Hello! Welcome back! Let's dive in - it's a good week here on the waiver wire.
While injuries are dominating the headlines this season, they actually are not dominating this week's waiver recommendations. To be clear, there are several attractive injury fill-ins listed below. But two of this week's top three pickups are players on healthy depth charts who have season-long appeal and massive upside.
Last thing before we get to the players: since the social network BlueSky is having a moment, I wanted to make a quick pitch – follow me there! It's basically just Twitter, except 2014, and with some better moderation tools. It's been my social network of choice for the last year, come say hi - @rikleen.bsky.social. And yes, I'll happily answer your waiver wire questions there, too.
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
Tari Eason, Rockets (59% rostered)
Eason gets upgraded to an "enthusiastic recommendation" this week after being a mere "tepid suggestion" last week. While I was correct to observe that his 35 minutes from two Saturdays ago was unlikely to repeat, it appears to have triggered a lasting increase in his workload. Before that game, he was averaging 17.6 minutes and had topped 20 minutes just once. Since, he's played at least 22 minutes every time out, and his average is up to 25.2. Eason is one of the best per-minute producers in Fantasy – he's currently inside Fantasy's top 25 when ranked by per-36-minute averages. When a player is that efficient, 25 minutes is more than enough to warrant a spot on rosters. Bonus: he still has a lot of untapped upside, as the Rockets have been basically completely healthy all season, and eventual injuries could open up even more court time for Eason.
Brandon Boston Jr., Pelicans (58% rostered)
The Pelicans need an exorcism. Their injury situation is so bad that Boston, their fifth-string point guard who isn't even on a full NBA contract (he's on a two-way deal), is now set to start at that position for at least the next two weeks. He assumed this role after previously starting at small forward for four games (he's roughly their fourth-string SF).
Importantly, the changing roles have led to a change in production. When he was playing on the wing, he was shooting and scoring more while passing less. Focusing only on the two starts in which he played mostly point guard, he averaged 8-9-7 to go with 2.5 steals. Those rebounds are surprisingly high, and he shot poorly in both games, so something like 12-7-7 (roughly!) with good defense and some 3s might be more in line with what we should expect as long as he remains the starting point guard.
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers (64% rostered)
Sharpe is finally up to a full workload, and the early returns are promising. In two games as a full-time starter, he's averaging 25-5-2 with 1.5 steals and three 3s in 34.5 minutes. If he can maintain that pace, he's an all-leagues auto-start. That would also be a huge jump in scoring over last season, so until it sustains, I'm going to try not to get overly excited about a player I'm predisposed to believing in. Even if Sharpe's production "just" returns to his 2023-24 levels, that's still a rest-of-season rosterable player. And if the 21-year-old former No. 7 pick entering his third season has made as much improvement as these last two games implied, then I'm massively underselling his Fantasy potential.
Peyton Watson, Nuggets (26% rostered)
It's kind of weird that Watson is so widely available a full week after Aaron Gordon's (calf) injury. In four games without Gordon, Watson is averaging 15-4-2 with 1.8 blocks, one steal, and two 3s while playing 34.5 minutes. Gordon is out for "multiple weeks," – which is the kind of wording that implies 3-4 weeks minimum and at least a few days of notice before he returns after he eventually gets reevaluated. Watson is a pretty straightforward all-leagues must-add.
Goga Bitadze, Magic (39% rostered)
Bitadze got a half-hearted endorsement here last week when it still looked like this might be a short absence for Wendell Carter (foot). But Carter is about to miss his seventh game with plantar fasciitis, an injury that is known to linger – especially in really tall, injury-prone NBA players. Plantar fasciitis is different from many injuries in that it doesn't have a set standard recovery timeframe. The Magic are calling him game-to-game, and this isn't one of those obnoxious Hornets faux updates where they know he's really out for the next six years, and they're just refusing to tell us. Carter truly could return at any moment. But he also could be sidelined for a long time. And Bitadze excels when he's given court time. He's averaged 11-9-3 with 1.7 blocks while shooting a nice 69% from the field during his six starts. Add him and start him for as long as Carter remains out.
