The In-Season Tournament knockout round is officially set! The Lakers, Suns, Kings and Pelicans comprise the Western Conference contenders, while the Bucks, Knicks, Celtics and Pacers represent the East. Those teams will play an elimination bracket in Week 7, with only two games counting for fantasy. Saturday’s championship will have no fantasy implications, and the 22 teams that didn’t make the IST final bracket will play two games as well. Every team will have a maximum of two games for Week 7. Make sure to keep all of this in mind when perusing the waiver wire and making your final lineup decisions.
As always, there are plenty of great moves to make off of the waiver wire! This week’s column features a Celtics big man who’s turned back the clock in his new starting role, a former MVP who’s done the same for a struggling Memphis squad and plenty of hot options down in South Beach who are making the most of their opportunities.
The format for this article will feature players who are “tired” and those who are “wired.” Tired players are those worth adding off the wire but with tempered expectations or highly rostered players who can be dropped in favor of a hot pickup. Wired players are those who are the best additions with the highest rest-of-season ceilings.
Thanks for reading! It’s going to be an exciting season bringing this column to you each and every Friday. LET’S GO!
Pickups in Order of Priority
- Al Horford
- Jaime Jaquez
- Malik Beasley
- Josh Richardson
- Jeremy Sochan
- Kyle Lowry
- Caleb Martin
- David Roddy
- Goga Bitadze
- Grayson Allen
- Josh Hart
- Derrick Rose
Tired: Andrew Wiggins 71% 😪
Wired: Al Horford 55% ⚡
I might as well call this article “The Wiggins Report.” Seriously, I mention this guy every week, but it bears repeating. Wiggins erupted for 33 points last week, and he scored 29 in his last game out. Not bad, right? Those performances were the misleading bread for an otherwise disgusting sandwich, filled with three more mediocre performances and averages of 11.0 points and 5.0 rebounds on 35.5% shooting. Yuck. To make matters worse, Wiggins was a late scratch Thursday against the Clippers due to right finger soreness. In his absence, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson got it done, closing out the flailing Clippers in the fourth quarter, while Brandin Podziemski (13/8/2), Jonathan Kuminga (17/6/3/1/1) and Dario Saric (13/5/5/1) chipped in some quality numbers off the bench. Podziemski led the bench in minutes at 31 and is an intriguing add with both Chris Paul and Gary Payton II expected to miss substantial time. Wiggins should be sent to the waiver wire where you won’t have to deal with his maddening performances any longer.
Horford started the season on a very low note, and his limited production off the bench has kept him out of must-roster territory in 12-team leagues. He’s been phenomenal since joining the starting five, and that resurgence makes him a top pickup for Week 6. Big Al has averaged 11.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 triples across 30.0 minutes in his last two starts with Kristaps Porzingis out, and there’s no reason to think the good times will quit rolling anytime soon. The calf strain that Porzingis is dealing with will keep him sidelined through at least Friday, but he could potentially return as soon as Monday’s matchup with Indiana to kick off the In-Season Tournament knockout round. The Latvian big man has an extensive injury history, so Horford is a must-add and must-hold, even if Porzingis is given the green light for Monday.
Tired: Marcus Smart 80% 😪
Wired: Derrick Rose 12% ⚡
In the realm of fantasy hoops, success and failure are often separated by your willingness to make tough decisions. If your team is dealing with multiple key injuries, there’s a chance Smart is occupying an IL spot or just languishing on your bench. In either scenario, he’s taking a valuable roster spot from a player who could be producing now, and with a return likely weeks away, you may not be able to weather the storm until he returns. Smart is ranked just inside the top-120 in per-game fantasy value, so it’s not like he was exactly crushing it while healthy. He’s not a must-roster guy right now, and there are guys on the waiver wire you can target to help your team out immediately.
Speaking of guys who can help you out immediately, how about that Derrick Rose fella? I hear he won an MVP many moons ago. Rose made his first start of the season Wednesday against Utah, and he delivered a quality 14/4/9 line on 7-of-11 shooting. He was trending up prior to that one, and over his last three outings, Rose averaged 14.3 points, 2.7 boards, 4.7 dimes and 0.7 steals while shooting 62.5% from the floor. Marcus Smart is out indefinitely, Ja Morant still has eight more games of his suspension to serve, and the Grizzlies are just 1.5 games out of last place in the Western Conference. Coach Taylor Jenkins is going to have to make some lineup adjustments and see if he can get a spark from this squad. Rose and Co. beat the Jazz, and they’ll look to keep the magic going at Dallas on Friday.
Tired: Tyus Jones 74% 😪
Wired: David Roddy 7% ⚡
Did I mention above that I’ve written about Andrew Wiggins non-stop? Ok, well I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my other favorite player for the Waiver Wired column, Tyus Jones. Jones has been a staple “Tired” player for weeks, and until that roster percentage plummets, I have no choice but to keep featuring him. Since “erupting” for 22 points at Milwaukee, he’s averaged just 7.7 points, 2.7 boards and 4.0 assists across his last three while posting few defensive stats and shooting a dreadful 40% from the floor. He’s a hard pass in fantasy hoops, and managers who were counting on a big year in Washington should wake up from their nightmare and cut their losses.
Is it time to get rowdy down in Memphis? We certainly hope so, as David “Rowdy” Roddy hit the starting lineup Wednesday and delivered 19 points, six boards and an assist on 7-of-11 shooting, stroking five triples along the way. That’s three straight games with double-digit points for the Colorado State product, who’s averaged 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 triples in that span. Memphis is desperate for wins right now, and they turned to Rose and Roddy in Wednesday’s win. We’ll see how these two perform Friday at Dallas, but we’re hopeful the big game against Utah is a sign of things to come. Roddy is rostered in less than 10% of Yahoo leagues, and he’s worth a dice roll for fantasy managers who might also be desperate for wins and looking for a shakeup.
Tired: Bobby Portis 69% 😪
Wired: Malik Beasley 45% ⚡
What’s the upside with Portis? Seriously, this guy’s minutes, scoring and efficiency are all down from a season ago, and his rebounds are in the toilet compared to where they’ve been in recent campaigns. His defensive numbers are technically up, but he’s still providing just 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks. Big Bobby P is a useful streamer when Giannis Antetokounmpo is sidelined, but there’s no standalone value and no reason a guy averaging 11.1 points and 6.5 boards should be rostered in nearly 70% of Yahoo leagues. You can do better.
Actually, you can look to the same locker room and find a better option. Beasley has been a top-85 player this season, and he’s still trending up. Over the last week, Beasley is a top-50 guy behind healthy averages of 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 3.5 triples across 35.5 minutes. The Bucks are counting on him for his quality floor-spacing and his ability to score. Khris Middleton is averaging just 11.8 points per game compared to Beasley’s 11.6, but the scoring averages as of late favor Beasley. Middleton is not the same player as he was pre-injury, and the Bucks need a guy outside of Giannis and Damian Lillard to get buckets.
Tired: Markelle Fultz 61% 😪
Wired: Josh Hart 49% ⚡
Fultz has been sidelined for three weeks due to left knee tendinitis, and a potential return date is nowhere in sight. Fultz played fewer than 20 games in four of his first five NBA seasons, and he’s appeared in just five games in 2023-24. He looked great in those contests, but there’s no reason to hold a guy who may never be consistently available for your fantasy team. Orlando owns the longest winning streak in the Association at eight games, and there’s no reason to rush Fultz back while guys like Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and the red-hot Cole Anthony are playing so well.
Hart finished 87th and 78th in per-game fantasy value over the last two seasons, respectively, but he’s been a bit of a disappointment to open the 2023-24 campaign. He’s ranked just outside the top 150, but he’s trending in the right direction. Hart has been a top-115 player over his last four outings, averaging 9.5 points, 6.0 boards, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 triples while shooting better than 60% from the floor. Hart pulled down at least six boards in three of those four games, racked up at least one steal in three of them and scored in double figures twice. He’s not going to score a lot of points, but his efficiency and steals have been depressed this season, and he’s due for some positive regression in those categories. The rebounds and low turnovers give him a decent floor, and while Hart is far from a highlight-reel player, he can get back to providing consistent, top-100 production.
Tired: Jaden McDaniels 47% 😪
Wired: Goga Bitadze 33% ⚡
How are nearly half of fantasy managers still hanging onto McDaniels? It boggles the mind! As of November 21, McDaniels was given a 2-3 week timeline for return, which means he could most optimistically be back on the court in mid-December. There’s been no status update on him since suffering a Grade 1 right ankle sprain, but even if he’s back sooner than later, he wasn’t even a top-200 guy. There’s absolutely no reason to hold or stash with a valuable IL spot.
