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 at each position widely available in free agency in ESPN leagues. 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 45.9% of ESPN leagues): It's time to give Orlando's bulldog combo guard some shine as a surging contributor. Greg's son has always been one of the league's better rebounding guards since coming out of North Carolina, confirmed by slashing for 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists over his last eight games, all coming off the pine. Near the top of a fairly shallow backcourt depth chart for Orlando, Anthony should play heavy minutes in the weeks ahead.
Killian Hayes, Detroit Pistons (24.4%): A recent resurgence in scoring production has Hayes slashing for 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.7 dimes across his last six starts entering Monday's slate. The results won't always be pretty, but Detroit has nowhere else to turn than to have Hayes as the primary point guard.
Markelle Fultz, Orlando Magic (21.4%): Complementing Anthony well in Orlando as the team's top distributor, Fultz has impressively averaged 6.3 assists and 2.3 steals across his last six starts. The Magic lean on Fultz and his passing acumen, suggesting his recent rise is sustainable.
Shooting guard
De'Anthony Melton, Philadelphia 76ers (47.7%): A difference-maker defensively as one of the league leaders in deflections and as the sole leader in steal percentage, Melton should continue to drive value even when Tyrese Maxey returns to the rotation.
Malik Beasley, Utah Jazz (46.8%): As of Monday, Beasley was tied with Donovan Mitchell for fourth in the entire league in made 3-pointers, just six makes from being second to only Golden State's Stephen Curry. With incredible shooting success and an ideal role on his side, Beasley is the rare specialist worth rostering in all formats given such league-shifting volume.
Donte DiVincenzo, Golden State Warriors (9.3%): The loss of Curry can't be made up by a single player, or even multiple contributors, but there are plenty of minutes, touches, and shots available in the wake of his absence. Entering Monday, DiVincenzo had posted at least 15 points in four of his last five games and at least seven rebounds in six of his last eight.
Small forward
Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets (56.3%): You'll secure a worthy blend of points, rebounds, and dimes from Hayward for as long as he's healthy and playing heavy minutes for a Charlotte offense that relies on his connective passing talent.
Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves (19.3%): One of the league's more underrated and versatile defenders, McDaniels is the rare talent capable of averaging at least one steal and one block per game over a large sample. With his scoring production finally on the rise, McDaniels profiles as an impact addition at the wing.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks (50.2%): A bucket with some passing prowess, Bogdanovic is playing heavy minutes for an Atlanta rotation in need of his scoring and playmaking on the second unit.
Power forward
Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets (39.1%): Did you know that Smith is shooting nearly 55% form midrange in December? You do now. The rising rookie is finding his touch and his awesome block rate from Auburn is translating to the pro level.
Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards (7.9%): A back issue has sidelined him recently, but Avdija has been quite productive when on the floor the past few weeks; the third-year forward has averaged 10.9 points, seven rebounds and four assists over his last eight games, all starts for Washington.
Jeremy Sochan, San Antonio Spurs (3.7%): The Worm 2.0 is enjoying a rise in minutes lately thanks to some strong play, with the rookie forward averaging 16 points and 8.3 rebounds over the past week entering Monday's action.
Center
Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz (16.2%): An injury to Kelly Olynyk has vaulted this rim protector into an important starting role for Utah. Among the league leaders in blocks despite serving as Olynyk's backup much of the season, Kessler is going to put together some big lines in a starting role.
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons (15.2%): Since joining the starting lineup in early December, this rookie ranks fourth in rebounding behind only Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert and Nikola Jokic. The shot-blocking should eventually surface for a guy who averaged more than two swats in college, but efficient scoring and top rebounding numbers are a nice start.
Moritz Wagner, Orlando Magic (12.2%): It's surprising and impressive to see Wagner still starting and producing solid numbers for Orlando despite the recent return of Wendell Carter Jr. to the fold. Solid rebounding and defensive numbers help Wagner's case at what has been a somewhat shallow center position this season.