The waiver wire can play an integral part in any fantasy season, be it during the first few weeks or the home stretch. Landing a player for free who goes on to play a meaningful role can be a real difference-maker when it comes to success and failure. Keeping that in mind, here are some players with a preseason ADP outside the top 130, who were able to produce at a standard league level, be it for the majority of the season or during the fantasy playoffs.
Dyson Daniels, ATL 
ADP: 136
Season Rank: 14
Final Month Rank: 21
As someone who advocated strongly for Daniels to be a top 100 draft pick this season, even I couldn't foresee what was to come. Leading into the season, there was some conjecture as to who would start alongside Trae Young – Daniels or Bogdan Bogdanovic. Thankfully, sanity prevailed, Daniels was handed the starting job and the rest, as they say, is history. The young Aussie went on to record 229 steals, the most since Gary Payton almost 30 years ago. While Daniels' overall fantasy value was heavily tied to the steals category, he made some significant strides in other categories as well. He finished with season averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.0 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.1 three-pointers, shooting a career-best 49.3 percent from the field. It's safe to assume there is no way he falls outside the top 50 next season.
Christian Braun, DEN
The waiver wire can play an integral part in any fantasy season, be it during the first few weeks or the home stretch. Landing a player for free who goes on to play a meaningful role can be a real difference-maker when it comes to success and failure. Keeping that in mind, here are some players with a preseason ADP outside the top 130, who were able to produce at a standard league level, be it for the majority of the season or during the fantasy playoffs.
Dyson Daniels, ATL
ADP: 136
Season Rank: 14
Final Month Rank: 21
As someone who advocated strongly for Daniels to be a top 100 draft pick this season, even I couldn't foresee what was to come. Leading into the season, there was some conjecture as to who would start alongside Trae Young – Daniels or Bogdan Bogdanovic. Thankfully, sanity prevailed, Daniels was handed the starting job and the rest, as they say, is history. The young Aussie went on to record 229 steals, the most since Gary Payton almost 30 years ago. While Daniels' overall fantasy value was heavily tied to the steals category, he made some significant strides in other categories as well. He finished with season averages of 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 3.0 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.1 three-pointers, shooting a career-best 49.3 percent from the field. It's safe to assume there is no way he falls outside the top 50 next season.
Christian Braun, DEN 
ADP: 133
Season Rank: 57
Final Month Rank: 41
Braun came into his third season with a great opportunity in front of him following the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. After a modest preseason, Braun made it clear that he was here to stay once the regular season began. He scored double-digits in 22 consecutive games to begin the season, flirting with top-30 value during that time. Although his production wavered slightly midway through the season, he got back on track, ending the campaign as a borderline top-40 asset. He closed with averages of 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 three-pointers. He will certainly be on everyone's radar next season, although with a new head coach incoming, it will be interesting to see what Braun's role looks like moving forward.
Kelly Oubre, PHI 
ADP: 141
Season Rank: 92
Final Month Rank: N/A
It was a season of two halves for Oubre, not surprising given the sad story that was the Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries to key players from the get-go afforded Oubre an opportunity to play a lot more than was initially expected. He opened the season as a starter, and he basically held down that spot until being shut down with a month remaining. When healthy, Oubre was able to get it done on both ends of the floor, averaging 15.1 points and 1.2 three-pointers in 34.6 minutes per game, adding 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals, both of which were career highs. While Daniels and Braun are almost certainly going to be sought after in drafts next season, the same cannot be said for Oubre. His specific role is going to come down to what changes the front office decides are warranted, as well as the health of those ahead of him in the rotation, notably Joel Embiid and Paul George.
