The early season has been a minefield of injuries and unexpected NBA lineups, making savvy moves on the fantasy basketball waiver wire more crucial than ever. To secure your path to victory, look no further than these six essential pickups for Week 5. With key players like LaMelo Ball and Jalen Green on the NBA injury report, opportunities abound. Our top recommendations, including the high-upside rookie Cedric Coward and the assist-heavy Collin Gillespie, are poised for major production. Use this advice to fine-tune your fantasy basketball draft kit strategy and climb the fantasy basketball rankings. Don't miss out on adding Kon Knueppel and Jusuf Nurkic, who have stepped into expanded roles due to shifts in the NBA depth chart!
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
NBA Fantasy Adds for Week 5
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets 
(41% rostered)
The Hornets are one of many teams that are missing key players because of injuries. Brandon Miller (shoulder) has appeared in just two games, while LaMelo Ball (ankle) has sat out five straight. As a result of their absences, the rookie Knueppel has been immediately thrust into a prominent role. He has not only started all but one game, but he is averaging 32 minutes.
With plenty of opportunities coming his way, Knueppel has averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 three-pointers. Not only is he attempting 8.0 three-pointers per game, but he is
The early season has been a minefield of injuries and unexpected NBA lineups, making savvy moves on the fantasy basketball waiver wire more crucial than ever. To secure your path to victory, look no further than these six essential pickups for Week 5. With key players like LaMelo Ball and Jalen Green on the NBA injury report, opportunities abound. Our top recommendations, including the high-upside rookie Cedric Coward and the assist-heavy Collin Gillespie, are poised for major production. Use this advice to fine-tune your fantasy basketball draft kit strategy and climb the fantasy basketball rankings. Don't miss out on adding Kon Knueppel and Jusuf Nurkic, who have stepped into expanded roles due to shifts in the NBA depth chart!
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
NBA Fantasy Adds for Week 5
Kon Knueppel, Charlotte Hornets (41% rostered)
The Hornets are one of many teams that are missing key players because of injuries. Brandon Miller (shoulder) has appeared in just two games, while LaMelo Ball (ankle) has sat out five straight. As a result of their absences, the rookie Knueppel has been immediately thrust into a prominent role. He has not only started all but one game, but he is averaging 32 minutes.
With plenty of opportunities coming his way, Knueppel has averaged 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.2 three-pointers. Not only is he attempting 8.0 three-pointers per game, but he is hitting them at a rate of 39.8%. Miller isn't close to making his return, and Ball has a checkered injury history. As players go in and out of the lineup, Knueppel has already shown that he should be rostered in more leagues.
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
Jusuf Nurkic, Utah Jazz 
(39% rostered)
Nurkic came off the bench and averaged just 17 minutes over the first five games of the season. Still, he was a borderline fantasy option with his averages of 7.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals. Walker Kessler (shoulder) then went down, pushing Nurkic into a starting role. As a starter, he has logged an average of 27 minutes over six games.
In his new role, Nurkic has put up 6.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He only shot 30.4% from the field during that span, which is odd for him, given that he has shot 49.9% from the field for his career. Expect his shooting percentage to normalize as we move along. Kessler is out for the season, so Nurkic has a clear path to plenty of minutes right now.
Stay up to date on who is in and who is out with RotoWire's NBA Injury Report!
Cedric Coward, Memphis Grizzlies 
(38% rostered)
Coward has come off the bench for all 13 games this season, but he is still averaging 27 minutes. The rookie has provided valuable efficiency, shooting 48.4% from the field, 37.5% from three and 89.6% from the free-throw line. That has helped him average 14.3 points and 1.6 three-pointers, to go along with his 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
The Grizzlies are very high on Coward after selecting him with the 11th pick in the 2025 Draft. Ty Jerome (calf) and Scotty Pippen Jr. (toe) aren't close to making their returns, so the Grizzlies will continue to be shorthanded within their backcourt. Even when both players do return, Coward has likely carved out a significant role for himself for the foreseeable future.
Check out where all the players on your fantasy basketball team fit into RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet!
Davion Mitchell, Miami Heat 
(28% rostered)
After struggling to establish himself during stints with the Kings and Raptors, Mitchell has turned around his career since being traded to the Heat last season. The Heat have needed him even more to begin this campaign with Tyler Herro (ankle) out. He has started each of their 12 games, logging an average of 30 minutes a contest.
With more minutes in hand, Mitchell has produced 9.9 points, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 three-pointers per game. Although he has only shot 53.3% from the free-throw line, he has shot 49.5% from the field. Herro could be out for another month, if not longer. Until he makes his way back onto the floor, Mitchell should be rostered in most fantasy leagues. If your squad requires assists, Mitchell should be a priority add.
Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's NBA Projections!
Ace Bailey, Utah Jazz (28% rostered)
Bailey's overall averages of 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 three-pointers don't exactly stand out in fantasy. He has shot just 38.3% from the field, including 26.7% from behind the arc. Still, with the Jazz rebuilding, Bailey should have ample opportunities to be productive as the season moves along. The Jazz have already shown signs of expanding his role, allowing him to log at least 24 minutes in each of his last three games. He has even started back-to-back games for them.
With more playing time, Bailey has averaged 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 three-pointers over his last three games. He has shot the ball much better, making 48.4% of his attempts from the field. The Jazz are 4-7 and have already lost one of their best players in Kessler for the season. There could be plenty of minutes on the horizon for Bailey, so adding him now could prove to be a prudent decision.
Visit RotoWire's basketball betting section for the latest NBA odds and futures and player props from various sportsbooks!
Collin Gillespie, Phoenix Suns 
(16% rostered)
The Suns received some difficult news on the injury front with Jalen Green re-aggravating his hamstring injury. They said he won't be re-evaluated for four-to-six weeks, so there's a chance that he could be out even longer than that. He missed the first eight games of the season with the same ailment, so expect the Suns to be very cautious with his return.
The only bright side here for fantasy managers is that we have already seen what the Suns look like without Green. With him sidelined to begin the season, Gillespie averaged 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.8 three-pointers over eight games. He shot at least 39.5% from behind the arc in both of his first two seasons in the league and averaged 2.4 assists over just 14 minutes per game last season. He should clear 20 minutes on a nightly basis, making him a great target in deeper formats.
What plays are the RotoWire basketball experts dialing in on? Check out our free NBA betting picks for all of today's top plays!
