FANTASY WATCH LIST

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Fantasy Watch List: Players <5% ESPN Ownership

For those saying the waiver wire is always trash, a lot of it is poor scouting. There are a lot of hidden gems buried in waivers that either need a situation change, player movement, or are undervalued.

Here are some gems you should be keeping an eye on.

TALEN HORTON-TUCKER - He should be on any team with an available IR slot. THT is about two weeks away from returning, and he should see a solid role in their rotation. The traded to get Westbrook moved Kaldwell-Pope, and replaced him with a Kent Bazemore. THT does not have a lot of competition at the 2-guard, as the rest of their depth chart includes Monk, Ellington, and Nunn, two of which are hurt. They extended him this summer and have big plans. In preseason he averaged 12.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG. Those numbers aren't mind blowing, but he did that in only 23 MPG. He could find himself in a breakout year with the big 3 in LA garnering a majority of the attention. He's a robust guard that has 16-5-5 upside or more.

ANFERNEE SIMONS - He only has a 3-game sample size, but has been seizing his opportunities early. On the year he's already averaging 13.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG with good percentages. He doesn't offer much in the way of defensive stats, but he could be a sneaky productive guard for a team that needs scoring. Should either McCollum or Lillard get traded or injured, he would be a must add. At only 6'3", I don't anticipate him to be able to slide to the 3, but he very well could end up being a 20+ PPG player should he be in a starting role.

LUKE KENNARD - He probably won't see a lot of consistency, but he will see minutes in a decrepit Clippers team. Kawhi is out for the foreseeable future and they have big question marks at the guard position. He's averaging over 13 points per game after his 23-point burst last night. He doesn't contribute much in the way of defensive stats, but he's averaging 54% from the field, is perfect from the line, and 3 3-pointers per game. He won't kill you on turnovers, so if you need efficient scoring, he could help in that regard.

ERIC GORDON - He should be owned as a hold. The writing is on the wall that he will get traded at some point, as he's somewhat wasting away with Green the locked-in starter. He had a dud against Boston, but the West has a bunch of rebuilding teams, so he will do well on against those teams. Unlike some of the other shooters on the list, he does contribute a bit more in the way of counting stats when he's on, and is a moderately better defender. Even if he gets traded to a team like the Lakers or Nets, his efficiency should improve and he won't kill you on turnovers.

DEVIN VESSELL - I'm more bullish on Lonnie Walker IV than I am on Vessell, but Vessell is uniquely capable of getting you high-level defensive stats. Pop does well with wings like him and did have a 19-point outburst opening night. He already has two multi-steal games, has a very low turnover rate, so it really comes down to minutes and if his shot is falling. If he keeps racking up defensive stats, his floor remains relatively high, so he could be a nice hold until San Antonio lands on a final line-up.

NIC CLAXTON - He's a high upside streaming option at this point, but if you're desperate for blocks, he could be a solid addition. The Nets are going to rest Griffin and Aldridge interchangeably, so he would be the primary beneficiary on those nights. His per game stats don't wow you, but his per-36 stats are 12.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 1.9 BPG. His free throw percentage is a downer, but that's to be expected with inexperienced bigs. For a patient team, he could start seeing 25+ MPG later in the season, so he is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2021]