Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Six Players Primed For Increased Roles

The NBA has emerged for the All-Star break to make a push toward the playoffs. It's time for fantasy managers to ensure their rosters are ready to make a title push of their own. Here are some players who are still available on the waiver wire in the majority of Yahoo leagues who are worth adding.

Max Christie, Dallas Mavericks (59%)

Christie has immediately stepped into a key role for the Mavericks. He has logged at least 30 minutes in all six of his games with the team. He started and played 39 minutes in both of their last two games. Over the last six games, he has averaged 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.5 three-pointers.

Injuries at center will likely force the Mavericks to play small moving forward. They did sign Moses Brown to a 10-day contract Wednesday, but don't expect him to see many minutes. That should leave P.J. Washington to spend time at center and the Mavericks to roll with plenty of guard-heavy lineups. Christie has a clear path to a lot of minutes moving forward.

Malik Beasley, Detroit Pistons (60%)

With their 29-26 record, the Pistons have the potential to completely avoid the Play-In Tournament and secure a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference. That means we won't see rest days for their veterans, which was a common practice for them the last few seasons. It's because of the addition of some key veterans like Beasley that they find themselves with a winning record.

Beasley continues to provide an offensive spark for the Pistons' second unit. Over his last 14 games, he has averaged 17.6 points and 4.6 three-pointers. For the season, he has averaged 16.5 points and 3.9 three-pointers. While he won't provide much in the way of rebounds and assists, he provides enough of a scoring punch to be worth adding.

Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz (61% available)

As the Jazz prepare for another high pick in the draft, they should give plenty of opportunities for some of their younger players to shine down the stretch. After not playing much at the beginning of the season, Collier was given a chance to start in January. He has run away with the job, starting in 19 of their last 21 games.

In total, Collier has started 21 games for the Jazz. In those games, he averaged 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. He has also improved his efficiency, shooting 45.5% from the field as a starter. Over 25 games off the bench, he shot just 32.7%. There's no reason to believe Collier won't finish the season as a member of the Jazz's starting five.

Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers (61% available)

The Trail Blazers will be without Deandre Ayton (calf) until at least the middle of March. They are unlikely to make the Play-In Tournament, which doesn't put them in a position to rush Ayton back onto the floor. If he suffers any sort of setback with his recovery, there's a chance he won't play again this season.

Ayton being out has opened up the starting center job for Clingan, who has made two starts since Ayton suffered his injury. First, Clingan recorded 17 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks over 31 minutes against the Nuggets. Then, he produced six points, six rebounds and three blocks Thursday against the Lakers. He only played 17 minutes against the Lakers, but they deploy a lot of small lineups, which isn't ideal for Clingan. He has the potential to regularly play over 20 minutes a game moving forward if not around 25 minutes per game. This might be one of the last opportunities to add Clingan before he is rostered in the majority of leagues.

Bol Bol, Phoenix Suns (67% available)

Not only are the Suns not currently in the playoffs, but they are the 11th seed in the Western Conference. They tried to improve their roster at the trade deadline, but Bradley Beal having a no trade clause in his contract meant he could dictate where he was traded to. Ultimately, no moves were made, leaving the Suns with limited quality depth for the stretch run.

With the Suns looking to shake things up, they have turned to Bol to play more. He has responded by 13.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers over the last five games. He logged at least 30 minutes in three of those five games. There is a risk that comes with Bol as the Suns could continue to change up their rotations. Bol logged only 10 minutes against the Spurs on Thursday, which showed how volatile his role can be. Still, given his ability to contribute in so many carries, adding him now might be worth the risk.

Caris LeVert, Atlanta Hawks (71% available)

Despite losing Jalen Johnson (shoulder) for the season and being sellers at the trade deadline, the Hawks are on a path to at least qualify for the Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference. However, two recent injuries will test their depth. Vit Krejci (back) could miss at least three more weeks, while Larry Nance (knee) could be out until the end of March.

LeVert logged only 15 minutes in his first game with the Hawks, but with Krejci and Nance out, he has played at least 28 minutes in each of the last three games. During that span, he averaged 17.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 three-pointers. He has shown a versatile skill set before, including last season when he averaged 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.6 three-pointers per game for the Cavaliers. Expect LeVert to at least approach 30 minutes a game on a nightly basis moving forward.