Jared McCain, 76ers (44% rostered)
Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) is set to be reevaluated "early next week" after missing the last four games. Though another update is coming soon, his return to action is likely still slightly farther out. So we should get at least a few more games with McCain seeing a heavy workload. In his first three games without Maxey, McCain averaged 23-2-2 with 3.7 3s per game. While his non-scoring contributions were minimal, that many points from a waiver pickup is rare. In the fourth game, when Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (knee) were resting, McCain took advantage of the opportunity to show off more of his game by dishing 10 assists.
Luguentz Dort, Thunder (60% rostered), Cason Wallace, Thunder (9% rostered)
This pair of Thunder guards are basically just steals specialists. Dort is doing a little bit more, draining a triple in every game since the opener and scoring double-digits a little more than half the time. Wallace is getting a few more steals, but he is worse everywhere else. With Chet Holmgren (hip) out for the next two months, the Thunder are going small, leading to more minutes for all their feisty wings. Furthermore, the pair should see additional benefit from the absence of fellow defensive-minded guard Alex Caruso (hip), who is about to miss his second game Friday. Caruso is currently day-to-day, but as the only Thunderman over 30 years old, it might take him a few more games to return to action.
Other recommendations:
Jordan Clarkson, Jazz (59% rostered); Kevin Huerter, Kings (31% rostered); Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies (14% rostered); Kyshawn George, Wizards (39% rostered); Isaiah Stewart, Pistons (28% rostered); Grant Williams, Hornets (20% rostered); Ochai Agbaji, Raptors (63% rostered); Daniel Gafford, Mavericks (57% rostered); Caris LeVert, Cavaliers (53% rostered); Jake LaRavia, Grizzlies (19% rostered); Royce O'Neale, Suns (40% rostered)
Take Note
Robert Williams III, Trail Blazers (17% rostered)
Williams has been one of the best per-minute Fantasy big men of the last five years, especially if you exclude the true superstars who get taken in the first round of drafts. He's also been one of the most injury-plagued players of that period. He made his season debut last week, filling up the box score in 17 minutes off the bench on Friday. He followed that up by playing 11 minutes on Sunday, and then 25 minutes on Tuesday before resting on Wednesday. In those three appearances, he averaged 12-6-2 with 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks.
We don't know if Williams can stay healthy. Even if he is healthy, we don't know what role he will have on a team that also features Deandre Ayton and Donovan Clingan – it's hard to imagine any lineups that feature two of Ayton, Clingan, and Williams playing simultaneously. But Williams' track record demands attention. Whether managers are adding Williams, putting him on a watch list, or ignoring him entirely depends on league specifics and the personality of the manager making the decision. Whatever you decide, however, the time to think about Williams has arrived.
Filipowski Watch
Kyle Filipowski, Jazz (19% rostered)
It's been a rollercoaster. Two weeks ago, he was my top add, and then last week, I said it was OK to drop him if you had to. Now, he's back to an add. He's played at least 23 minutes in each of the last three games, including 30 minutes in a start on Thursday. The defensive drought has finally ended, as he has combined for two steals and two blocks across those three outings. The minutes surge is due in part to Walker Kessler's ongoing hip injury, and he could return soon. However, Filipowski's improved play hopefully has earned him more minutes going forward. I remain high on him and am trying to hold on where I can – though I have left him on waivers in my shallowest league, at least for now.
Deep league special
Isaiah Joe, Thunder (10% rostered)
As mentioned above, the Chet Holmgren (hip) injury has caused the Thunder to go with an ultra-small rotation. This has led to extra minutes available for guards like Joe, who started the last two games. Joe struggled in one of those, which led to fewer minutes, but he's established enough within this franchise that one bad night should be viewed as an outlier. Joe is a 3-point specialist who provides some help in rebounds and steals and should see extra minutes through the duration of Holmgren's absence – until roughly the end of January.
Other recommendations:
Aaron Wiggins, Thunder (13% rostered)
