Welcome to the 2020 Top 10 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups! If you haven’t already, make sure to check out our Top 10 Fantasy Basketball Surprise Players.
Every player on this list went UNDRAFTED in most 12-team, 9-category Yahoo! Leagues.
Before we begin our countdown, here are a few honorable mentions: PJ Washington, Damion Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Marquese Chriss, and Alec Burks.
10) Kendrick Nunn (Rank 97)
15.6 points, 2.1 three-pointers, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals
The former undrafted rookie out of Oakland University had a spectacular rookie season. With Jimmy Butler missing the Heat’s regular-season debut due to the birth of his child, Nunn received the starting nod and finished with 24 points, two rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Nunn kept his starting spot even with Butler returning and provided Top 100 value the rest of the way. He shot 45% from the field and 83% from the charity stripe while keeping his turnovers low (1.6).
9) Danuel House Jr. (Rank 93)
10.2 points, 1.9 three-pointers, 4.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals
House Jr. has bounced around the league during his four NBA seasons. The undrafted veteran out of Texas A&M finally got his shot to shine this season for the Houston Rockets.
He provided a well-rounded fantasy game for owners this season while chipping in with 0.6 blocks and only 0.8 turnovers in 30 minutes per game. He also kept his Free-Throw percentage at a solid 80%.
8) Richaun Holmes (Rank 90)
12.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.4 blocks
After signing a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings over the offseason, Holmes went on to be one of the biggest surprises in the fantasy community to begin the season. He started slowly in the first three games, but he burst onto the scene in his fourth game scoring 24 points with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
In the 33 games as the full-time starter, Holmes averaged 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 66% from the field. If it wasn’t for the 25 games he missed with injury, Holmes would have been MUCH HIGHER on my list.
His overall averages are good for Top 40. He was still able to crack the Top 100 despite missing 25 games. WOW.
7) Jae Crowder (Rank 89)
10.4 points, 1.9 three-pointers, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals
Crowder’s ownership was extremely volatile throughout the entire fantasy basketball season. Despite having a few dud games, Crowder consistently provided low-end across-the-board stats.
Crowder was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Miami Heat where his minutes stayed in the 28-30 range. On top of providing low-end across-the-board stats, Crowder kept his Free-Throw percentage at a solid 79% as well as keeping his turnovers low (1.1).
6) Donte DiVincenzo (Rank 86)
9.4 points, 1.3 three-pointers, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals
DiVincenzo was a streaming dandy for most of the season. His minutes fluctuated at the beginning of the season but settled between 25-30 during the second half of the season.
He’s another valuable player who didn’t “wow” in any one category, but he provided low-end across-the-board stats. He also had a 46% field-goal percentage, 77% free-throw percentage, and kept his turnovers low (1.2).
5) Christian Wood (Rank 82)
13.1 points, 0.9 three-pointers, 6.3 rebounds, 0.9 blocks
#FreeChristianWood was a hashtag I tried to get going at the beginning of the season but to no avail. Still, we all knew what Wood was capable of when given the minutes.
The Pistons stifled him to begin the season, but after Andre Drummond was shipped out of Detroit, the Pistons had no choice but to give Wood more run.
Wood dominated in the second half of the season and rewarded owners who stashed him through the trade deadline.
4) Daniel Theis (Rank 69)
9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks
Following Robert Williams’ injury, Theis became a consistent source of points, rebounds, and blocks for fantasy owners. On top of providing solid big-man stats, Theis had a 57% field-goal percentage and a decent 76% free-throw percentage. He also didn’t hurt you in any category.
He added 0.6 steals, 0.4 three-pointers, and only had 0.8 turnovers.
3) Duncan Robinson (Rank 59)
13.3 points, 3.7 three-pointers, 3.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Robinson came out of NOWHERE to become one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the NBA.
A player who can sink 3.7 three-pointers per game while shooting 47% from the field is fantasy GOLD.
He wasn’t just a three-point specialist. He provided solid points and low-end rebounds, assists, steals, and turnovers.
2) Nemanja Bjelica (Rank 44)
11.9 points, 2.0 three-pointers, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals
This might surprise some people, but Bjelica was a consistent Top 50 fantasy producer for most of the season.
Bjelica was the ultimate fixture on a Sacramento Kings roster missing Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes for most of the season.
He was an elite fixture on the fantasy teams savvy enough to pick him up after Bagley and Holmes went down. On top of those incredible across-the-board stats, Bjelica shot 48% from the field, 82% from the free-throw line, and 0.5 blocks while keeping his turnovers low (1.4).
1) Devonte’ Graham (Rank 53)
18.2 points, 3.5 three-pointers, 3.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.0 steals
Wow. Where did Graham come from?! He was the clear-cut winner following Kemba Walker’s departure over the offseason.
Even though he had an awful field goal percentage (38%), he provided fantasy owners with ELITE points, three-pointers, assists, and free-throw percentage. On top of that, he provided low-end rebounds and steals while keeping his turnovers decently low (2.9).
Graham’s dynasty stock is pointing STRAIGHT up!
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God bless all of you!
Jacob W. Dunne
