Eric Gay/Associated Press

Fantasy Basketball 2022: Hidden Gems to Pick Up for NBA Week 18

Joe Tansey

The deals made before the NBA trade deadline shook up the rosters of a handful of teams. 

The primary focus was on the trades involving James Harden and Domantas Sabonis, but smaller moves opened up higher usage for lesser-known players.

Devin Vassell slotted into the San Antonio Spurs starting five after Derrick White was shipped to the Boston Celtics. 

Raul Neto took over for Spencer Dinwiddie after he was dealt by the Washington Wizards to the Dallas Mavericks. 

Donte DiVincenzo could be in for more production in the reworked Sacramento Kings lineup after he was acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks in a four-team trade. 

Vassell, Neto and DiVincenzo are just some of the deeper gems to target on the fantasy basketball waiver wire as the league barrels toward the All-Star break. 

Devin Vassell, SG/SF, San Antonio

Matthew Hinton/Associated Press

Vassell should be picked up on the waiver wire now before his roster percentage increases. 

The Florida State product took over the minutes left open by Derrick White's departure—he was traded to the Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Vassell played 28 minutes on Friday, and he was on the floor for 31 minutes on Saturday. 

He is the third-best offensive option for San Antonio on most nights because Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson are in the lineup, but Vassell should get off his share of shots. 

Vassell attempted 25 field goals in the last two games, and he took over 10 shots in each of his last three trips to the hardwood. 

Vassell is also good for a handful of rebounds and assists in every game. He is averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game through six February games.

The 21-year-old should feel more comfort as the weeks go on inside the Spurs offense, so he is worth the pickup now before he catches fire in the shooting department and is unavailable in some leagues. 

Raul Neto, PG, Washington

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Neto received a significant increase in playing time once Spencer Dinwiddie was sent to the Dallas Mavericks.

Neto was on the floor for 59 minutes across the last two games. He played over 20 minutes once in the six prior contests. 

Neto scored 31 points in the first two Washington Wizards games without Dinwiddie, and he might be more of a short-term scoring fix than anyone out there on the waiver wire. 

Washington is hoping Kristaps Porzingis comes back at some point soon, but that may happen after the All-Star break.

Neto is widely available in Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues, and he could be worth the short-term pickup as a backup point guard while the Wizards bide their time for Porzingis to make his team debut. 

Donte DiVincenzo, PG/SG, Sacramento

Nick Wass/Associated Press

DiVincenzo will be an interesting player to follow over the next few weeks. His minutes were diminished because of Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton also being in the Milwaukee Bucks rotation.

The Villanova product is now on a Sacramento Kings roster that went through a ton of overhaul over the last week.

DiVincenzo can add plenty of scoring off the bench once his role is more established behind De'Aaron Fox and Justin Holiday in the Kings backcourt. 

The 25-year-old played the second-most bench minutes in his Kings debut on Saturday. He scored seven points on nine field-goal attempts and handed out five assists. 

If he remains effective off the bench, DiVincenzo could be a nice backup addition to fantasy basketball squads for the rest of the campaign. 

   

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