Welcome back! Another week down, and teams and rotations are rounding into clearer focus. We're still waiting for some important debuts (cough, 76ers, cough), but we can speak much more authoritatively about important waiver wire teams like the Nets, Pistons, Clippers, and Jazz.
There are a lot of names this week, including a brand-new top pickup to headline a deep list of targets. And deep leaguers, get excited – this is about as good of a waiver wire as you're ever going to see. Five players good enough for the "adds for all leagues" section are rostered in less than 20% of leagues, and three of those are 11% or lower.
As we do every year, 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
Dyson Daniels, Hawks (75% rostered)
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards (73% rostered)
Dereck Lively II, Mavericks (80% rostered)
Adds for all leagues
Kyle Filipowski, Jazz (11% rostered)
Maybe I'm getting over my skis by anointing Filipowski as this week's top add so quickly. But I'm excited. His skill set is extremely Fantasy-friendly. The question was always whether he'd get enough minutes to show off that skill set. It looks like he might, now that Taylor Hendricks' (ankle) season has ended early. Filipowski played 25 minutes in the first game post-Hendricks. In the second game, he started and tallied 20 minutes, resting late in a blowout with most of the other starters. It's still a tiny sample size, but he is averaging 12-7-2 with two 3s so far. A solitary steal is his lone defensive contribution, but he profiles as a prospect capable of both steals and blocks, so I expect meaningful improvement there. If he's really going to average only 22.5 minutes per game, as he did across his first two post-Hendricks games, then he should be listed a few players lower. But if Filipowski is about to average 26ish minutes (or more?!), then I stand by this aggressive stance.
Christian Braun, Nuggets (55% rostered)
Coming into the season, it was obvious that the Nuggets had a depth problem. It was widely predicted that Braun would get more minutes. Two things, however, were less predicted: that Braun would get so many minutes or that he'd be this productive. He's up to 35.5 minutes per game, translating that to 14-5-2 with 1.8 blocks, one steal, and one 3. The minutes are likely to stay elevated, as the Nuggets are fully healthy – the coach is choosing to play Braun this much. The blocks will likely slow, as he's currently operating at more than double last season's per-minute pace. He's also shooting more efficiently than ever before. But all his other stats are in line with his per-minute pace from last season and, in many categories, even represent a slight drop-off.
Yves Missi, Pelicans (37% rostered)
Missi (hip) was limited on Wednesday, so he didn't see his full complement of minutes. Before that, he was averaging 2.3 blocks in 21.8 minutes across four games. That would be good for seventh in the NBA so far. The rookie was also averaging 9-6-2 and 0.8 steals – nothing exceptional, but enough to keep you competitive while you benefit from one of this season's best block specialists. Despite coming off the bench, Missi has played more minutes than starter Daniel Theis in every game. He's off to a great start, and there remains untapped upside if his minutes increase.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder (66% rostered) – out at least three more weeks
Trey Murphy, Pelicans (61% rostered) – out, nearing the end of last updated timeline
Ausar Thompson, Pistons (44% rostered) – out indefinitely
I remain very high on all three of these players. As of the Pelicans' last update, Murphy could return as soon as this coming week. Detroit has still not given a return timeframe for Thompson, but they recently changed how they are listing him on the injury report to "return to competition reconditioning," which appears to be a positive change. Hartenstein will probably be out another month, but he's demonstrated an ability to provide a large Fantasy impact even with a limited workload. I expect all three players will be worth the wait.
Jordan Hawkins, Pelicans (46% rostered)
It looks like Trey Murphy (hamstring) might return this week; otherwise, Hawkins would get listed higher. Until Murphy returns, Hawkins is likely to be the primary beneficiary of the Herb Jones (shoulder) injury. In Jones' first absence, Hawkins started, played 39 minutes, and scored 23 points – though he didn't do much else. Hawkins is a straightforward 3s and points specialist with an almost allergic aversion to defensive stats. He needs a lot of minutes and a lot of volume to impact a Fantasy matchup, but he should see plenty of both while Jones and Murphy are out.
Mark Williams, Hornets (60% rostered)
Nick Richards, Hornets (54% rostered)
The Hornets are doing that thing again. You know that super obnoxious thing where they give no injury update whatsoever and continue to pretend a player is day to day, while days turn into weeks, turn into months? Worse, they did this with Williams last year, too. When (if?) he plays, he's excellent – an efficient double-double and defense machine. While we're waiting, Richards remains the Platonic ideal of a low-level Fantasy big man, likely to get close to a double-double with efficient shooting, a few blocks, and not much else. Richards has actually been much better than that over the last three games, averaging 16-13-2 with 2.7 blocks, but that's probably unsustainable. His per-minute production during those games is completely out of line with anything the fifth-year former second-round pick has ever shown before. By all means, ride the hot streak, just don't expect it to last long.
