Fantasy: Week 6 waiver wire adds

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Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the NBA regular season is about 25% complete. By this time, you should have a pretty good grasp on your fantasy team’s strong points and weak points. No matter what position you’re in, it never hurts to scoop talent off the waiver wire.
Malik Monk has played two games since missing a week and a half with an ankle injury. He popped off in his most recent appearance, going for 27 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, and a steal in 35 minutes. That increased run and usage was due to the absence of DeMar DeRozan, however. Don’t expect Monk to play those kinds of minutes and see that kind of usage every game, especially since he was a bit underwhelming to start the year.
But hopefully, this sparks something for Monk and the team, and he can become more involved like he was last year. Either way, I’d be looking to add him to at least have him as an option off my bench. And in the scenario that DeRozan or De’Aaron Fox suffers an injury, it’s more opportunity for Monk.
Malcolm Brogdon is in the rotation after missing the beginning of the year due to injury. After struggling for two games, Brogdon has averaged 16.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in 24.0 minutes across his past four. He won’t keep shooting 55.6 FG%, but I think his minutes and role are pretty secure – at least until the trade deadline.
Stephon Castle has stepped up his game immensely since joining the starting five, playing with a ton of confidence and looking like he belongs. The rookie’s efficiency comes and goes, but he’s now a staple of the team’s game plan and knows how to make plays.
Over his past 12 games, Castle has averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 30.4 minutes. I think he’ll only get better as the season goes along. And if the 39-year-old Chris Paul misses any time, Castle’s role will take a jump. He’s one of the better long-term adds on this list.
I have a feeling Cam Thomas’ month-long absence due to a hamstring injury will mostly be a negative for Thomas managers without being much of a positive for waiver wire additions. Although, if you’re already rostering Dennis Schröder or Cameron Johnson, you’re going to start benefiting.
Tyrese Martin (99% available), Ben Simmons (74% available), and Trendon Watford (99% available) were the biggest winners during Wednesday’s win over the Suns. Watford is someone to keep an eye on since it doesn’t seem like Nic Claxton can stay healthy, and Noah Clowney has a weeks-long injury.
I would have been comfortable recommending Simmons as an add even before the Thomas injury. Yes, it’s annoying that he doesn’t play back-to-backs. He’s still a good fantasy player if you don’t need points. He’s giving you five assists and five rebounds with some defensive stats thrown in.
Martin had 30 points in 28 minutes during that win over Phoenix, but he shot 8-for-10 from 3-point range and 10-of-13 from the field while providing 4 rebounds and 2 assists. If he shoots a normal percentage, that stat line is something like 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
There are also names like Shake Milton (99% available) and Ziaire Williams (91% available) who could do more and are worth considering in fantasy. Williams may have the most all-around upside of the group. Maybe the best course of action is to throw all these guys on your watchlist.
Robert Williams III is in concussion protocol, but if you have the bench spot, I’d add him now. Donovan Clingan is dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Portland said they’re re-evaluating him in two weeks, but the average missed time for that injury is closer to six weeks. That gives Williams a runway to be the full-time backup center (minus back-to-backs). And if Deandre Ayton misses time, Williams could end up being one of the best big men in fantasy. Stash now; figure it out later.
I’m grouping these guys together because they play on the same team, and I don’t know what the hold-up is. I know Marcus Smart has been hurt, and Jake LaRavia’s stat line appears underwhelming, but these roster rates are just way, way too low.
When he rounds into shape, Smart will be Memphis’ starting shooting guard and probably play roughly 30 minutes per game. He has upside in assists, steals, and 3-pointers. Per 36 minutes this year, he’s averaging 7.0 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.6 3-pointers. He’s not some theoretical rookie playing 12 minutes per game and I’m blowing up his stats for context. This is Marcus Smart.
LaRavia is not a must-roster standard league player. I know that. But 9% rostered? If you’re in a 14-teamer, and definitely 16-teamer, he shouldn’t be on waivers. His strong suits are assists (3.9), blocks (0.8), and FG% (51.3). But he’s just well-rounded, also providing 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.9 3-pointers. LaRavia is also averaging 24.3 fantasy points per game, so this isn’t just a category-league add. He’s useful in every format.
Cody Martin is a lot like LaRavia, but Martin is seeing a significant boost due to teammate absences. Charlotte is playing Friday’s game against the Knicks as I’m typing this, but over his past six games, he’s averaged 6.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in 27.2 minutes. He’s a great addition for managers seeking defensive stats.
Yahoo’s default league format includes daily transactions, so I’ll use this space to note some advantageous schedule spots beginning this Saturday.
It’s a dense stretch of games, with every team playing either three or four times from Saturday to Friday. And, all teams that play four games during that stretch also play a fifth game the following Saturday or Sunday.
The lowest-density schedule spots for this upcoming stretch are Saturday (5 games), Monday (4 games) and Wednesday (6 games). The following teams play at least four times total Saturday-Friday and on two of the low-density days. If you want to stream players, picking from these squads is your best bet to maximize game count:
Atlanta (Saturday, Monday, Wednesday)
Boston (Monday, Wednesday)
Lakers (Monday, Wednesday)
Milwaukee (Saturday, Wednesday)
Philadelphia (Saturday, Wednesday)