This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The waiver wire giveth, and the waiver wire taketh away. After an uncharacteristically dry early season column last week, the waiver pool is once again overflowing with attractive pickups. Last week's No. 3 pickup had a solid week but still got banished to the "other recommendations" section. We're absolutely packed with guys who look like long-term holds (Grant Williams, Jalen Suggs) and higher-producing short-term injury fill-ins (Reggie Jackson, Goga Bitazde) – and that's not even including a potential season-defining must-add headliner. It's a good week to be active on waivers.
As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Double-check your league
Players rostered in more than two-thirds of leagues, but who are still under-rostered. Double-check to make sure they aren't available in your league.
Dillon Brooks, Rockets (73% rostered)
Dereck Lively, Mavericks (79% rostered)
Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks (72% rostered)
Mitchell Robinson, Knicks (77% rostered)
Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (72% rostered)
Adds for all leagues
Keyonte George, Jazz (39% rostered)
Last Friday, I wrote, "I don't know when he'll start getting enough minutes to be a top 100 Fantasy guy… [b]ut I am already confident that he'll reach that height at some point in the not-too-distant future." I only had to wait five days. George was promoted to the starting lineup Wednesday,
The waiver wire giveth, and the waiver wire taketh away. After an uncharacteristically dry early season column last week, the waiver pool is once again overflowing with attractive pickups. Last week's No. 3 pickup had a solid week but still got banished to the "other recommendations" section. We're absolutely packed with guys who look like long-term holds (Grant Williams, Jalen Suggs) and higher-producing short-term injury fill-ins (Reggie Jackson, Goga Bitazde) – and that's not even including a potential season-defining must-add headliner. It's a good week to be active on waivers.
As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Double-check your league
Players rostered in more than two-thirds of leagues, but who are still under-rostered. Double-check to make sure they aren't available in your league.
Dillon Brooks, Rockets (73% rostered)
Dereck Lively, Mavericks (79% rostered)
Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks (72% rostered)
Mitchell Robinson, Knicks (77% rostered)
Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (72% rostered)
Adds for all leagues
Keyonte George, Jazz (39% rostered)
Last Friday, I wrote, "I don't know when he'll start getting enough minutes to be a top 100 Fantasy guy… [b]ut I am already confident that he'll reach that height at some point in the not-too-distant future." I only had to wait five days. George was promoted to the starting lineup Wednesday, replacing a healthy Talen Horton-Tucker. He put up 7-2-9 in 31 minutes. His runway going forward is enormous, as the 29th-place Jazz are only concerned with developing long-term talent. Every team needs to be adding George right now, even if his low scoring and poor field goal efficiency are bad fits for your roster. If you need to trade him for a better fit, trade him. But he's too valuable to just leave free for your opponents to grab.
Marcus Sasser, Pistons (43% rostered)
We focused on Killian Hayes (52% rostered) last week, but now I want to turn attention to his backup (to be clear, Hayes remains a solid add given his seemingly strong hold on the Pistons' starting point guard role). Coming off the bench, Sasser's minutes have steadily improved. Over the first three games, he averaged 8.0 minutes; over the next three, he averaged 20.0 minutes, including two games in which he played more than Jaden Ivey; over the last three games, with Ivey out (illness), Sasser is up to 30.3 minutes. The rookie has scored at least 19 points in three of his last four games. He has at least one steal in six straight. He's shooting 50% from behind the arc and showing flashes as a distributor. Even if the minutes drop when Ivey returns, Sasser's already rapid development should have him firmly secured on Fantasy rosters.
Tim Hardaway Jr. (57% rostered) and Grant Williams (50% rostered), Mavericks
Two Mavericks' sharpshooters thriving in their new roles. Williams is an ideal teammate next to Luka Doncic, perfectly happy to spot-up in the corner and drain open threes off a Doncic pass. Williams leads the league by shooting 67% on wide open threes, and he's averaging 3.0 wide open attempts per game. Hardaway usually started last season, but is now the primary scorer off the bench. His usage rate so far would be the second-highest of his career, and he's attempting more shots than at any point since he became a Maverick. Both Mavs are primarily valuable for their threes and scoring, and provide limited contributions elsewhere. They're listed as priority adds because, of all the remaining names, these are the two pickups I'm most confident will maintain something like their current production going forward.
Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans (51% rostered)
Death, taxes, and the Pelicans dealing with a lot of injuries. CJ McCollum (lung) and Herbert Jones (leg) both missed New Orleans' last game (as well as Zion Williamson, who was out for a personal matter). Trey Murphy (knee) remains out, though we're nearing his originally publicized return-to-play timeline. Ditto for Jose Alvarado (ankle) and Naji Marshall (knee). We don't really know who is returning when, or what their returns will mean for Hawkins. All we do know is that Hawkins has exceeded expectations while thrusted into a large role early, averaging 15-4-2 with 2.8 threes across his five starts. Ride the rookie as long as this lasts.
Jalen Suggs, Magic (54% rostered)
Is Suggs finally putting it all together? I remain somewhat skeptical – otherwise he'd be listed higher – but things are looking promising right now. He was excellent Thursday, scoring 21 points and swiping six steals. On the season, his rebounds and defense are both showing meaningful improvement. The scoring and field goal efficiency are both still disappointing, but also both show some hints of improvement. He's an easy pickup if you need defensive help. Otherwise, we're still hoping for a little bit more improvement, but he's productive enough to hold onto while we get a bigger sample size.
Reggie Jackson, Nuggets (25% rostered)
Jamal Murray (hamstring) is out for a few weeks, and Jackson has stepped in as the new starter. Including the game where Murray got injured early and played only nine minutes, Jackson is averaging 14-1-4 with 2.3 threes in 27.0 minutes in his new expanded role. The one-time Boston College great (what, you thought I'd mention Reggie without pointing out that he's an Eagle?) won't blow managers away, but he should be a solid fill-in point guard.
Goga Bitadze, Magic (19% rostered)
Long-time readers of this column might be feeling like Obi-Won Kenobi reading this name – it's a name we've not heard in a long time in Fantasy. What we always liked about Bitadze remains true, that he's an excellent per-minute producer. The problem was always his struggle to earn enough minutes. With Wendell Carter (finger) sidelined for at least the next two and a half weeks (probably more), Bitadze has stepped in as the starter, averaging 23.0 minutes per game. That's enough for him to put up 10-7-1 while adding a hefty 2.7 blocks per game. The block rate will cool off slightly, but he'll still be a plus contributor in both steals and blocks as long as Carter is out.
Moe Wagner, Magic (25% rostered)
Wagner is also benefiting from Carter's injury, though not by much. Starting Bitadze has allowed Wagner to stay in his bench role, though Carter's absence has led to a slight minutes increase for Wagner. In the short term, Bitadze is the better add. But once Carter returns, Bitadze is likely to return to the fringe of the rotation, while Wagner will keep on trucking along with high-usage bench minutes in the high teens. When the rotation returns to full health, Wagner should remain borderline rosterable.
Dorian Finney-Smith, Nets (50% rostered)
We're probably nearing the end of the line for Finney-Smith, but he might have a few more Fantasy-worthy games in him. Cameron Johnson (calf) is set to return Friday, but Nicolas Claxton (ankle) is still sidelined. Finney-Smith has averaged 14-6-2 with 3.6 threes and 1.0 blocks as a starter while the pair was out. Johnson's return hurts, but Finney-Smith has seen usage as a small-ball center, so he could continue in an elevated role until Claxton rejoins the squad.
Herbert Jones, Pelicans (57% rostered)
Nothing new to say that I didn't cover last week. Just a reminder that I still think Jones is an all-leagues guy who is widely available.
Other recommendations: Santi Aldama, Grizzlies (26% rostered); Malik Monk, Kings (54% rostered); Naz Reid, Timberwolves (45% rostered); Kyle Lowry, Heat (39% rostered); Bogdan Bogdanovic, Hawks (59% rostered); Cole Anthony, Magic (61% rostered); Tari Eason, Rockets (27% rostered)
Deep league special
Haywood Highsmith, Heat (2% rostered)
Highsmith is currently starting at power forward, and it's possible he'll keep that role all season – the Heat have dealt with so many injuries that it's not clear what their healthy starting lineup will look like. For what it's worth, RotoWire has projected Highsmith as the permanent starting PF, and I agree with that. He figures to be a solid source of defensive stats while helping a little in points and threes, however, he's a negative rebounder for his position.
Other recommendations: Drew Eubanks, Suns (14% rostered); Jae Crowder, Bucks (10% rostered); Dyson Daniels, Pelicans (17% rostered); Duncan Robinson, Heat (10% rostered); Matt Ryan, Pelicans (2% rostered); Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers (4% rostered); Nick Richards, Hornets (12% rostered)
