Hello everyone! Weird times at the waiver wire this week. We're lacking that major headline-grabbing pickup, but the middle is deep. And there are several options – Herbert Jones, Corey Kispert, Taylor Hendricks, Bol Bol – who fall into the "it's easy to imagine them becoming season-defining pickups over the next few weeks, but they're quite there right now" bucket.
Whatever it is you're looking for, we've got plenty of options this week. So let's dive in.
Take note: the Nets play the leagues' only five-game week of the season in Week 20. That gives them a huge advantage, especially over the 13 teams who play only three times.
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.
Adds for all leagues
Herbert Jones, Pelicans (60% rostered)
Like this article's next selection, Jones is a mainstay in the Fantasy top-70. However, I tend not to harp on Jones as often. Since rankings algorithms slightly overrate steals specialists, his ranking is somewhat inflated. While Jones' roster rate is always lower than it should be, it has been above 67% for much of the season. And his weakness in points makes can be a legitimate detractor, but that's changing lately. He's scored at least 13 points in nine of his last 10 games, boosting his averages to 14-4-3 during that stretch. His minutes have shot up since Dyson Daniels (knee) got hurt, and Daniels should be out for at least four more weeks. All of a sudden, our unsexy "other recommendations" mainstay has become the most attractive option available.
Grayson Allen, Suns (62% rostered)
Guys, I had strep this week, and while I'm mostly better, I'm too tired to come up with a 15th fun new way to explain why a well-rounded Fantasy producer who has been inside Fantasy's top-70 all season should be rostered. He's been inside Fantasy's top-70 all season. He should be rostered.
Corey Kispert, Wizards (28% rostered)
Kispert had two bad games right before the All-Star break. If it weren't for those two games, he'd probably be too widely rostered to qualify for this article. If we exclude those two and look just at the five games before and after, then Kispert is averaging 20-4-3 with 1.0 steals and 3.3 threes. It's so rare to see a 20 points per game guy available on the waiver wire. Of course, those down games did occur, so he's not quite averaging 20 per game over the past month, but he does have seven games of 20-plus points in his last 11 outings.
Tre Mann, Hornets (59% rostered)
His production cooled off a little over the All-Star break, but Mann remains firmly atop the Hornets point guard depth chart. Even as he went through a mini-slump – 8.0 points and 31% FG shooting over two games – he continued playing more minutes than Vasilije Micic, who was playing better than Mann. Charlotte appears committed to Mann, who is emerging as a menacing thief, averaging 2.0 per game across his last six contests. The only threat now is what happens when (if?) LaMelo Ball (ankle) returns. It looks like he's actually making progress towards playing in the not-too-distant future, but with Ball's injury history and the Hornets' season already long-past over, nothing should be taken as a given.
Taylor Hendricks, Jazz (19% rostered)
The Jazz appear to be embracing the tank, promoting rookies Keyonte George (72% rostered and should be added if available!) and Hendricks into the starting unit while the team is fully healthy. Hendricks is averaging 27.0 minutes in his new role. The production will have to improve for him to last on rosters, but there are many reasons to be optimistic that improvement may come. First, teams don't stay fully healthy for long, so there is upward mobility in his court time. And there are other ways for his minutes to increase, as well. Finally, Hendricks had logged exactly 250 NBA minutes before this promotion, so improvement as he adapts to the NBA game is likely. While we're waiting for improvement, his current 10-7-1 with 1.5 threes, 0.8 steals and solid shooting splits should be good enough to tide us over.
Nick Richards, Hornets (58% rostered)
I know his inclusion here is gratuitous at this point, but he puts up solid big man stats, and I've lost any hope of Mark Williams (back) returning this season (though the Hornets are still maintaining that his season is not officially over yet). His averages since taking over as a starter are still holding strong at 10-9-1 with 1.3 blocks.
Andre Drummond, Bulls (51% rostered)
Drummond is the anti-Richards. If you want your bench Fantasy big to be boring and steady, go Richards. If you want wild inconsistent swings with pretty good upside, go Drummond. Over his last 10 games, Drummond has six games of 28 minutes or more, and played 17 minutes or less in the other four. He has the same number of games with 17-plus points as games when he scored in single-digits (three each). He has four blocks once, three blocks once, and then four blocks combined across the other eight games.
Bol Bol, Suns (18% rostered)
This is not a drill. Ok, maybe it is a drill. It probably is a drill. We're five years and three teams into the Bol Bol experience, so the odds of him maintaining Fantasy viability are low. But the skinny seven-footer is dripping with Fantasy potential, with very good per-minute production and no meaningful negatives in his Fantasy profile. The big man side of the depth chart has been basically healthy lately, yet Bol's minutes have increased to 25.7 over the last three games. The first two of those games were solid – first with a 25-14 double-double, followed by an 11-4 game with two blocks. On the other hand, his most recent game was a total dud. Despite playing 26 minutes, his box score was empty outside of seven points and four rebounds. Bol is an upside risk, but I wanted to highlight him now as his minutes are just starting to increase. While he might not be worth picking up quite yet, it's possible that we'll have missed our window by the time next week's article comes out.
Other recommendations: DeAndre Hunter, Hawks (62% rostered); Gary Trent Jr., Raptors (36% rostered); Duncan Robinson, Heat (43% rostered); Trey Murphy, Pelicans (50% rostered); Jalen Suggs, Magic (58% rostered); Rui Hachimura, Lakers (36% rostered); Royce O'Neale, Suns (23% rostered); Moe Wagner, Magic (16% rostered)
Deep league special
Jordan Goodwin, Grizzlies (5% rostered)
Sorry to repeat the same name I had in our last deep league special, but with a roster rate this low I hope you can forgive me. Goodwin started Wednesday and put up a strong 5-8-8 line topped off by two steals and a three in 31 minutes. He might not be an every night player, as Memphis has opted for some frequent rotation changes during this injury-plagued season. That said, he's likely to play more often than not, and play good minutes when he does – he's topped 24 minutes every time he's touched the floor as a Grizzly.
Day'Ron Sharpe, Nets (11% rostered)
The Nets play five games next week. That's the only reason Sharpe is here. But, it's a good reason. With nearly half the league playing three games this week (13 teams), Sharpe's two extra games is a huge advantage. He's averaging 7.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists since the All-Star break. But, with the extra games, that's the equivalent of someone who has three games and is averaging 12.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Other recommendations: Gradey Dick, Raptors (16% rostered)
