In his last two games, Westbrook has racked up a combined 23 assists. He has routinely found open windows to get Nikola Jokic and other players easy baskets. He might not always shoot the ball exceptionally well, but he is contributing in different areas so well that it is hard not to look at him as the best possible waiver wire acquisition you can make.
Earlier in the season, his minutes were in flux due to head coach Michael Malone trying to optimize him, but now it seems his minutes will stay around the 25-minute mark consistently. That is unless Jamal Murray goes down with an injury, in which case his minutes will spike toward the mid-30s. Westbrook is averaging 11.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists on 40% shooting this season. Westbrook is a priority waiver wire selection over everyone else.
New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa finally made his return on December 5 after being sidelined with a preseason injury. The Knicks desperately missed Achiuwa’s versatility and size, so he was going to be a focal point of the team once he made his return.
He struggled in his first game, but in his second game, he got extended minutes and shined. Precious ended the game with six points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in 28 minutes of action. Once Achiuwa is back to being comfortable being aggressive on offense, he will be a great fantasy contributor.
At this moment, his current own percentage is at a 17%, which is relatively low but understandable simply because he was injured at the start of the year. He, however, did have a +11.24 own increase. Owners are starting to see that he will be a huge part of this Knicks rotation for at least the near future while Mitchell Robinson battles his way back from injury.
Achiuwa doesn't have a high own percentage, so he should be easy to get on waivers. He can be a player who possibly contributes consistent numbers for your fantasy team if need be.
Washington Wizards center Marvin Bagley III has had a very tumultuous season. He is currently playing the lowest amount of minutes of his career. That is mostly because he is stuck behind young stud Alexandre Sarr and veteran Jonas Valanciunas. Not only is Bagley stuck behind those two, but he also has dealt with some nagging injuries that have caused him to miss some time.
Bagley has gotten more of an opportunity lately, though, reaching 20-plus minutes in two of his last three games. In those games of 20-plus minutes, Bagley scored 36 total points and accumulated nine total rebounds.
I see Bagley as a deep league sleeper waiver wire pickup, at least for now. His minutes are way too erratic at this minute, but if he hovers around 20 or so minutes this week, I wouldn’t mind taking a chance on him. He has the tools to score consistently around the rim and is one of the only big men on this Wizards team that can be relied on to rebound at a high level. Bagley's current own rate is only at 7%, so he is a largely available player.
Toronto Raptors young forward Jonathan Mogbo has been one of the many gems the Raptors found in the draft this offseason. He plays the game with relentless energy and hustle. He does all the dirty work for the Raptors, whether he gets extended minutes or not.
He still has a very raw and unpolished offensive game, but he knows what spots he needs to be in most of the time. Mogbo just had his second double-digit score game of the season on December 5 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He has an own percentage of just 9%, which means he is more of a deep league waiver wire acquisition. He did see an own increase of +6.59 this week though, which is probably because his minutes have gradually increased this year. At this moment, Mogbo is averaging 5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 16 minutes per game. Those are very solid stats given his limited opportunity thus far, so I would be interested to see how he produces if he was given 30-plus minutes.