Jaden McDaniels, MIN 
ADP: 142
Season Rank: 76
Final Month Rank: 161
McDaniels has long been one of the more frustrating fantasy players, constantly flashing upside but only for limited periods. Due to the sample size of inconsistency, McDaniels went largely undrafted heading into the 2024-25 season. Following a slow start, during which time he once again showed glimpses of what he could do, McDaniels found his feet in early January. He was thriving on both ends of the floor, at one point scoring double-digits in 16 straight games, eight of which were over 20 points. It should be noted that a lot of his production came at a time when Julius Randle was sidelined due to a groin injury, allowing McDaniels to spend more time at the four. The return of Randle impacted McDaniels, highlighted by the fact he closed the season outside the top 150 over the final month. It wouldn't be surprising to see him drafted in most leagues next season, albeit outside the top 100.
Tari Eason, HOU 
ADP: 142
Season Rank: 66
Final Month Rank: 71
Another player who has shown a lot of promise to begin his career, Eason came into the season as a bit of an unknown. Caution by managers resulted in him going undrafted in most formats, a decision that was warranted given his poor start to the season. Although his playing time fluctuated for the first six weeks, he did enough to convince people that he was worth rostering. However, a recurring leg injury that limited him to just 22 games the previous season saw him sidelined once again. He missed 13 straight games and with little clarity regarding the exact nature of the injury, he was cast aside in many leagues. He eventually made his return but was limited, at least initially. The medical staff opted to have him play only one game of each remaining back-to-back set, a fact that made him tough to hold onto. With that said, his per-game numbers were very encouraging, and given the amount of rest across the league, his missed games were not a major issue. He too could be an intriguing target next season, assuming he is slated to play at least 25 minutes per game right out of the gate.
Adem Bona, PHI
ADP: N/A
Season Rank: 284
Final Month Rank: 31
Bona was a perfect case of better late than never. He was basically non-existent to begin the season, playing behind Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond. In fact, he eclipsed 20 minutes only once in the first three months of the season. With Embiid eventually being shut down due to chronic knee issues and Andre Drummond simply not being a part of Philadelphia's future, Bona was handed the starting job late in the season. Over the final month, he demonstrated elite defensive upside, averaging 1.2 steals and 2.5 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game, adding 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. For those who managed to snap him up at the right time, he almost certainly played a role in some sort of success down the stretch. Looking ahead to next season, the expectation is that Embiid will be available to play. However, there is a chance their superstar center will never get back to full health, posing the question of who is next in line. Bona should be given the first crack at the backup role should Embiid be ready to go. If he can somehow push towards 20 minutes per night, he could be an interesting late-round target.
Toumani Camara, POR 
ADP: N/A
Season Rank: 91
Final Month Rank: 51
Camara was handed a starting role for the Trail Blazers, something that came as a bit of a shock to most fantasy managers. His offensive game was very raw, but it was clear from the outset that his ability to defend the opponents' best players could see him land a significant role moving forward. Early assumptions were correct, with Camara playing and starting in all but four games. His ability to score the basketball improved dramatically across the course of the season, to a point where he was consistently landing multiple three-pointers. He finished with averages of 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.7 three-pointers in 32.7 minutes per game. Portland walked away from the season with a number of positives despite their record, with Camara seemingly a big part of their future. While his overall upside is still somewhat limited, he will likely be a high-priority late-round draft pick next season.
Quentin Grimes, PHI
ADP: N/A
Season Rank: 142
Final Month Rank: 80
Another beneficiary of what ended up being a debacle in Philadelphia, Grimes made the most of his late-season opportunities after being traded from the Mavericks prior to the trade deadline. He basically moved straight into the starting lineup and immediately took charge as their primary offensive weapon. At one point, he scored at least 25 points in eight straight games, while also providing above-average defensive numbers. In 13 games over the final month, he averaged 24.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.4 three-pointers in 34.9 minutes per game. The talent is obvious when it comes to Grimes, meaning the coaching staff almost certainly has to find a way to get him into the rotation next season. Much like Oubre and Bona, Grimes' projected value and likely draft range is going to depend on not only what the roster looks like come October, but who on that roster is healthy and ready to play.
