Welcome one and all, new readers and returning readers, to the 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball Week 19 Waiver Wire!
I hope you all are staying safe and enjoying your daily dose of sports! The NBA All-Star Break has arrived, but that doesn't mean there aren't players you should add when things pick up on Thursday!
Before we get into the must-have waiver wire adds, let's look at the studs and duds of the week.
Stud: Josh Giddey, SG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Giddey is continuing to amaze the NBA world, fans, and players alike. He ended the first half of the season with three consecutive triple-doubles, tying a record held by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. He has a unique eye for the court and can zip passes into extremely tight windows. If he can ever get his shooting numbers to even average, he will be a very special player in the league.
Keith compared Josh Giddey's first-half stats to other rookie guards who averaged five rebounds and five assists!
Dud: D'Angelo Russell, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
Russell had a disappointing end to the first half of his season. He went 5-20 on Tuesday in an overtime win, and then went 2-11 in a bad loss on Wednesday. On a team with already streaky players like Malik Beasley, Russell will need to play better. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards will not be able to do it all themselves. Patrick Beverly certainly won't be helping out, so Russell needs to find his shot over the All-Star break.
Take a look at last week's waiver wire post to make sure you are cleaning up on the boards!
Without further ado, time to see who you need to add to your Fantasy rosters!
2021-22 Fantasy Basketball Week 19 Waiver Wire
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Thomas Bryant, C, Washington Wizards (16.2 Percent Rostered ESPN)
HOLY THOMAS BRYANT. 💪
(From Deni!) pic.twitter.com/dPln9CQlDN
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 2, 2021
Bryant has been quietly efficient since his return to the Wizards' lineup. His numbers do not jump off the page, but he is collecting a healthy amount of rebounds in limited minutes and is shooting the ball over 60 percent over his last week of games. Efficient numbers combined with decent rebounding make for a solid fantasy asset. Not to mention Bryant is usually good for a few blocks here and there. His minutes will ramp up after the All-Star break as well, as the Wizards get him back into the lineup full-time post-injury.
Kenrich Williams, SF/PF, Oklahoma City Thunder (1.7 Percent Rostered)
Kenrich Williams dropped Vucevic pic.twitter.com/vNv8riKmSK
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) January 25, 2022
I will be honest, I did not expect to have another Thunder player make this list, considering how poor of a team they have been. But "Kenny Hustle", as they call him, has been playing great basketball. With OKC seeing injuries to key players like Luguentz Dort, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Mike Muscala, Williams has been called upon to fill in. He is a stat sheet stuffer, filling up multiple categories. Williams is the definition of a jack of all trades, as he can do a bit of everything. He can score 10-12 points a game, collect five to eight rebounds, and even dish out 4 to six assists. He does all that while being a pest on the defensive end, picking pockets for five steals in his last five games. The quality numbers in so many different areas make for solid fantasy production, and an easy pickup while the Thunder have the injury bug.
Brandon Clarke, PF, Memphis Grizzlies (46.3 Percent Rostered)
BRANDON CLARKE
(🎥 @memgrizz)pic.twitter.com/1nJHu7HVtO
— Hoop Region (@TheHoopRegion) February 13, 2022
The Grizzlies have made it a point to give Clarke more minutes over Kyle Anderson, with good results. Clarke has scored at least 10 points in seven consecutive games while pulling down more than six rebounds in each of those games as well. His defensive game is there as well, with a combined 14 steals and blocks over that time span. As the primary player off the bench for the Grizzlies, Clarke will continue to see 20 minutes or more per game. If an injury ever pops up, he will be a league winner, as his numbers would balloon if he received starter minutes.
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