The first week of fantasy basketball is nearly complete, which means fantasy owners are about halfway through the most important part of the season to improve your team. The first 2 weeks of fantasy will see tons of players that went undrafted, got waived or just completely came out of nowhere, get scooped up for good. Some owners are quick to chase players entering fantasy relevance for the first time, waiving valuable players in the process. And other teams will be conservative, waiting for that one pick up they feel will change their roster for the better. Whichever owner you are, you know this window is short, and if you aren’t active and brave right now, you’re going to miss out on these guys for good. So now is the time…don’t be shy. Be bold, because by this time next week, they’ll mostly be gone.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Scoop ’em Up Sunday!

(All players will be under 30% owned in Yahoo leagues)

Lonnie Walker IV (SG/SF) 28% owned – LAL

The Lakers, as we know, are two men, one goal. But they have to start 3 other guys too, and one of them is a man called Lonnie the Fourth. Fantasy is all about opportunity, and Lonnie has plenty of it as a starter with the Lakers. He will be inconsistent, as we saw over his first two games, but averaging 33 minutes a game is huge for a guy that is probably available in your league. He has a solid all around game, and could be a great source of Steals, assists and even 3’s. Scoop Him!

Grant Williams (SF/PF) 29% owned – BOS

Williams is getting major minutes with the Celt Crew through the first week of the season. He should finish the year close to 30 minutes a game, making him as close to ‘must own’ as they come. Efficient shooting, points, boards, 3’s and blocks…he does a bit of everything. I imagine his ownership rate will be close to 50% by the end of next week, which means you better go Scoop ’em, asap!

25% or under owned

John Konchar (SG/SF) 25% owned – MEM

Dillon Brooks is out for the Grizzlies. That has opened the door for Konchar to step up in week 1. This is a guy who puts up huge fantasy lines when given the minutes…steals, threes, boards, points and even assists. He put up a triple double in the last game of last season as a starter. Brooks should be back in the next week, which will hurt his value. However, Konchar’s fantasy friendly game should provide value all season, even off the bench. Scoop ’em up until at least Brooks returns.

Deni Avdija (SF/PF) 9% owned – WAS

Avdija got the call to start on opening night, but an ankle injury limited him to just 8 minutes. He came back two nights later to start again, playing 23 minutes and finishing with a solid all around fantasy line (6pts/10reb/4ast with two threes, a block and a steal). If he continues to start, his minutes should rise to 30+, making Deni a potentially huge pick up. He has slipped through the cracks to the tune of 9% ownership, I think only because of the injury limited 8 minutes he played. That’s gonna change after today’s game…so don’t wait. Scoop his ass up!