Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the season, a willingness to entertain competition for the last spot or two on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding.
In this weekly series, we identify players available in more than 40 percent of ESPN leagues at each position who can either help with a category or two in roto leagues, or who can provide all-around value in leagues of all kinds.
Point guard
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings (Rostered in 38.3 percent of ESPN leagues): In the six games since returning from a quad injury, Fox has averaged 14.3 PPG, 6.7 APG and 1.8 SPG in 32.5 MPG. We'll likely have to wait for a different offensive system to be installed in a future season to see Fox take off, as he'd likely thrive in a pace-driven scheme, but he's still quite valuable as a utility asset given his ability to deliver strong steal and assist rates on a subpar team.
Shabazz Napier, Portland Trail Blazers (11.1 percent): LeBron's favorite prospect has been impressive of late. Napier is 13th on Player Rater among point guards over past 15 days and has even earned a starting opportunity alongside Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in a unique small-ball approach. It's clear that Napier has become a key offensive contributor for the Blazers in consuming some of Evan Turner's distribution duties while fulfilling the scoring pop Allen Crabbe took with him to Brooklyn.
Jarrett Jack, New York Knicks (15.4 percent): While he's not an exciting option, Jack is netting plenty of minutes and opportunities that should merit more attention from fantasy managers. The team is demanding more offense from Jack of late; he's averaging 12.7 PPG and 11.3 shots over the past seven starts, compared to averaging 6.6 shots and 6.8 PPG in his previous 33 outings. Jack is 14th in touches per game in the entire league over the past five games and is sixth overall in passer per game over this sample.
Shooting guard
Courtney Lee, New York Knicks (38.8 percent): Shooting guard proves shallow this season, thus I'm interested in taking on steady contributors like Lee. Somewhat like his backcourt peer Jack, Lee doesn't deliver many huge lines, but is instead a consistent grinder. If minutes are the coin of the realm, it's nice to see Lee averaging 36.1 MPG over the past 10 games, which has fueled a nice blend of scoring (15 PPG) and steals (1.2 SPG) over this sample.
Wayne Ellington, Miami Heat (10.8 percent): We need to find some specialists to thrive in fantasy hoops, especially in deeper and more demanding leagues. Ellington certainly qualifies, as only Stephen Curry has taken more 3-pointers per game over the past 10 games than the Heat's sharpshooter. If you are hunting for 3-point volume and proficiency, particularly in roto formats, Ellington is your guy.
Allen Crabbe, Brooklyn Nets (10.3 percent): Crabbe isn't quite the shooting specialist that Ellington has become, but he has lofted 7.6 shots per game from beyond the arc over the past eight games and has added some defensive production to complement his 3-point prowess.
Small forward
Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets (31.4 percent): I'm a huge fan of LeVert's evolving game; he's become a productive distributor (5.5 APG over the past 13 games) and efficient scorer (1.5 3PG at a 45.2 percent clip). The return of D'Angelo Russell could curb some of the passing production, but it's clear LeVert has become a key playmaker for Brooklyn going forward and should be rostered in standard fantasy formats.
DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets (30.8 percent): It's understandable that Carroll's ownership rate has dipped recently given an injury that kept him for a few games. For fringe assets like Carroll, missing a few games can trigger a transaction. That said, he's back to playing heavy minutes for the Nets' uptempo scheme and has six steals and 14 boards across the past two appearances. It's time to reacquire Carroll if you cut him loose.
Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers (16.7 percent): As a player who has tended to run hot and cold on offense, it's worth noting Aminu has averaged 11.6 PPG with solid steal, rebound and 3-point rates over the past five games. The Blazers are trending small with many lineups, affording Aminu (31.6 MPG over the past five) a rewarding batch of opportunities.
Power forward
Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks (31.4 percent): Stashing Parker could prove profitable your league has an IR spot or if you have enough roster spots to prove patient. The team is talking about a potential return for Parker the week before the All-Star game, but I would expect he won't be productive and playing heavy minutes until we approach March. Either way, this is a calculated risk that could prove profitable.
Marvin Williams, Charlotte Hornets (11.1 percent): Williams became a fringe fantasy contributor given a lack of steady minute for much of the past month, but could be worth streaming over the next few games given his recent surge from the field; he's score in double-digits in three of the past four games and has averaged 25.2 MPG and awesome 3-point production over this sample.
Dragan Bender, Phoenix Suns (7.2 percent): The Suns' frontcourt rotation has been tough to read all season, but it's possible some clarity is entering the picture with Bender earning 35.9 MPG over the past two appearances. Bender has averaged 17 PPG, seven RPG, 4.5 3PG and 2.5 BPG over this mini opus. In deeper leagues that prove thin in free agency, Bender could be among the top available talents.
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat (3.6 percent): Somewhat like Bender, Adebayo has surfaced with steady minutes (31.9) and opportunities over the past two games. Having earned his way into the rotation, this rewarding role could prove enduring for the gifted rookie.
Center
Bismack Biyombo, Orlando Magic (26.2 percent): An injury to Nik Vucevic has vaulted Biyombo to fantasy relevance. With 10.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG and 1.9 BPG in nearly 28 minutes per game over the past nine outings, Biyombo is a must-add in all formats.
Tyson Chandler, Phoenix Suns (21.1 percent): You'll notice that many of the nominations this week are specialists rather than all-around contributors. Halfway into the season, balanced contributors are often rostered in competitive leagues, leaving us guys like Chandler that are worth considering for a single elite element. In this case, Chandler is a beast on the glass even into the twilight of his career; he's 21st in the league in rebounding chances per game and has at least 10 boards in seven of his past eight outings.
Dewayne Dedmon, Atlanta Hawks (17.4 percent): The Hawks missed Dedmon's steady presence on the glass while he was injured, but he's back to crashing the boards with 10 PPG and nine boards per game over the past two outings. The center position proves shallow past the top 30 at the position, lending added value to a steady presence such as Dedmon.