Effective fantasy basketball strategy involves relentless monitoring of the latest fantasy basketball news and the NBA injury report. Today's waiver wire focuses on players whose value has surged due to NBA injuries and favorable scheduling.
The absence of Herb Jones and the return of TJ McConnell are dramatically affecting NBA depth charts and providing elite short-term value. We analyze NBA sleepers like Saddiq Bey, who is locked into the lineup for a five-game stretch, and evaluate his NBA player stats. Use this fantasy basketball cheat sheet to set your NBA lineups optimally and quickly climb the NBA fantasy rankings.
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: 3 Adds Driven by Opportunity and Schedule
Saddiq Bey, Pelicans 
Herb Jones is out for at least a week, creating a clear opportunity for Bey to step into an expanded starting role. The timing couldn't be better for streaming purposes—the Pelicans have a dense schedule with games today, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
Bey continues proving he's worth rostering when he's in the starting lineup. He's coming off back-to-back strong performances where he combined for 38 points, 24 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. As a starter this season, Bey is averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, which translates to backend top-100 value.
Recommendation: Bey is definitely worth streaming in 12-team leagues for as long as Jones remains sidelined. Add him immediately and ride the five-game stretch. The combination of injury-driven opportunity and favorable schedule makes Bey one of the week's strongest waiver pickups.
T.J. McConnell, Pacers 
McConnell is coming off a season-high 22 minutes, which represents the lower end of projections for him entering the year. After struggling to find his rhythm in the first four games following his return from injury, McConnell has looked dramatically better recently, averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.3 steals in 17.7 minutes per game over his last three contests.
The shooting percentages are unsustainable—75% from the field is red-hot and will regress significantly. However, there are legitimate positive signs beyond the hot shooting. McConnell has dramatically increased both his rebounding and potential assists over the past three games. Combined with increased minutes, these trends indicate McConnell is rounding back into form.
Before his injury, McConnell was considered a must-draft player in many formats due to his ability to provide assists and steals with excellent efficiency in limited minutes. Now that he's healthy and the minutes are trending upward, he's returning to that must-roster conversation. In 14-team leagues, he should already be rostered. In 12-team formats, he's extremely close to that threshold.
The schedule provides another compelling reason to add McConnell now rather than waiting for more confirmation. The Pacers play tonight, Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. Even if you're not completely convinced McConnell has regained must-roster status, the compressed schedule makes him a strong streaming option.
Recommendation: McConnell is a must-roster player in 14-team leagues immediately. In 12-team leagues, add him now and plan to hold. He's too close to must-roster status to risk losing him. At minimum, he's an elite stream for Indiana's five-game stretch. The combination of returning health, increasing minutes and favorable schedule makes this an easy decision. Don't wait for perfect confirmation that he's "back"—add him now before someone else does.
Yves Missi, Pelicans
The Pelicans/Bulls game turned into a strange contest, and Missi unexpectedly outplayed Derik Queen. Missi posted by far his best performance of the season with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 29 minutes. Those numbers will generate waiver interest, but context is crucial before making a roster move.
This was one game where circumstances aligned perfectly for Missi—game flow and matchup created an opportunity that isn't likely to repeat consistently. I doubt Missi is suddenly the Pelicans' starting center or primary big man option going forward. Derik Queen is still the man, despite not being at his best in this game.
Missi is an okay streaming option in standard and deep leagues if you're absolutely desperate for big-man stats and have a horrible bench that needs immediate help. If you need rebounds and blocks for tonight's game specifically and have literally no better options, Missi could provide short-term value. But don't expect this to be a launchpad for sustained must-roster production.
Recommendation: Missi is only worth considering as a desperation stream if you have a terrible bench and absolutely must fill big-man stats tonight. Don't add him expecting the 14/14/3 performance to repeat. In deeper leagues where the waiver wire is completely barren, he's a speculative stash only if you can afford multiple roster spots for lottery tickets. For everyone else, pass on Missi and find more reliable production elsewhere.
