Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire - Adds for Week 4

Looking ahead to Week 4 of the fantasy basketball season, fantasy managers are beginning to gather enough of a sample to ascertain the direction of certain players. Whether you're looking to replace an injured player or streaming a spot or two each week, the waiver wire is stocked with some appealing options ahead of a busy week around the league.

While the NBA will collectively take Tuesday, Nov. 8 off due to the midterm elections, the entire league is action on Monday night. That 15-game slate headlines a week in which 20 of 30 teams play four games. The remaining 10 each have three games on their schedule, so there are no significant outliers when it comes to games played.

Let's dive into RotoWire's top waiver wire recommendations for the week ahead:

Note: As always, the players featured in this piece must be rostered in fewer than two-thirds of CBS fantasy basketball leagues.

De'Anthony Melton, 76ers (30% rostered)

The news of James Harden being out at least a month with a right foot tendon strain opens up a starting role for Melton. Melton has played well in his two starts this season, averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals in 32.0 minutes. The workload is especially encouraging since he's a great per-minute performer. With Harden off the court, Melton has averaged 1.0 fantasy point per minute, translating to 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals per 36 minutes.

Somebody on the Nets

Thursday night, Kyrie Irving was suspended by the Nets for at least five games. He hadn't missed a game yet this season, so it's not clear how interim head coach Jacque Vaughn will deal with the absence. Edmond Sumner and Joe Harris have seen the most total minutes with Irving off the floor, but Sumner saw a lot of those minutes when Harris was out. Seth Curry is also back in the mix. Plus, Ben Simmons is out until at least Monday. It's chaos in Brooklyn. However, the Nets play both Friday and Saturday, so fantasy managers in leagues with Sunday waivers will at least get a two-game sample before having to make a decision.

Marcus Morris, Clippers (35% rostered)

Amid the Clippers' unrelenting injury woes – not expected to stop given Kawhi Leonard's presence, and a roster full of older players – Morris has played well. He's seen a combined 72 minutes across the past two games. On the season, he's ranked 80th in per-game, eight-category value. The Clippers only have three games this week, but Morris' play seems mostly sustainable (52.9 FG%, 37.9 3P%). Even if the field-goal percentage comes down, he'll still be worth streaming on four-game weeks.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nuggets (43% rostered)

Caldwell-Pope, unsurprisingly, has seamlessly fit in alongside Nikola Jokic. The guard is athletic enough to make effective cuts and has shown some passing upside in the past. That's in addition to his primary three-and-D skillset. He's ranked 79th in per-game fantasy production behind 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals. His 52.8 3P% will decrease, but there's still a strong chance he finishes as a top-100 player. KCP is at least worth a stream on four-game weeks, which the Nuggets have in Week 4.

Lonnie Walker, Lakers (51% rostered)

Admittedly, I'm hesitant to recommend any Lakers player not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis, but Walker has clearly been LA's third-most-impactful player thus far. He's coming off of a 28-point, five-three-pointer effort against the Pelicans on Wednesday night and has scored in double figures in five of the last six games.

During that stretch, Walker is posting 18.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks and 2.0 made threes with a 45/32/80 shooting line. Of all of those numbers, the points and threes are the most sustainable, but Walker could easily be a 1.0-plus-steals player going forward. With the Lakers entering a four-game week with no back-to-backs, now is the time to add Walker.

Jalen McDaniels, Hornets (34% rostered)

After battling injuries and playing a relatively small role off the bench last season, McDaniels is quietly off to a nice start in Charlotte. The 2019 second-rounder has scored in double figures in four of his last five games, headlined by an 11-point, six-rebound, two assist, five, steal, two-block effort against the Bulls on Wednesday.

On the season, McDaniels is up to 10.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 threes and 1.3 steals per game, and he could be set for a larger role if Gordon Hayward (shoulder) misses time during the Hornets' four-game Week 4. Either way, McDaniels looks like he'll be a more consistent factor this season. He's topped 20 minutes played in all eight games thus far.

Max Strus, Heat (43% rostered)

At this point, fantasy managers know what to expect from Strus. He's a high-volume three-point shooter who maintains a solid field goal percentage but doesn't do much else. Strus is currently riding a five-game streak with multiple three-pointers and looks to have once again supplanted Duncan Robinson as Miami's primary marksman. Managers who aren't in need of threes should leave Strus on waivers, but those in need of help in that category should pick him up.

Larry Nance, Pelicans (14% rostered)

Injuries prevented Nance from making a major impact a season ago, but he's back healthy and giving the Pelicans productive minutes off the bench. After posting 15 points, nine boards, three assists and a steal against the Clippers on Oct. 30, Nance followed up with 11 points, five assists, four steals and a block in Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Lakers.

Injuries to Herbert Jones and Brandon Ingram may be giving Nance a temporary boost, but given his fantasy pedigree, he's at least worth a speculative add in medium-to-deeper leagues. If Jonas Valanciunas or Zion Williamson were to go down at any point, Nance would be the primary beneficiary.

Davion Mitchell, Kings (28% rostered)

The 2021 lottery pick got off to a rough start but suddenly finds himself in the starting lineup with De'Aaron Fox nursing a bone bruise in his knee. Mitchell flashed for 23 points, four rebounds, three steals and five three-pointers against the Hornets on Halloween night, though he did regress against Miami on Wednesday (nine points, four assists in 29 minutes). 

It's worth noting that Fox is without a concrete timetable. If he ends up missing a string of games, then Mitchell should be a viable, low-end option in most leagues. However, if we receive word that Fox will return before – or during – Week 4, then Mitchell is probably best left in the free agent pool.

Zach Collins, Spurs (26% rostered)

Collins has seen a minutes boost lately with the Spurs dealing with injuries, but he's consistently seeing minutes in the high teens. While that doesn't seem like it would be enough, coach Gregg Popovich is making a point to get the big man involved. He has the highest usage rate of his career (20.4 USG%) and is on pace to average career marks in nearly every per-minute stat. In his 17.3 minutes, he's averaging 8.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 blocks and 0.6 steals. That's good enough to have him rank as the 132nd-ranked player in eight-category leagues. Add him to your watchlist at the very least.