Welcome to my specialty. It doesn’t matter what sport, I will dominate the waiver wire. Your boy will scoop that pitcher who ends up winning 15 games with 180 strikeouts. You boy will find that talented yet under-used running back, wait for the starter to get injured and then go win a league on that hunch.

Same thing with basketball. There are some pickups who have season-long value. Guys like Buddy Hield and Dennis Schroder come to mind through the first two weeks. More typically, though, it’s about lilypad hopping from player to player because pickups usually have a finite shelf-life. For example, I must have picked up and dropped Sam Hauser 10 times on my way to the Kam Dynasty title last season.

So let’s get to work on the Week 3 waiver wire and see if we can find some season-long gems.

Double-Check Zone

These are players who are highly likely to be gone — maybe even drafted — in any competitive league. And yet, their roster percentage is well below 100 on Yahoo, meaning you need to take the 20 seconds and make sure that these guys are not floating around anywhere.

Bub Carrington (18%)

Bub is an established PRA stud, so these numbers are real. Last year at Pitt, Bub rocked a 14-5-4 PRA, which is strong for the college game. This year, Bub is rocking a 10-4-5 PRA in 29 minutes, with plenty of room to grow from there. Bub has played 30-plus minutes in the last three games, averaging a PRA of 12-6-7, which means he is flirting with triple doubles! If you take one thing from this column, let it be adding Bub Carrington now, while you still have the chance.

Jordan Hawkins (27%)

Hawk is another player who caught my eye in college and it’s cool to see his game translating to the NBA with the increase in playing time this season. The Pelicans have been playing without Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy, CJ McCollum and Herb Jones, and Jordan has taken full advantage. The second-year gunner is averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 threes, with 92-percent free-throw shooting. The Pelicans always have a revolving door of injuries so I expect these numbers to continue for Hawkins.

Keldon Johnson (31%)

I literally cannot believe that Keldon is only 31 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues. Yes, he is off to a slow start, averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds with 1.0 three and 0.9 steals per game. Those numbers are not the real Keldon, who averaged 16 and 5 with 1.8 threes last season. Keldon is a talent and it’s only a matter of time before the 20-point games start flowing.

Kelly Oubre (35%)

I am a Kelly Oubre guy. Constantly slept on and underpaid by his NBA bosses, this dude can really play, and he’s underrated in fantasy leagues around the globe. Right now, Oubre is averaging 17 points with 1.8 threes and 1.3 steals. Last season, Oubre averaged 15 points with 1.5 threes and 1.1 steals. Paul George is back now, but for how long? Joel Embiid would seemingly rather rough up reporters than play ball. Bottom line: Nick Nurse loves Oubre, so the playing time will be there, making these numbers very, very real.

Standard Leagues

These are players worth a long look in 12-team leagues. Maybe they help in one key area; maybe they have legitimate season-long appeal and will continue to improve; maybe they are good but not better than the last guy on your roster. Maybe they hit the wire as a streaming sacrifice, or to make space for someone in the Double-Check Zone. That’s life sometimes! But this group should all be at least on the radar, if not full-on rostered in standard formats.

We’ll also display a player’s Yahoo roster percentage next to their name.

Kyshawn George (4%)

I didn’t think George would be starting over Corey Kispert this season, but Brian Keefe has other plans for his roster and it’s time to scoop up the rookie from Miami. George came out of “The U” with a reputation as a shooter and he backed that up with 20 points and six threes against the Warriors on Monday. The “pop” has not officially happened yet, but it’s loading, so add him now before the fantasy world recognizes the land of opportunity that exists in our nation’s capital.

Jose Alvarado (31%)

It’s not usually this easy to find difference-making assists on the waiver wire, so act now! Jose is averaging 12.2 points, 5.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.0 threes over the last week. The Pelicans are playing without four perimeter players and Jose is making the most of this opportunity, but this is only a temporary situation. You will send Alvarado back to waivers once the studs get healthy, but enjoy the ride over the next month or so.

Brandon Boston (5%)

Boston is becoming a folk hero in New Orleans. Zion Williamson calls him a “certified bucket,” and he is living up to that moniker and winning over fans in the Big Easy. Boston showed glimpses of serious talent in his time with the Clippers and he just did it again in his first start for the Pels, posting a five-cat line of 20-3-4-2-1 with two threes. Like Jose, this is not a season-long pickup situation, but Boston will average around 15 ppg for the next month or so.

Streamers, Maybe More

Take a look at these players for short-term help with an outside chance at a long-term commitment. For now we’re just having fun, but who knows where life takes you? Maybe an injury fill-in spot becomes permanent. Maybe the hot streak never ends. And maybe you’ll add someone on a bender and feel free to drop them for the next hotness when the time comes.

Dorian Finney-Smith (19%)

DFS is an elite streamer who is providing rosterable value right now. He ranks 79th overall in 9-cat formats with a 10-5-2 PRA, 2.0 threes and 1.5 steals. The Nets are playing well and the resurgence of Finney-Smith is a big reason why, so there is no reason to expect a deviation from these numbers moving forward (barring a Cooper Flagg-inspired shutdown in March or April).

