It’s Thursday. You know what that means.
It’s time for another look at the waiver wire to find players that you can add for short-term and long-term success.
We’ll look at players that you should consider picking up who are rostered in four different rostership tiers:
- 50-60%
- 30-49%
- 15-29%
- 0-14%
What’s more, we’ll give you a breakdown of how many games each team has for the upcoming week so that you can maximize the minutes of your streamers.
I want to note that the top player to grab is Cameron Johnson as he returns from his injury, but he’s just over the 60 percent threshold. Make sure he’s not on your waiver wire.
Check out the latest fantasy basketball expert consensus rankings
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 14
Without further delay, let’s get to it, starting with the schedule of games being played for next week.
Four games:
BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, HOU, IND, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, NOP, ORL, SAS
Three games:
ATL, BKN, DAL, DEN, DET, LAL, MIA, NYK, PHX, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA, WAS
Two games:
GSW, OKC, PHI
Rostered in 50-60% of leagues:
The Pelicans are so deep, and while the loss of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson has hurt them, they can still count on contributions from guys such as Murphy. Even when both forwards return, I expect Murphy to maintain fantasy value with his three-level scoring and ability to contribute STOCKs.
McConnell wins the streamer wars over Andrew Nembhard, and it hasn’t been particularly close. He’s not only a must-roster player while Tyrese Haliburton is out, but he’s a must-start player, too. He’s been a top-45 player in 9-cat leagues over the last two weeks, averaging 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.9 steals. He gives you elite-level production, and you need to juice the orange for as long as possible.
Rostered in 30-49% of leagues:
In the past, Reid was a must-start player when Karl-Anthony Towns missed time. With Rudy Gobert nursing an injury, he’s back to being that type of streamer off the waiver wire. Reid has been a top-100 player over the last week sans the big men in Minnesota, and until both are back at full health, he continues to be a solid option if you’re OK with dealing with the foul trouble that he often finds himself in.
The Hornets are the walking wounded, as Gordon Hayward has been listed as doubtful for nine straight games. Well, he hasn’t played in nine straight games. Add to that the Kelly Oubre and LaMelo Ball injuries, and McDaniels suddenly finds himself thrust into a bigger role on offense. He’s averaging 11.8 points and three rebounds over his last four games, including a 26-point performance two games ago against Boston.
Rostered in 15-29% of leagues:
I still think the move is to trade Jackson if you can, but if Myles Turner is shipped away from Indianapolis, there will be a massive rush to grab I-Jax off of the waiver wire. I question if the league-winning ability we saw from him last year is the true player we will get, but the elite-level blocks he brings along with high rebounding totals make him worth a wait-and-see grab.
As mentioned above, Ball went down with an ankle injury in Wednesday’s game against Houston, continuing the horrid injury-riddle season for the third-year guard. With Ball expected to miss the next couple of weeks at a minimum, it makes DSJ a must-roster and must-stream player once again. DSJ rejuvenated his career over the first month-plus of the season, and a similar workload could be thrust upon him again – especially with the team taking inquiries on Terry Rozier.
Rostered in 0-14% of leagues:
Collins is one of my favorite stash candidates as the trade deadline looms. While the Spurs would love to keep Jakob Poeltl, no deal has been reached, making him a likely trade candidate. If that happens, look for Collins to be one of the biggest fantasy difference-makers going forward.
Like Collins, Williams is another one of my favorite trade deadlines speculative adds. The Hornets are in a free-fall, and Mason Plumlee suddenly has trade value in his walk year. Williams has been playing ahead of Nick Richards (finally), making him the likely go-to option in Charlotte moving forward.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.