Over the last month, Bitadze has been a top-60 guy, behind averages of 8.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks. With Wendell Carter Jr. out of commission, Bitadze has stepped into the starting lineup and delivered monster performances for fantasy managers, but he’s surprisingly flown under the radar. WCJ is out again Friday, and there’s no firm timeline on his return. Until Carter Jr. is back, Bitadze should be rostered everywhere for his quality rebounding and defensive numbers.
Tired: Tre Jones 54% 😪
Wired: Jeremy Sochan 43% ⚡
Jones wasn’t tremendous to open the season, but since returning from a three-game absence due to a hamstring injury, he’s been even less effective. Over his last six, Jones has averaged 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 triples while shooting under 40% from the field. Those types of numbers just won’t get it done for a competitive fantasy basketball team. Just like his brother Tyus, Tre shouldn’t be anywhere near rosters in 12-team leagues. Please drop him for a waiver wire add with more upside.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Sochan to open the season, but he’s shown plenty of promise taking over as San Antonio’s starting point guard. Sochan is ranked just inside the top 200 in per-game fantasy value, but there’s reason to believe he can start to turn things around. On Thursday, he delivered a monster 33/8/6/1 line against Atlanta, splashing three triples and showcasing just how effective he can be when he’s rolling on offense, rebounding the ball and distributing to teammates. We won’t expect 30-burgers to be served every night, but this glimpse at his upside is tantalizing, and he’s worth a speculative pickup to see if he can keep things going at New Orleans on Friday.
Tired: Reggie Jackson 36% 😪
Wired: Josh Richardson 18%, Caleb Martin 14% ⚡
Over his last two games as a starter, “Headband Reggie” detonated to the tune of 27.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 triples, including a 35/13 performance against his former team that earned him the nickname “Clipper Killer.” Seriously, he was incredible in that pair of games and played well as a starter overall, filling in admirably for Jamal Murray while he was sidelined due to a hamstring injury. With Murray back Wednesday, Jackson shifted to the bench where his minutes sank from 40 in the prior outing to just 24. He posted a 14/2/2 line, but fantasy managers shouldn’t drop him yet. The Nuggets are one of just six teams who play Friday and Saturday. There’s a chance Murray gets one of those games off, making Jackson a viable streaming candidate to close out the week before the In-Season Tournament knockout round gets rolling next week. After this weekend (assuming Murray is still healthy), Jackson can be dropped.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (53%), Kyle Lowry (50%) and Duncan Robinson (47%) all deserve love here, and Jaquez is the priority pickup in Miami assuming he’s available. Given that all three of those guys are rostered in half or nearly half of all fantasy leagues, we’ll turn our attention to two guys who are rostered in less than 20%, Richardson and Martin. J-Rich has gotten an infusion of minutes as of late, averaging 16.3 points, 3.5 boards, 4.3 dimes and 1.3 triples while shooting 53.3% from the floor and 85.7% from the charity stripe across his last four. Those games featured multiple players in and out of the lineup due to injuries, but even with Jimmy Butler, Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson available, Richardson logged 32 minutes off the bench. Martin has enjoyed a solid stretch of play as well. Over his last three, he’s posted 16.7 points. 4.3 boards, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.0 triples while shooting better than 50% from the floor. Bam Adebayo left Thursday’s win over Indiana with a hip issue, which could mean more of Martin and Richardson in Saturday’s rematch with the Pacers.
Tired: Royce O’Neale 21% 😪
Wired: Grayson Allen 26% ⚡
O’Neale was an absolute stud across his last two games, averaging a 19/8/4/1/1 line with six triples in that pair of contests. He wasn’t able to keep things going Thursday, as a hip injury kept him out of action for the first time this season. O’Neale’s absence coincided with the return of Cam Thomas, who dropped 26 points in 25 minutes in his first game since November 8. O’Neale’s last two outings were certainly nice, but in seven games prior, he posted just 5.3 points, 3.1 boards, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.6 triples while shooting 36.4% from the floor. With Thomas back, O’Neale is likely going to lose minutes. Couple that with his inconsistent play, and he’s not a must-roster guy.
Allen sat out the Suns’ last two games due to an illness, but he’ll be back in action Friday against the Nuggets. Devin Booker is questionable due to an ankle injury, and Bradley Beal (back) remains out, so Allen should continue to see big minutes in his return. On the season, the three-and-D specialist is averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.4 three-pointers while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 84.0% from the charity stripe. He’s logging a career-high 32.5 minutes per contest, so there should be plenty of opportunities to shine in this one. Eric Gordon is rostered in 53% of leagues, and if he’s available, he’s also worth a look, given his strong offensive performances as of late.
