Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: Kel'el Ware is a Fantasy Red Alert

Hello! Welcome back. Things change fast on the waiver wire – this week's crop is absolutely loaded! Last week's top adds had solid weeks, yet dropped precipitously in their placement here as several new names emerged above them.

With so many great options, it's time to really reevaluate the bottom of your roster. Why are you still holding Jusuf Nurkic (68% rostered)? When's the last time you were glad you started Carlton Carrington (43% rostered)? Those Heat/Grizzlies/Pelicans have been solid streamers, but they aren't worth missing out on these prizes. Clean house. Make some room.

Before we dive in, a quick shoutout to the Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu (84% rostered), who finally entered the starting lineup over a healthy Clint Capela this week. Fantasy managers had literally been waiting five years for this moment. Okongwu's roster rate is too high to qualify for this article, but double-check your leagues – he just jumped from widely available to an all-leagues must-add.

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

Kel'el Ware, Heat (58% rostered)

On Sunday, Ware played 34 minutes, and the Heat experimented with some extended dual-big lineups that featured both Ware and Bam Adebayo. On Tuesday and Thursday, both players started together. Ware has played at least 34 minutes in all three games. This is an all-hands Fantasy Red Alert. If Ware continues to see this kind of workload for the remainder of the season, then there is a very good chance we are looking at the waiver pickup of the season right now.

Ware profiles as a fantastic Fantasy producer, and the early returns have matched those theoretical expectations. Across these three games, he is averaging 22-11 with 2.0 blocks and 1.7 threes. Though his assists and steals have been minimal this week, he averages slightly more than one of each per-36 minutes on the season, so more could come in the future. The Heat are likely to make a move at the trade deadline, which is one of many possible disruptions that could lie ahead for Ware. However, at least for now, Miami is testing something that gives Ware massive Fantasy value.

Daniel Gafford, Mavericks (65% rostered)

Dereck Lively's (ankle) Fantasy season is effectively over. The Mavericks announced a likely 2-3 month timeline for him on January 22. Many head-to-head leagues end on March 23 or March 30, the day after or eight days after Lively's return window opens. Even if your league plays through the end of the NBA season, and even if Lively returns at the early end of his timeline, you'd still only be looking at a handful of games of full-strength Lively back in your lineup. 

Lively's loss is Gafford's gain. Gafford may not be as good as Lively at real basketball, but he's arguably better for Fantasy. In terms of per-minute productivity, Gafford scores almost twice as much, rebounds and steals almost identically, and blocks more than Lively. And now the pair doesn't have to split time. With Lively gone, Gafford's minutes are skyrocketing – up to 29.3 per game across four Lively-less starts, including one game in foul trouble. And Gafford has quickly gone about demonstrating his Fantasy must-add-ness, averaging 22-11-2 with 3.3 blocks. He is a must-add.

Tari Eason, Rockets (62% rostered)

The only reason Eason is available is because he missed a month due to a leg injury. In his four games since returning to action, he's averaged 14-6-2 with 3.0 (!) steals and 1.3 threes. He's also likely to provide help in blocks, too, as he was averaging more than one per game before the injury. Eason is one of those "don't overthink this, he's an all-leagues must-add" guys. Go add him.

Isaiah Collier, Jazz (42% rostered)

Brice Sensabaugh, Jazz (20% rostered)

Last week's article led off with this pair of Jazz youngin's, focusing on the Jazz's transparent and atypically early tanking efforts combined with strong recent production. All that remains true. After two helpful losses to the Pelicans last week, Utah stands alone with the second-fewest wins. The aggressive tanking should ensure continued large roles for both of these players.

Wednesday's game was unusual for the Jazz – facing the powerhouse Thunder in Oklahoma City, they could safely assume a loss, and so they allowed all of their good players to play. This led to fewer minutes for Collier, while Sensabaugh was out with an ankle injury (TBD how real that injury was, given how suspect the Jazz injury reporting has been lately). Before Wednesday, however, Collier had played at least 24 minutes in nine games in a row, averaging 9.7 points and 8.6 assists during that stretch. Sensabaugh is averaging 20-4-2 with 3.7 threes over a similar timeframe. I don't expect Utah to allow so many of their established NBA players to be available together going forward, preserving opportunities for Collier and Sensabaugh. Collier's profile is more limited, but assists are harder to find on waivers. 

Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves (48% rostered)

Ok, this time it's for real. Really. I know I've fallen for McDaniels roughly three hundred times over the last two seasons, but, this is the best he's ever been. Over the last seven games, he's averaging 15-7-1 with 1.7 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.4 threes – that's great! He's playing a ton and shooting efficiently. His current run is even better than the run that got me excited back in November. Following that article, he entered a 15-game shooting slump, dropping to 39% from the field and 32% from three. As often happens during shooting slumps, court time also drops, leading to less other production as well. But now that McDaniels' shot is back on track, he can (hopefully) stick around as a great source of rebounds and defense without hurting anywhere else.