Anthony Black, Magic (15% rostered)
Black is shining in Fantasy's two scarcest categories: assists and blocks. The fact that the same player is helping in both, an unusual combination, makes him even more valuable. He's averaging 4.2 assists and 1.4 blocks while playing 25.6 minutes as the primary backup point guard. That is before accounting for the absence of star Paolo Banchero (abdomen), who is set to miss at least the next four weeks. Black won't be the primary beneficiary of Banchero's absence, but he is likely to see some uptick in minutes as a result.
Tre Mann, Hornets (56% rostered)
A 23-year-old kicking off the season by averaging 21-4-3 in 28.5 minutes over the first four games raises an important question: why isn't Mann one of this week's top recommendations? I don't believe this is really who Mann is as a player because it is like nothing he has shown at any point in his first three seasons. In his 28 games with Charlotte after being acquired at last year's trade deadline, Mann scored half as much despite playing more minutes. It's possible that he's improved and that playing in a secondary role next to LaMelo Ball explains the increase in scoring and accompanying drop in assists. Until we get a larger sample size, I will remain highly skeptical. But he's done enough to demand attention, and many managers should be adding Mann.
Carlton Carrington, Wizards (43% rostered)
With all the conversations about how bad the Wizards are this year (and yes, they are bad), it's easy to lose track of the fact that they actually do have several good (not great, but yes, good) NBA players. Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert, and Jordan Poole are all going to have pretty long NBA careers, and though it is still early, it seems safe to add sophomore Bilal Coulibaly to that list as well. Earning a starting spot on this roster isn't quite the same as earning a starting spot on the Celtics or Thunder, but it does mean something. As a 19-year-old rookie, Carlton has started three of his first four games. His output has improved with each outing. If you exclude his opening night dud against the defending champs, he's averaging 13-4-4 with two 3s. Maybe this is just a small sample size mirage, but this could be the start of a Fantasy-relevant campaign.
Other recommendations: Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers (19% rostered); Trayce Jackson-Davis, Warriors (44% rostered); Gradey Dick, Raptors (52% rostered); Kevin Huerter, Kings (27% rostered); Cason Wallace, Thunder (8% rostered); De'Andre Hunter, Hawks (53% rostered); Dean Wade, Cavaliers (5% rostered)Not adding yet
Keep watching the transactions page – players wrongly getting dropped
Cameron Johnson, Nets (73% rostered)
Johnson's roster rate has declined over the past week, but he'd be one of this week's top adds if he qualified. Though his productivity through the first five games has been decidedly meh, he's vastly exceeding expectations in two critical areas: minutes and shot attempts. He is averaging 32.2 minutes, 12 FGA, and 8.6 3PA but averaging "just" 14.6 points and 3.2 3s due to a shooting slump. Johnson has been a 46-41-83 shooter over the last three seasons, but he's started this campaign 40-37-82. He's already rosterable even without an improvement in his efficiency, but he could easily charge into Fantasy's top 70 if his shooting normalizes.
Mike Conley, Timberwolves (69% rostered)
Opening night was rough, but he's been pretty much what everyone should have expected since. He's averaged 8-3-5 with 1.3 steals in 25 minutes over the last three games. And that's despite shooting just 25% from the field, so presumably, the scoring number will tick back up above double-digits soon. He's a 37-year-old six-foot tall point guard who was drafted in the 10th-ish round of your draft, and he's going to deliver on exactly that: low scoring, bad FG% but at low volume, very good assists, and very good steals. He may not be right for every roster, but there are multiple teams in every league that should be holding onto this guy.
Others wrongly getting dropped: Brandin Podziemski, Warriors (78% rostered)
Not getting dropped fast enough
Jusuf Nurkic, Trail Blazers (95% rostered)
Drop him. He's 30 years old with a lengthy injury history, and he's playing fewer minutes than Mason Plumlee every other game. That last part sounds like hyperbole, but it is true: the Suns have played five games, and Plumlee played more minutes than Nukic in Games 2 and 4. Nurkic can be a good player, as he reminded us by putting up 18-14-1 with a block when he was allowed to play 30 minutes in Game 3. But he was limited to 23 minutes or less in every other game, twice playing less than 18 minutes. That's simply not enough to remain rosterable in a standard league. It's worth trying to trade him first, just in case someone else (mistakenly) still values him. But accept literally anything as a return, and happily drop him for anyone already listed in this column.
Deep league special
Kyle Filipowski, Jazz (11% rostered)
Anthony Black, Magic (15% rostered)
Just making sure you noticed that Filipowski and Black are 11% and 15% available, respectively. Their blurbs are in the "adds for all leagues" section. Also, note that there are several additional players rostered in under 20% of leagues listed in the "other recommendations" section above.
Jonathan Mogbo, Raptors (9% rostered)
Scottie Barnes (orbital) is out at least three weeks, and Bruce Brown (knee) remains out indefinitely. Mogbo, a second-round pick in last June's draft, got the start in Barnes' first absence, putting up 11-4-2 with one steal and two blocks. His per-36 defensive stats are absurd, so he should at least help in those categories if he's going to see extended work over the next few weeks.
Other recommendations:
Tim Hardaway Jr., Pistons (14% rostered); Derrick Jones Jr., Clippers (13% rostered); Ziaire Williams, Nets (6% rostered)
