In this edition of Working the Wire, we’ll take a look at the games scheduled for week 11, including those teams that have a back-to-back set. Before looking ahead, let’s quickly take a look at last week’s waiver wire pickups and whether we struck gold or came up empty. We will then run down the list of players you could consider picking up for longer than a couple of games, although do remember that not every player is going to suit your needs. Finally, we take a look at a list of current streaming options, based on categorical need.

Games Schedule – Week 11

Back to Backs

Mon/Tues: MIN
Tues/Weds: LAL, MIA, NYK, OKC
Weds/Thurs: 
Thurs/Fri: CLE
Fri/Sat: CHI, HOU, LAC, SAS, UTA
Sat/Sun: 
Sun/Mon (of Week 12): CHA, DAL, MIA, MIN, ORL

A Look Back…

Guards

Luke Kennard (240th ranked player) – An injury didn’t help my cause here, a loss

Malik Beasley (68th ranked player) – Clear win

Gary Harris (25th ranked player) – Even clearer win

Gabe Vincent (177th ranked player) – Let’s go with a pass given Lowry is now out

Forwards

Larry Nance Jr. (26th ranked player) – Yeah baby!

Nic Batum (237th ranked player) – Sadly, a loss

Chimezie Metu (65th ranked player) – A very sneaky win

Chuma Okeke (85th ranked player) – A win but ended the week poorly

Centers

DeMarcus Cousins (134th ranked player) – A win while Portis was out

Robin Lopez (152nd ranked player) – A pass at least, but now a drop

Waiver Wire Options

Guards

Malik Monk – Prior to his absence, Monk had been playing well for the Lakers and he subsequently picked up right where he left off when he returned. The Lakers really need his floor spacing ability and so they would be well-advised to get him as many minutes as he can handle. There is an element of risk here but given the Lakers’ current struggles, he is a somewhat educated gamble.

Luke Kennard – Now I am aware that Kennard was on this list last week and honestly, he was far from a success. However, since then, the Clippers have announced that Paul George is going to miss up to a month with an elbow injury. That opens the window for Kennard to once again step into a larger role. Chances are he was dropped in a number of leagues and so grab him, just to see if he can get things going in the right direction again.

Max Strus – Jimmy Butler returned for the Heat on Sunday, and yet Strus still managed 35 minutes in the victory. He is easily outplaying Duncan Robinson right now and I can see a scenario where they actually opt to go with Strus over Robinson. This is certainly no guarantee but Strus is doing enough to be added everywhere, and then we just see where the ride takes us.

Kemba Walker – By now, Walker has probably been added in most places but you would be surprised. With Derrick Rose out for the foreseeable future, Walker appears to have re-affirmed himself as a meaningful part of the rotation. We will need to see what his role looks like once the Knicks are healthy but until then, make sure he isn’t available in your league.

Forwards

Cam Johnson – Jae Crowder entered the health and safety protocols on Sunday, opening up some more playing time for Johnson. That said, he had been a viable 12-team asset ever before this news, putting up top-65 numbers over the past month. Quite simply, he needs to be rostered everywhere, and now.

Saddiq Bey – After a sold start to the season, Bey fell off in a big way. We advocated for GMs to look elsewhere, and based on his production, that was certainly a reasonable request. However, with the Pistons suffering multiple player absences, Bey has been able to turn things around over the past couple of weeks. Where this ends is anyone’s guess but as of this moment, he is worth picking up.

Jalen McDaniels – McDaniels has been a top-110 player over the past week, making him a solid addition in his own right. On Sunday it was announced that Miles Bridges was entering the health and safety protocols, giving us even more reason to go and add McDaniels. He won’t set the world on fire but he does have the ability to chip in across the board, making him an intriguing addition to any roster.

Otto Porter – The Warriors are flying high right now and Porter has been one of the more underrated reasons why. His recent surge has come without both Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, putting a cloud of doubt over his long-term value. This run may come to an abrupt end but he is clearly a valuable piece of the Warriors’ success and so he should maintain some sort of value as long as he is healthy.

Centers

Omer Yurtseven – With Dewayne Dedmon and Bam Adebayo both on the shelf, Yurtseven is the last center standing. He now has double-digit boards in five straight games and based on what we saw on Sunday, he is going to be featured heavily for at least the next week or two. If you need boards and blocks from an efficient scorer, Yurt is your man.

Mason Plumlee – Along with Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington also entered the protocols on Sunday, leaving Plumlee as the standalone center. He has been a little disappointing this season but we do know what he can do when given meaningful minutes. For at least the next week, he could be a sneaky source of assists, boards and some defensive stats.

Streaming Targets

Points

Eric Bledsoe

Gary Payton II

Caleb Martin

Keita Bates-Diop

Corey Kispert

3-pointers 

Quentin Grimes

Facundo Campazzo

Gary Payton II

Payton Pritchard

Sterling Brown

Assists

Eric Bledsoe

Facundo Campazzo

Joe Ingles

R.J. Hampton

Delon Wright

Rebounds

Sterling Brown

Yuta Watanabe

Chris Boucher

Willy Hernangomez

JaVale McGee

Steals

Hamidou Diallo

Nic Batum

Frank Ntilikina

Delon Wright

Facundo Campazzo

Blocks

JaVale McGee

Hassan Whiteside

Naz Reid

Kenyon Martin Jr.

Brandon Clarke

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