Nick Richards, Suns (67% rostered)

Three games into his Suns career, the new starting center is averaging 11-10-1 with 0.7 blocks. That's almost exactly what we predicted he'd provide in his new role. Hopefully, the blocks will tick up slightly. He's a solid, slightly above replacement-level Fantasy big man. 

Cole Anthony, Magic (50% rostered)

We're wrapping up our third week of Anthony as an unusually valuable "streamer". He's been great, averaging 17-5-4 with 1.9 stocks and 1.8 threes, with Jalen Suggs (back) out. Orlando is still calling Suggs day-to-day, and I still think Anthony is droppable when Suggs returns – so while it's frustrating to continue listing Anthony so low while his numbers are so good, it's where I feel I have to place him. 

Nick Smith, Hornets (12% rostered)

Brandon Miller (wrist) just underwent season-ending surgery. His absence is creating an opportunity for Charlotte's other 2023 first round pick, Smith, who was selected No. 27 out of Arkansas. Smith was an NCAA one-and-done. He entered college with a lot of hype, and some considered him a potential lottery pick before a disappointing season. Smith didn't play much as a rookie, and he played even less over the first two months of his sophomore season. But he's started getting more opportunities this month, including starting the last three games. Averaging 14-3-2 with 3.0 threes and 1.0 steals as a starter, Smith is finally flashing the abilities that generated that excitement years ago. If he can hold onto this new role going forward, he could stick on Fantasy rosters.

Other recommendations: Cason Wallace, Thunder (28% rostered); Anthony Black, Magic (19% rostered); Tim Hardaway Jr., Pistons (18% rostered); Naji Marshall, Mavericks (18% rostered); Mitchell Robinson, Knicks (15% rostered)

Watch List

Stephon Castle, Spurs (58% rostered)

Castle has stepped in as a starter while Jeremy Sochan (back) has missed six of the last eight games. That fact alone – that the rookie "point guard" is the fill-in for the third-year "power forward" is interesting. Castle's production in the expanded role has been inconsistent, but productive. The good: he's averaging 28.2 minutes, 3.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds across those six starts. The bad: in his three worst of those games, he shot a dreadful 32% from the field and 20% from deep while averaging 8.0 points. The hopeful: in his three best of those games, he shot 54% from the field, 25% from deep, and averaged 23.0 points. The combination of Castle's inconsistency and Sochan potentially returning soon means I'd recommend against adding Castle in most standard leagues. However, these last two weeks have been very interesting, and he's on my radar as a player to keep a close eye on going forward.

Jimmy Butler Drama

Nikola Jovic, Heat (63% rostered)

Jaime Jaquez, Heat (64% rostered)

Duncan Robinson, Heat (15% rostered)

Butler just got suspended for two more games, less than one week after returning from a seven-game suspension. He clearly did not learn his lesson the first time, and given his history of unhappy franchise exits, it's reasonable to expect more choppiness in the weeks to come. Fantasy managers should be prepared for Butler to be available for some games and gone for others, at least until we get through the trade deadline.

Before Butler's seven-game suspension, he missed five games due to injury. Before those absences, none of Jovic, Jaquez, or Robinson were reliably usable in a standard league. Jovic and Jaquez were startable during most of Butler's missed games. Jovic managed to maintain some of that success during Butler's three active games last week. Robinson's success is less directly linked to Butler – and less predictable and more streaky by nature – but he does tend to see more minutes with Butler out. Robinson has been hot the last few games.

The Fantasy value of these three remains linked to the Butler situation. The best thing managers can do is to stay on top of the news and react accordingly.

Deep league special

Bruce Brown, Raptors (7% rostered)

Brown's 2024-25 got a late start, only debuting in late December due to a knee injury. At first, his minutes were limited and his production almost nonexistent. However, he's started to show signs of life lately. He's played at least 20 minutes in six of his past seven games. Over his last three, he's averaging 17-5-3 with 1.7 threes and 0.7 steals despite playing only 21.7 minutes. Brown has a history of Fantasy success, spending the last five seasons as a borderline roster guy (finishing between 120th and 180th in 9-cat ranks). There's upside here if his minutes increase, and his track record shows that his current success is unlikely to be a fluke. While he's unlikely to ever be a Fantasy star, he has potential to last on deeper rosters.

Other recommendations: Cam Whitmore, Rockets (15% rostered); Vit Kreji, Hawks (9% rostered); Luke Kennard, Grizzlies (10% rostered)