Derrick Jones Jr. (12%)

The Clippers allowed Paul George to leave for Philly and then signed DJJ to replace him at a much cheaper cost. Jones is in the starting lineup nightly, averaging 10 points, 1.4 threes and 1.1 steals, making him the perfect streamer on those light nights in the NBA.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (13%)

No matter how hard these teams try to keep Hardaway Jr down, he always resurfaces. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd did THJ wrong last season, dropping him out of the rotation and then asking him to perform miracles in The Finals. Now, THJ is reborn in Detroit, in the starting lineup, averaging 13+ points and 3+ threes and ready to be a streaming star for you.

Miles McBride (13%)

The Knicks’ bench is one of the worst in the league thanks to the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which sent Sixth Man candidate Donte Divincenzo to Minnesota along with Julius Randle. McBride is now in that “Donte role”, averaging 10.7 points, 2.0 threes and 1.3 steals per game, making him a perfect streamer. I sincerely hope this does not happen, but if-if-if one of the Knicks’ starters blows a tire, Deuce will become a coveted player off the waiver wire.

Deeper Leagues

Managers in 16-team formats (and even 14-teamers, if we’re being real) can still find a lot of value out there. The barriers to roster entry get lower as the player pool deepens so some of these guys will end up as streamers, while others could end up being game-changing adds. Might as well find out who is who.

David Roddy (8%)

Seemingly half of the Hawks roster is injured, creating playing time for this journeyman, who is currently playing the best ball of his NBA career. Over the last week, Roddy is averaging a PRA of 11-5-2 with 1.5 threes and 1.0 steals. He is passing my eye test as well, looking like a solid and reliable NBA player as opposed to a fledgling and mistake-prone youngster. Roddy is a player to monitor moving forward.

Garrison Mathews (16%)

If I told you that Mathews is averaging 12.3 points and 3.4 threes per game, would you believe me? I literally cannot believe he is averaging 3.4 threes per game, but he is, and he has a long runway for sustained success on the injury-hit Hawks.

Who’s Popping?

I gave you several “Pop Players” during the preseason and I want to continue that theme throughout the regular season in this space. These are players who are in mid-pop or players who are about to pop for various reasons. (“Pop” is another way of saying “increase in stats”.)

It is our job as winning fantasy managers to constantly target these “pop players” in drafts and off waivers. Why? Because the best way to build a championship team is with a crew of studs who are having career years. You cannot win chips with a bunch of dudes having injury-hit or “down” years. It’s all about the arrow, folks. Is it pointing up…or down?

Buddy Hield

We all should have seen this coming. One of the great three-point shooters of his generation, in a Steve Kerr share-the-ball offense, and replacing the second best 3-baller of all time in Klay Thompson. All the signs were there for Buddy to have a big year and he has capitalized on this golden opportunity. Entering Wednesday, Hield was providing 10th overall value with 22 points, 4.7 threes and 1.7 stocks per game.

Is it time to sell high with Buddy? Absolutely. See if you can package Buddy with another good player to reel in a superstar-level player. It’s the old “two-for-one trick.”
There is no way Hield maintains 51-percent shooting from the field (career .435) or 50-percent from the three-point line (career .402). No way. The law of averages will kick in. You can bet on that and take it to the bank. Plus, Steph Curry just missed three games, inflating the numbers for Buddy, who averaged an unsustainable 25 points with 5 threes in those games.

Jalen Suggs

This is the Suggs that I thought we were going to get when he was The Man at Gonzaga. One of my favorite players in the league because of how freaking hard he plays, Jalen made a vault last season, becoming one of the best on-ball defenders and getting richly rewarded for that improvement.

This year, Suggs is on a totally different level. He currently ranks 15th overall in 9-cat formats, with a PRA of 17-5-4 and the fantasy gold we love at 2.5 threes, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Do not sell high with Suggs. These numbers are real, with or without Paolo Banchero, because Suggs is a major talent and he is firmly entrenched as Orlando’s third option.

Dennis Schroder

The Michael Jordan of the German National Team is having a career year with the Nets. Schroder ranks 28th overall in 9-cat formats on the strength of a 20-3-7 PRA with 3.1 threes and 1.4 steals. Those are All-Star numbers, but here’s the relevant question: should we strike while the iron is hot and bundle Schroder in a two-for-one type of deal?

My answer: go shopping.

The opportunity is there for Schroder because Ben “The Theory” Simmons is not in the way. My hangup with Dennis is how the back of his basketball card reads. Schroder is at 3.1 threes and his previous career high is 1.9, telling me 3.1 is unsustainable. He is at 1.4 steals and his previous career high is 1.1, telling me 1.4 is unsustainable. Plus, the possibilities of a shutdown or trade loom large as value killers in the second half of the season.

Norman Powell

Many of us saw this career year coming from Powell because of the departure of Paul George and the injury issues with Kawhi Leonard. Pop! This is a case of talent meets opportunity, as Norm has always been able to fill it up, but he has never been put up to bat like this before.

Powell is the #2 option for the first time in his career and he is killing it, registering a #34 value across nine categories thanks to 25 ppg, 3.9 threes and 1.1 steals.

Do not trade Powell. Ride this out because the Clippers have traded their picks and they will not be entering the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. They are going to be fighting for the playoffs and/or play-in tournament at the end of the season, when Powell is going to be powering championship runs. Hold…and enjoy.