Week 5 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Targets: Williams, Queta, Gillespie & More

Navigating Week 5's wave of star injuries—including those to Jalen Brunson and Paolo Banchero—requires smart NBA waiver wire pickups to climb the fantasy basketball rankings. This week's top targets are direct beneficiaries of shifts on the NBA depth chart and key NBA injury reports.

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Week 5 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Strategy

Neemias Queta, Boston Celtics (47% rostered)

After logging just 14 minutes per game last season, Queta has averaged 24 minutes while starting all 13 games this season. While he doesn't have a huge role within the Celtics' offense, he has still averaged 8.9 points, thanks to him shooting 64.9% from the field. With the added playing time, he has also produced 8.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

The Celtics have plenty of guard depth, but there is really no one to challenge Queta for his starting role. Luka Garza has shown flashes of production, but he has yet to log more than 19 minutes in a game. Xavier Tillman Sr. and Chris Boucher haven't played much, either. Queta likely won't provide eye-popping numbers, but his overall production can still provide a boost to fantasy managers who are in need of a big man.

Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!

Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns (41% rostered)

Jalen Green (hamstring) missed the first eight games of the season for the Suns. During that stretch, Gillespie averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.8 three-pointers. Green did eventually make his debut with the Suns, but lasted just two games since re-aggravating his injury. Now he has been ruled out for at least the next four weeks.

As if losing Green wasn't bad enough, Grayson Allen left Thursday's game against the Pacers with a quad contusion. It's unclear if he misses additional time, but even if he doesn't, Green won't be back anytime soon. Gillespie has a clear path to plenty of minutes moving forward, so be sure to check the waiver wire to see if he's still available in your league.

Stay up to date on who is in and who is out with RotoWire's NBA Injury Report!

Brandon Williams, Dallas Mavericks (31% rostered)

The point guard position has been a struggle for the Mavericks with Kyrie Irving (knee) still sidelined. They have tried Cooper Flagg at the point, but that's a lot to ask from an 18-year-old rookie. With the team searching for answers at guard, Williams has worked his way into more minutes. He has played at least 26 minutes in three straight games, which included him entering the Mavericks' NBA starting lineup, playing 33 minutes in each of the last two games.

Williams hasn't let his opportunity go to waste, averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.7 steals over the last three games. Irving won't be back anytime soon and Klay Thompson has been moved to the bench because of his shooting woes. Williams has the potential to stick in the Mavericks' starting lineup moving forward. At the very least, he could at least approach 30 minutes on a nightly basis. 

Check out where all the players on your fantasy basketball team fit into RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet!

Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers (24% rostered)

Merrill only logged 20 minutes per game last season, but he still averaged 1.9 three-pointers. Of his 6.0 shot attempts per game, 5.2 of them came from behind the arc. He also made his attempts at 37.2%. He has been even more efficient from behind the arc this season, making 42.9% of his attempts.

The biggest stat to make note of with Merrill is that he has played 26 minutes per game. That has helped him average 13.4 points and 3.6 three-pointers. Darius Garland (toe) is out again, and it's unclear how much time he will miss moving forward. Given that he's dealing with a contusion on the same toe that he had surgery on during the offseason, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Cavaliers be very cautious with his return. The Cavaliers have also given Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley rest days to avoid playing them in both games of a back-to-back set. Even when Garland returns, there should be enough minutes on the table for Merrill to continue to make a significant impact from behind the arc. 

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's NBA Projections!

Jordan Clarkson, New York Knicks (16% rostered)

Brunson is having yet another monster season for the Knicks, averaging 28.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.8 three-pointers. His playing time has dipped a bit under new head coach Mike Brown, but he has still logged 34 minutes per game. All was going swimmingly for him until he injured his ankle in the final minutes of Wednesday's matchup with the Magic. He is now dealing with a Grade 1 ankle sprain that has the team listing him as day-to-day. At the very least, he has already been ruled out for Friday's matchup with the Heat.

Unlike last season, the Knicks have better depth to help absorb injuries. Not only is Miles McBride still in the fold, but Clarkson can help make up for the absence of Brunson. He has already been productive in a limited role off the bench, averaging 9.1 points and 1.5 three-pointers over just 16 minutes per game. There have been three games in which he has played at least 18 minutes and he finished with at least 11 points in all of them. In the one game that has logged at least 20 minutes, he posted 15 points and two three-pointers. Those in need of a scoring boost should roll with Clarkson, who is a bit of an NBA sleeper, for however long Brunson is sidelined.

Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer.