When looking to pick up a player, put the most focus on playing time trends. A player won’t produce consistently if they’re not on the court consistently. A true rotation commitment is 20 minutes. There are 48 minutes in an NBA game and some of the teams involve 10 players in their rotation and it’s hard to divide up the minutes equally among secondary options. 20 minutes per game shows that a player is safely in the team’s rotation. There are a few players who will play around the 20-minute mark who will put up numbers in volume, but, most players recommended will be playing over 20 minutes per game in a 2 week span.
Ersan Ilyasova F MIL-14% Ownership: Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning on Thursday, Ilyasova has proven year after year that he can be trusted to bang for boards and make hustle plays on the court. His playing time is safely at 23 minutes per game and he’s grabbed 10 boards in both of his last two games. Ilyasova will hit shots from right outside the paint and beyond the arc. Teams will let him shoot open jumpers and he will have a decent amount of games in which he takes at least 10 shots, but it’s his defense that will keep him in games. He’s good at running the floor and moves around a lot to get open. Ilyasova has scored in double figures in three of his last five games and he’s also stolen the ball in three of his last four games. Expect mainly points and boards. Expect him to play between 20-30 minutes in most of his games.
Dwyne Wade G MIA-20% Ownership: Consider Wade a short-term scoring solution. He’s not the same player he once was and it’ll be hard for him to surpass the 30-minute mark when it comes to playing time. He’ll play between 20-30 minutes per game and he’s scored 13.1 points per game. He’s hit three’s in his last five games and at least 19 points in 3 of his last 5 games. Wade has been helpful on the glass grabbing 4.4 boards per game. There still isn’t a timetable regarding Dion Waiters return and that will continue to benefit Wade in his final NBA season. Wade will also facilitate the offense at points and provide minor assist help. He’s dishing three per game thus far. He still shows flashes (pun intended) of him old self, especially when it comes to his ball handling. The Heat have a lot of guard depth and Wade owners should keep in the back of their mind that he will likely have random games in which he sits out as the season continues and if he starts sitting more, drop him.
Jeremy Lamb SG, SF CHA-38% Ownership: Lamb is a good spark-shooter who is playing over 24 minutes per game. Malik Monk and Nicolas Batum will be the biggest threat to his minutes, but Lamb has held his own scoring nearly 11 points per game and he scored in double figures in 5 of his last 6 games. Lamb will more often than not shoot double-digit shots and with the Hornets experimenting with their lineup by letting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist see minutes at Center, it keeps Lamb in the rotation. Lamb is also feisty on defense. He fights hard through screens and has grabbed 3.6 boards per game. Lamb has also stolen the ball 1.1 times this season. Even with Lamb not shooting over 40 percent right now, the Hornets continue to give him a true rotation commitment and his defense has been keeping him in games. He’s safe for now until you start seeing him play under 20 minutes consistently.
Noah Vonleh PF NY-17% Ownership: Vonleh’s minutes have been trending upward over the last few games because of how much he fights for boards in the paint. The Knicks need all of the help they can get on the glass and Vonleh has been the blue-collared workhorse for them. He’s coming off of back-to-back 10-rebound games and most recently played 33 minutes. He’ll see a decent amount of starts as the Knicks experiment with different lineups. Vonleh has also been very helpful with blocks and steals. He’s blocked shots and compiled steals in four of his last five games. He makes the biggest defensive impact of any big man on the Knicks (including Enes Kanter ). The intangibles alone will keep Vonleh safely in the rotation. Vonleh will also provide some scoring help. He has a few nifty one-handed post moves and is good at keeping plays alive by grabbing offensive boards. Vonleh also has a perimeter game that he uses when open. He’s hit a three-pointer in two of his last three games.
Garrett Temple SG, SF MEM-13% Ownership: With the Grizzlies depth once again hurting, they’ve have to rely on their veterans to play heavy minutes and Temple has played over 30 minutes per game this season. Temple has been a bit inconsistent on the scoring front, but he’s scored 35 points total in his last two games and he’ll balance his offense by hitting long-range jumpers and forcing himself inside. He’s good at reading screens and getting open in between the arc and paint. Temple has been more reliable on offense than teammate Kyle Anderson and is certainly getting more minutes than he is. Temple has been helpful defensively as well. He’s grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game this season. He’s been helpful on the perimeter and has stolen the ball in four of his last five games. With his minutes being as high as they are and Chandler Parsons back on the shelf, Temple should continue getting heavy run early on in the season.
