NBA Waiver Wire: Best Adds for Week 10

Well. It's been an eventful week. That's probably the mildest way to put it. 

As COVID-19 rampages through the league, keeping up with who is in or out of the Health and Safety Protocols can feel like a full-time job (and, at least for Woj, it basically is his full-time job lately). The changing in-out landscape is having a major impact on the waiver wire, but things are changing so quickly that it doesn't lend itself to good article-based analysis. I'll mention a few players below who seem to be in line for more work while their teammates are sidelined, but, at least as far as the Health and Safety Protocols are concerned, there is more turmoil than actionable advice. 

We're going through a weird time for Fantasy (and real life). But we'll make the best of it, hopefully with the help of some of the players listed below. 

As usual, 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

Alperen Sengun, Rockets (67% rostered)

Alright, team. We all have to do better. Shame on me for not noticing that Sengun's roster rate had fallen below two-thirds last week. But, more importantly, shame on you (the collective "you") for dropping him and/or seeing him on waivers and not instantly pouncing. I thought we were past this.  

Sengun's minutes are, frustratingly, still limited. Yet, every time he's given a sliver of opportunity, he has shined. In the 10 games where he's played at least 20 minutes, he's averaging 11-7-4 and 2.1 stocks - despite an average of just 23.6 minutes. His capstone performance, of course, was Wednesday's tremendous 19-11-5 with two steals and a block in 28 minutes while Christian Wood (knee) was out. Of course, because nothing makes sense, he followed that up with one of his worst games of the year even though Wood was still out. 

At some point, the Rockets are going to lean into the tank and Sengun's workload will rise. We have no idea when. And even then, it might still be a bumpy ride. But he's absurdly productive on a per-minute basis, and he only needs about 22-ish minutes per game to get inside Fantasy's top-75. Even if he's your worst player for a few more weeks, I'm confident that the eventual payoff will be worth it.

Anfernee Simons, Trail Blazers (47% rostered)

Damian Lillard is back in action, yet Simons remains heavily involved in the offense. Before Lillard went out, Simons was averaging 10.1 field goal attempts and 22.9 minutes. Over the last three games – with Lillard back but CJ McCollum (chest) still sidelined -- Simons is averaging 16.3 FGA in 32.0 minutes. He does very little besides score and make threes, but it's rare to find someone who can score 20-plus points a game on the waiver wire.  

Kevin Huerter, Hawks (54% rostered)

You know I'm not going to not mention him.

Cameron Johnson, Suns (39% rostered)

Another repeat name. We finally have some news about Devin Booker (hamstring) – he's targeting a return on Tuesday, Dec. 21. But that report leaves open the possibility that he's out longer, and he's likely to be on some kind of minutes restriction for the first couple games back. Johnson was on the fringe of rosterability before Booker's injury, and he's averaged 15-6-2 with 3.2 threes while Booker's been sidelined. Johnson should have at least a few more games of viability.

Larry Nance, Trail Blazers (40% rostered)

Welcome back, old friend. Any time I have the opportunity to write about a low-usage big man on a crowded depth chart, I have to take it. Ok, maybe not, but Nance is a long-time favorite of this column, and he was recently promoted into the starting lineup. Nance doesn't score much, but he's a well-rounded producer who excels in 9-category formats or punt-points builds. Portland swapped Nance ahead of Robert Covington this week – importantly, a move made while both players were healthy. Nance has averaged 28.3 minutes since the swap. Between 2016-17 and 2019-20, Nance was a top-90 player in 9-cat despite averaging fewer than 27 minutes per game each season. 

Cody Martin, Hornets (49% rostered)

The Hornets are getting healthier, but Martin hasn't been sent back to the bench quite yet. His days as a starter averaging 39.6 minutes per game are certainly numbered, but he's worth adding and playing until they are firmly in the rear-view. Through five games as a starter, he averaged 14-6-4, 2.2 stocks, and 2.0 thress. Keep an eye on the news, and try to hold onto him through at least one game where he comes off the bench, in case he maintains a large workload despite the demotion.

Garrison Mathews, Rockets (42% rostered)

Mathews was rolling for a few weeks, but his hot shooting flipped into a three-games-and-counting slump at the beginning of this week. The slump obviously diminishes out excitement, but the fundamentals that made him one of last week's top pickups remain true. Jalen Green (hamstring), Kevin Porter (thigh), and Danuel House (ankle) are all out and without clear timetables for return. Mathews is starting and playing a ton of minutes – 35.3 minutes per game across his first seven starts when he was shooting 51.3% (27.7 MPG through this slump during which he's shooting just 18.2%). Mathews is worth a look as long as Green and Porter are out.

Donte DiVincenzo, Bucks (9% rostered)

DiVincenzo was all set to make his season debut Wednesday, until he, too, was added to the Health and Safety Protocols. Hopefully his case is mild and this just means a few extra days of rest and recovery for his ankle.

There's no point in sugar-coating it: the most likely scenario is that DiVincenzo is a deep-leagues-only guy, except for some teams in standard-sized leagues who need steals and threes. Grayson Allen's and Pat Connaughton's strong starts mean that it will be hard for DiVincenzo to earn more than the 27.5 minutes he averaged last season. But he warrants attention because: 1. Some of you are in a deep league (or need steals/threes in standard); 2. The potential for improvement and/or more minutes remains.

DiVincenzo's a capable rebounder and passer, and either 30 minutes per game or some noticeable improvement in his fourth season (he's 24 years old) would likely make him an all-leagues play. If you have the space to add him before his debut, which will probably come some time next week, it's worth a shot.

Nicolas Claxton, Nets (10% rostered)

I'm a big fan of Claxton, but his workload when the Nets are fully healthy is too low and inconsistent for even most deep leagues. However, the Nets are in the midst of a COVID outbreak. Claxton averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 stocks in 24.0 minutes over the last two games. 

Davion Mitchell, Kings (43% rostered)

The Kings are another team in the midst of a developing outbreak, but as of this writing Mitchell remains available. De'Aaron Fox, among several others, has tested positive and will miss some games. So far, at least, Mitchell has more potential and real-basketball skill than actual Fantasy value. But his Fantasy value has improved lately, and I'm optimistic about what he might be able to do when the Kings need him to handle a larger offensive role. He's a worthwhile stream, if nothing else.

Schedule Notes

As happens every year, Christmas week is a light one for the NBA, as the whole league get's Christmas Eve off. Four teams play twice (Hornets, Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Trail Blazers), and only two teams have four games (Thunder, Magic).

The light schedule means there is extra value in players with four games, and there is much less harm done by relying on players with only two games.

The daily schedule is nice and balanced, with one big exception – 24 teams are active on Thursday, Dec. 23. There are between five and eight games on the other non-Christmas Eve days.

The oversized Thursday slate means that managers with daily lineups are likely to fill their starting lineups before fitting in any recent waiver pickups. The Celtics, Bulls, Clippers, Kings, and Raptors each have three-game weeks and do not play on Thursday. For daily lineup leagues, waiver pickups on these teams are likely just as valuable as players from the Thunder and Magic. And the Cavaliers, who play twice with neither game on Thursday, end up with arguably the most favorable schedule of all the teams not listed in this paragraph. They'll be better-rested than teams who have a Fantasy-irrelevant third game on Thursday.