It’s Thursday. You know what that means. We are looking ahead to Week 13, as we start to sniff around the upcoming trade deadline in February.
On a weekly basis, I’m going to look at the waiver wire for the players you should be targeting for both short- 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.
Without further delay, let’s get to it, starting with the schedule of games being played for next week.
Check out the latest fantasy basketball expert consensus rankings –
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Week 12
Five games:
N/A
Four games:
ATL, BOS, BKN, HOU, IND, LAL, MIA, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Three games:
CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, MEM, MIN, NOP, PHX, POR
Two games:
LAC, MIL, SAC
Rostered in 50-60% of leagues:
Bruce Brown Jr. (PG,SG,SF – IND)
The Tyrese Haliburton injury is brutal for the Pacers and fantasy players alike. While it looks like he avoided a serious injury, he’s still going to be down for 2 to 6 weeks. While no one can fill his void – more on that below – Brown should see his offensive role tick up. He dropped 16 in the Pacers first game without Haliburton, and with his scoring elevated, his across-the-board fantasy contributions go way up. Add him.
Podziemski has moved into the starting lineup for the Warriors, and with the annual Chris Paul injury coming in January this year, Podziemski should continue to have an opportunity to stand out for fantasy managers. Opportunity is the keyword, but what he does with the opportunity is actually key. In his last two games, he’s been a disappointment, shooting 3-of-17 from the field for seven points. The rebounds have been nice to see (17 in his last two games), but the scoring efficiency must improve.
Rostered in 30-49% of leagues:
We’ve seen big stretches in the past where McConnell hasn’t only been must-roster – he’s been must-start. It’s that time again with Haliburton out. Andrew Nembhard should be on your radar, too, but it’s clearly McConnell’s show in Indy. He had 14 points and eight dimes – as well as two steals – in the first game without the All-NBA guard.
Much has been made about the lengthy stretch of missed games by Mark Williams, but not as much has been made about the job his fill-in has been doing. He’s been a top-125 player over the last month, as Richards is nearly averaging a double-double and has upped his blocks, to boot. He’s the definition of an injury fill-in, as you can cut bait when – and if – Williams returns.
Rostered in 15-29% of leagues:
Vince Williams Jr. (SF,SG – MEM)
Good for Williams for the outstanding season he’s had for the Grizzlies.The second-round pick in 2022 inked a three-year deal with Memphis, locking him into a rotational role going forward. With Ja Morant out for the season, Williams should see a tick-up in his playing time, bringing his hard-nosed defense and ability to score to the forefront for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
Play the young guys. Why not? Reath has shown quiet flashes all season, and he recorded his first double-double for the Blazers last Sunday. I’m adding him in deeper leagues where I need help with blocks and was counting on the likes of Bismack Biyombo for contributions before he was cut.
Rostered in 0-14% of leagues:
Xavier Tillman Sr. (PF,C – MEM)
With the extension inked by Vince Williams Jr., the Grizzlies released Bismack Biyombo. He was good enough to start, but not to keep on the roster, apparently. With Biyombo gone, look for Tillman to step back into a streaming role for fantasy managers. He’s undersized, but he can offer a boost in rebounds and 10ish points per game.
Tari Eason is going to miss a few more weeks, and that opens up more playing time for Whitmore, the first-round pick who fell in the draft this past summer. He’s finally seeing playing time for Houston, logging not only double-digits in minutes the last five games, but matching that playing time with double-digits in scoring in each game, as well. He played a season-high 33 minutes for Houston on Wednesday, finishing 6-of-12 from the field and 16 points to go along with two steals. The upside is massive if he can continue to get the playing time.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
