Working the waiver wire is pivotal to succeeding in fantasy basketball. With so many games, injuries and endless shifts in rotations throughout the marathon campaign, we'll need to source stats from free agency to maximize imaginary rosters.
A willingness to entertain competition for the last few spots on your fantasy hoops roster can prove rewarding. When curating this fluid collective of statistical contributors, it helps to consider your end-of-bench players in direct competition with the talent floating in free agency.
The goal of this weekly series is to identify players available in roughly half of ESPN leagues at each position (although I will make some exceptions). Some nominations are specialists capable of helping in one or two categories, while others deliver more diverse and important statistical offerings. In the breakdowns below, I've ordered players at each position with the priority of acquisition in mind, rather than roster percentage in ESPN leagues.
Point guard
Cole Anthony, Orlando Magic (Rostered in 30.1% of ESPN leagues): With six dimes in four of his past five games, and solid scoring and shooting results during this sample, Anthony is finally thriving as the starting point guard for Orlando. Assist production is difficult to find on the waiver wire, making Anthony a solid addition given his role as Orlando's lead distributor.
Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks (28%): A scoring savant with at least 25 points in three of his past four games, Quickley is producing 23.3 points per 36 minutes as a rookie for the Knicks. Leading all rookies with four 20-point performances off the bench this season, Quickley is quickly making a name for himself as a fantasy value.
Theo Maledon, Oklahoma City Thunder (2.9%): This French rookie was selected in the second round of this past fall's draft and is already proving productive with the Thunder. With George Hill sidelined by injury, Maledon has thrived in recent outings with awesome scoring efficiency. It's tough to tell if Maledon will see steady playing time once Hill is back, but with the veteran guard a likely trade candidate, it's worth taking the gamble on this rising rookie.
Reggie Jackson, LA Clippers (15.3%): Posting relatively awesome production with Patrick Beverley sidelined, Jackson has slashed for 16 PPG with 11 combined assists and rebounds per game during his past four outings. The statistical fun could come to an abrupt end once Beverley is back, but at least Jackson is making his case for more minutes.
Shooting guard
Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers (21.3%): Averaging an awesome 38.7 MPG during his past three games and 21 PPG during this sample, Trent has become a key starter for Portland with CJ McCollum sidelined by a significant foot injury. With rare freedom to hunt for his own shot, Trent is a fun fantasy addition to target until McCollum returns.
Derrick White, San Antonio Spurs (23.1%): Returning to the rotation over the weekend after making just a single appearance this season, White thrived with 18 points in nearly 22 minutes in a loss to Memphis. White was brilliant in the bubble this past summer and earned a sizable contract extension from San Antonio in the offseason, signaling his importance to the team. Given some patience, White could soon become a meaningful fantasy option.
Wayne Ellington, Detroit Pistons (24.6%): An ugly outing against the Warriors (0-6 FG, 0 points) offers evidence of Ellington's low floor, but prior to that weak showing, he had posted at least 16 points in seven straight games as a shooting force for the Pistons.
Patty Mills, San Antonio Spurs (26.4%): Mills continues to provide strong shooting and scoring results off the bench for the Spurs. A respectable steal rate helps support value for Mills in deeper category and roto formats.
Small forward
Dillon Brooks, Memphis Grizzlies (39.6%): Back in the starting lineup after sitting for a bit with an injury, Brooks brings a solid steal rate and strong shooting and scoring upside to the floor for fantasy investors.
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors (27.4%): A quad injury has sidelined Powell the past couple of games, but he's been increasingly productive when on the floor for Toronto in recent weeks. For a Raptors team that badly needs his complementary scoring from the perimeter, Powell should reclaim a sizable role once healthy.
Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns (30.5%): A helpful blend of rebounding, shooting and defensive rates in recent games with Devin Booker sidelined offers evidence of how valuable Crowder can be when playing steady minutes.
Power forward
Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz (50.4%): With the scarcity of passing production in mind, it helps that Ingles has averaged 4.2 APG this season -- atypically high for his position -- and has compiled 36 dimes across his past six games.
Thaddeus Young, Chicago Bulls (30.9%): Speaking of uniquely capable playmakers at power forward, Young has posted at least six assists in three of his past four games while regularly flirting with triple-double performances for Chicago.
Darius Bazley, Oklahoma City Thunder (20.1%): Producing solid rebounding numbers and a respectable block rate in the frontcourt for a young Thunder roster, Bazley is a fine streaming option for those in need of help on the glass.
Center
Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets (19.3%): A steady veteran presence on a young Charlotte roster, Zeller has posted at least 14 boards in two of his past three games and has even flashed some impressive assist totals out of the high post.
Daniel Theis, Boston Celtics (19.6%): Averaging 1.3 BPG and 1.3 SPG the past seven days to go with solid scoring results is enough to earn Theis a spot as a solid streaming option at a shallow center position.
Aron Baynes, Toronto Raptors (6.7%): Back in the good graces of the coaching staff, Baynes is again playing steady minutes and has posted 8.5 RPG the past week.