P.J. Tucker F HOU-30% Ownership: Tucker is another player seeing heavy minutes early. Tucker has been playing over 35 minutes per game and has been making a huge defensive impact. When your competition for minutes is Carmelo Anthony , you’re safe! Tucker has provided help in every standard fantasy basketball category except assists. Tucker hit multiple three-pointers in his last three games and is scoring nine points per game. Tucker’s most impressive stats are the amount of steals he compiles. He’s tied for second in the NBA averaging 2.3 steals per game. He recently posted a seven-steal game. Tucker will also help grab boards. He’s grabbed 5.2 boards per game. He’s also been blocking more shots lately swatting away a shot in each of his last four games. The Rockets are awful defensively and with the departure of Trevor Ariza , Tucker has taken over as their top perimeter defender and playing time should always be on his side and his usage isn’t impacted by James Harden unlike other Rockets players.
Damyean Dotson SG NY-22% Ownership: As stated above, the Knicks are seeing what they have in their youth and are experimenting with different starting lineups. The Knicks are the second youngest team in the NBA and with Kristaps Porzingis out indefinitely, others are needed to carry the scoring burden and Dotson has been a big surprise early. He showed last year when given minutes that he likes hanging around the arc, but this year, his shot selection has been better. Dotson has scored 13.2 points per game and he’s scored in double figures in every game he’s played in this season. Dotson plays over 29 minutes per game and he’s not only been helpful with scoring, but he’s improved tremendously defensively. He pulls down 5.8 rebounds per game. Dotson has even recorded a double-double this season. He hounds players on the perimeter and is quick to adjust on defense even when screened out. Dotson has swiped the ball 1.3 times per game and can be relied on for consistent steals.
Cody Zeller PF, C CHA-23% Ownership: Zeller has been able to stay healthy but it’s early. He’s been more helpful scoring than rebounding, but provides enough help in both to be a worthy waiver wire add. Zeller has grabbed 5.8 boards per game this season and has been playing 22 minutes per game. The Hornets have been shuffling their forwards and giving them minutes at Center and that doesn’t work in Zeller’s favor. If his playing time drops under 20 minutes, it’s time to release him. Zeller has been helping out scoring in the paint and because the Hornets have a lot of jump shooters, Zeller serves as a good complimentary piece to the team. He’s scored in double figures in each of his last four games and with the scoring trending upward; it makes him a safe last big man off your bench. He has a few post moves that give him good position in the lane and that will help him get second-chance scoring opportunities. Zeller has blocked shots in three of his last five games and most recently posted a three-block game. He’s been able to hang on to his starting job and starting Center’s aren’t easy to find on the waiver wire.
Ish Smith PG DET-19% Ownership: Despite Reggie Jackson being able to stay healthy, Smith has been able to stick in the rotation. If Jackson starts to struggle, Smith will get even more playing time and usage. He’s scored 11.7 points per game this season and plays over 28 minutes per game. Smith will drive if the lane is open, but he’ll mainly stick to the arc. He’s hit 1.7 three-pointers per game this season and shoots over 9 shots per game on average. To a lesser extent, Smith will help out with assists dishing 3.3 per game. His quickness speeds up the paint on offense and is good at running point when the Pistons are on transition. Luke Kennard being out with a Shoulder injury will also help Smith’s playing time. Smith has also grabbed three or more boards in his last three games. He’s also added steals in his last two games. The playing time and stats overall are there and as long he keeps playing as much as he has, he’s safe and with the Pistons guard injuries, he’s securely in the rotation.
WILDCARD PICKUP: Evan Turner SG, SF POR-10% Ownership: WILD is the best word to describe Turner when it comes to production. Luckily for him, he has a bit of a cushion with Moe Harkless hurting again and when he’s not scoring in double figures, he’s been helpful in other categories. He may have scored just five points in his last game, but he grabbed seven boards. He’s doing just enough and is playing enough minutes to be the rotating bench spot in 12-team leagues. More impressive than his scoring has been his rebounding, assists and steals. Turner will grab long rebounds and has pulled down 4.7 per game this season. He will also facilitate the offense with the Blazers second unit and has dished 4.1 assists per game. Some games will require him to be more of a bailout shooter waiting at the arc to be fed and others will have him on the ball running the show for a decent amount of the game. Turner has stolen the ball in each of his last four games. He’s playing over 24 minutes per game for now and you can take a shot on him.