Waiver wire pickups: Sarr, Sochan stand out

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Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we'll need to source stats from free agency to maximize our imaginary rosters.

A willingness to entertain competition for the final few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-the-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.

The goal of this weekly series is to identify players at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. Some are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I've listed players at each position in order of priority, rather than roster percentage, in ESPN men's basketball leagues.

Point guard

Andrew Nembhard, SG, Indiana Pacers (rostered in 26.4% of ESPN leagues): We saw Nembhard flash with some special stretches of play in the playoffs last season. This season, he's putting together wholly impressive games in the regular season. Sunday saw the combo guard nearly compile a triple-double in a smooth showing against a formidable Celtics team. There will still be some quiet lines, but Nembhard is also a quietly ascending player.

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Spencer Dinwiddie, SG, Dallas Mavericks (9.1%): The calf injury to Luka Doncic appears likely to last several weeks, which vaults Dinwiddie into a throwback role as a high-usage playmaker. While he's no Doncic, Dinwiddie can collect dimes in bunches and is a willing slasher and shooter on a team likely to empower him until his superstar teammate is back.

Scoot Henderson, Portland Trail Blazers (27.3%): Inefficiency is still the main theme with Henderson's game, although a recent run of improved play is worth discussing. After all, he's not just dishing dimes, he's also among the best steal sources the past week with eight in his last three games. Stash the second-year talent to see if this is a trend or merely a hot streak.

Shooting guard

Shaedon Sharpe, SF, Portland Trail Blazers (36.6%): A bucket's bucket, Sharpe has lofted 15.1 shots per game over his past nine starts. The scoring guard is netting nearly 19 PPG on respectable efficiency, while the pitch for him as a fantasy option speaks to the damage he can do when hot from deep. Sharpe is a bit cool in December from 3-point range, but I'd rather get ahead of the next binge.

Keon Johnson, Brooklyn Nets (2.4%): That smell might be a fire sale in Brooklyn. The team is beginning to wheel and deal veteran contributors, which means Johnson could stick as a viable rotation player in the coming weeks. The young guard has impressively averaged over two combined steals and blocks the past week, suggesting some value is present if the minutes prove steady.

Small forward

De'Andre Hunter, PF, Atlanta Hawks (39.0%): Injuries have been the story the past few seasons with Hunter, but a new chapter is being written this season; the Virginia product has found his groove in Atlanta's system as a two-way big wing. A surge in steal production also helps add some dimension to his profile past scoring and rebounding.

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Bilal Coulibaly, SG, Washington Wizards (39.8%): Awesome defensive production married with new-found skills on offense helps this second-year wing become a special fantasy option. The leap in passing production over the past month speaks to where his game might go if or once the team moves on from some veteran players.

Justin Champagnie, Washington Wizards (10.9%): It's somehow Wizards week, but each has earned interest in different ways. Champagnie is a wing who, like his brother in San Antonio, has latched on to the league via committed defense and hustle and a surprisingly savvy offensive bag. The recent key is a big leap in rebounding, which seems to keep him on the floor.

Power forward

Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs (47.4%): Off my radar in terms of breakout players, Sochan is doing just that. The fun forward is suddenly a steady rebounding force with versatile defensive rates. Improved offense is essentially gravy on top of what could be a really rewarding run for Sochan in this unique Spurs system.

Larry Nance Jr., C, Atlanta Hawks (6.2%): Likely to return from injury this week, Nance can produce big fantasy lines when capable of handling more than 20 minutes of exposure. Sticky hands on defense and great passing skills surface whenever he's on the floor.

Center

Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic (42.0%): Only Victor Wembenyama, Nikola Jokic, and Karl-Anthony Towns rate above Bitadze among players eligible at center on the Player Rater the past two weeks. The Magic are forced in a sense to ride with Bitadze in all lineup looks given the injuries that have hit the team's frontcourt. Elite rebounding, rim protection, and interior scoring results are currently part of the package.

Alexandre Sarr, PF, Washington Wizards (24.8%): It would be nice if Sarr rebounded at a level expected of his position, but we've already mentioned how several gritty Wizards are collecting boards. One thing Sarr does that no one on the roster can is swat any and all types of shots. For those in need of rim protection, the rookie is worthy of roster space.

Special teams

This section focuses on specialists, players who flash in a singular category and can provide specific value to those in category and roto formats. Nominations are based on which category such players are helpful in and will rotate throughout the season.

3-pointers: Weekly inclusion Payton Pritchard remains an incredible shooting specialist, ranking fifth in added value via 3-pointers the past two weeks. Of the widely-available crowd, Henderson is having an impact from deep the past week.

Steals: The Grizzlies are getting positive shooting, passing, and steal results from Scotty Pippen Jr. in recent games.

Blocks: Bitadze is sixth in value in rim protection the past week. Daniel Gafford is doing damage in this category the past two weeks, as well.

Rebounds: Bitadze and the Golden State Warriors' Trayce Jackson-Davis are positive rebounding sources you can find on the waiver in most leagues.

Assists: Nembhard has been a great passing source for an off-ball guard. Pippen is valuable for passing volume whenever Ja Morant is sidelined.