Fantasy Basketball: Waiver wire pickups, NBA schedules for Week 3

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Giddey-Anthony-10302021-Getty-FTR

We're back with another set of fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of the season!

If you missed last week's must-adds, take a look here in case players like Mo Bamba and Ricky Rubio are still available in your leagues.

Below you can find five players you should add to your roster if they're still available in your league, along with four other players to tab for your watch list. At the bottom, you can find how many games each NBA team plays this week to help with your managerial decisions in who to start or who to add.

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All players are owned in fewer than 50.0 percent of leagues. All owned percentages and positions are based on ESPN Fantasy Basketball.

Fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups

Must adds

Cole Anthony, PG, Orlando Magic

Owned in: 47.8 percent of leagues

Stop what you're doing and check if Anthony is available right now. If he's still unowned, add him immediately.

The second-year point guard is taking over in Orlando early on in the season and he doesn't seem to be cooling off any time soon. It's more than just scoring, too. Anthony has been filling up rebounds and assists, making him a well-rounded fantasy option for any league format.

There was a rush to the waiver wire after Anthony's breakout game of 29 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and one steal with five 3-pointers in a win over the Knicks last Sunday, and rightfully so. He has since recorded at least five rebounds and five assists in each of his next three games, scoring over 20 points in two of those contests.

He's a must-roster player moving forward.

Josh Giddey, PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder

Owned in: 32.9 percent of leagues

As the season grew closer, the Australian rookie became a target late in fantasy drafts, and the owners who drafted him are reaping the benefits already. However, he's still available in 67.1 percent of fantasy leagues and that number is far too high for how productive he has already been through the first two weeks.

Giddey has been a machine for assists, rebounds and steals, and the scoring should come along as he gains experience. He already had a game with 19 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals against the 76ers, proving his ability to stuff the stat sheet. Most recently, he recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists in a win over the Lakers.

Giddey is locked in as the starting point guard for the Thunder so the minutes will be there to be productive. Give him an add and watch the 19-year-old continue to grow as a player.

Gary-Trent-Jr

Gary Trent Jr., SG/SF, Toronto Raptors

Owned in: 22.3 percent of leagues

It was known that you could rely on Trent as a boost to scoring or 3-pointers, but his improvements on the defensive end have made him an asset for steals, too.

He's maintaining his scoring expectations, averaging 14.5 points with 2.0 3s per game, but his 2.7 steals have been a huge boost for his fantasy value. Trent has recorded at least two steals in four of his six games, including two games where he had five steals.

He has locked in a spot in the Raptors' starting lineup (at least until Pascal Siakam returns from injury), so he'll receive enough playing time to make an impact. If he keeps it up on both ends of the floor, his minutes shouldn't waiver much even when Siakam is back in action.

Mason Plumlee, C, Charlotte Hornets

Owned in: 38.6 percent of leagues

Plumlee was a sneaky solid fantasy player last season and he's starting to get in a groove in Charlotte.

Take his one-point outing against the Heat out of the equation – he was completely outmatched by Bam Adebayo and only played 18 minutes in the contest. Aside from that, he recorded two double-doubles last week, also adding at least one block and one steal in each game. Plumlee is a solid passer for a big man, too, and can give you some assists from a position that doesn't have many players adding to that category.

He's their everyday starter and will continue to receive the playing time to put up double-doubles.

Alex Caruso, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

Owned in: 29.7 percent of leagues

Caruso has become a defensive specialist in fantasy, with his 15 steals ranking third-most in the league.

And while his 3.0 steals per game average is attractive, his 28.6 minutes per game is where he comes in as a legitimate fantasy option. Caruso has cleared locked himself into the Bulls' rotation, where he should be able to provide some scoring, assists and 3s along with defensive counting stats.

With the season-ending injury to rookie forward Patrick Williams, even more minutes should be available as they'll need help on the defensive side of the ball.

Caruso toes the line of must add and watch list, but given the extra minutes available, he's worth a look if you have the roster spot.

Watch list

Franz-Wagner

Franz Wagner, SF, Orlando Magic

Owned in: 14.6 percent of leagues

Wagner is finding his footing in the NBA, starting to make an impact across all counting stats. Averaging 13.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.8 3-pointers and 1.0 steals per game, he's a quality streaming option on any given night.

Cam Reddish, SF/SG, Atlanta Hawks

Owned in: 19.4 percent of leagues

Reddish is purely a boost to scoring and 3-pointers. He'll chip in some rebounds and steals here and there, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. He's scored 20 points twice and has recorded at least 15 points in four of his five games, so he's a quality source of scoring from a streaming perspective.

Jalen Brunson, PG, Dallas Mavericks

Owned in: 13.6 percent of leagues

Brunson has become one of the most important players for the Mavericks, locking himself into the Sixth Man role. Going for an 11-point, 11-assists double-double, followed by a game of 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists this past week shows his potential, but there are also some games where he doesn't get involved enough to hold a full-time roster spot from a fantasy perspective. However, he's worth keeping an eye on and is definitely a strong streaming option.

Serge Ibaka, C/PF, LA Clippers

Owned in: 8.3 percent of leagues

This is more of a bonus play or a reminder that Ibaka is available in over 90 percent of leagues.

If you have an empty IR spot, add Ibaka and let him sit in waiting until he returns to the floor from a back injury that has kept him sidelined since the end of last season. The Clippers have been terrible offensively – Paul George aside – and desperately need some scoring help. Once Ibaka does return, he'll be asked to shoulder a heavy offensive load and should be a valuable fantasy asset.

His return should be sooner rather than later, so beat your opponents to the punch if you have that empty IR spot. Otherwise, just put him on your watch list and wait for the nod that he's returning to action.

NBA schedule for week 3

Four games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, HOU, IND, LAC, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA

Three games: BKN, DAL, DET, GSW, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, OKC, PHX

Two games: DEN

Author(s)
Kyle Irving Photo

Kyle Irving is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News.