The waiver wire is where leagues are won and lost. The draft is long past and now your rosters feel completely different if you are even moderately active. Players come and go due to poor performances and/or injury all the time. Staying on top of your needs is essential to winning matchups and grinding your way to a championship.
Be mindful of some of the players on your roster as they may be off to slow starts, and it could take another week or two to see the return you expected when drafting them. Typically, you should be looking to drop those on the end of your bench who, even if productive, do not provide a real long-term outlook. Stay the course with the talent you drafted.
As a reminder for most leagues, it is crucial to plan ahead. Waiver wire adds, scheduling, and player injuries are all things to consider. Make an effort to improve your team by maximizing your weekly adds and utilizing streamer spots via the waiver wire. Be wary of weekly streaming options and stay ahead of your opponents. Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns on how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, so be sure to check them out! Now, let's get prepared for Week 13.
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Week 13 Schedule
4 Games - Cavaliers, Magic, Pacers, Trailblazers, Bulls, Thunder, Celtics, Timberwolves, Suns, 76ers
3 Games - Nets, Mavericks, Raptors, Heat, Lakers, Hawks, Kings, Pelicans, Pistons, Warriors, Clippers, Bucks, Jazz, Knicks, Nuggets, Spurs, Rockets
2 Games - Hornets, Grizzlies, Wizards
Week 13 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups
*Securing your categorical needs at this point is important, especially if you're playing in head-to-head leagues*
Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:
Nemanja Bjelica - PF - Sacramento Kings (53% owned)
With Richaun Holmes out for the next few weeks, more minutes have opened up for Nemanja Bjelica to continue producing efficient, and valuable numbers. The concern with Bjelica beforehand was the return of Marvin Bagley, but now, that is less of a worry as Bagley could see more time at the center spot, leaving plenty of power forward minutes for Bjelica. Bjelica is not going to dazzle anyone with his scoring but he is fully capable of stuffing a stat-sheet without hurting your weekly score much, if at all.
Tim Hardaway Jr. - SG - Dallas Mavericks (35% owned)
Tim Hardaway Jr. returned from a week-long hamstring injury and performed as well as he has all season. His proficient three-point shooting has carried his fantasy value all season and should continue to as you superstar, Luka Doncic, remains by his side. Hardaway is not going to provide much outside of points, threes and some rebounds, however, he hardly turns the ball over and his FG/FT percentages are easier to stomach than some other specialists.
Jordan Clarkson - SG - Utah Jazz (31% owned)
Jordan Clarkson's been a useful asset for the Utah Jazz. Since coming over from Cleveland, Clarkson's production has remained steady and provided the Jazz with a true sixth-man who can create offense on his own. His main benefits come via points, threes, low turnovers, and solid percentages, however, he is capable of accruing a few assists every so often. Clarkson is an ideal end-of-bench filler candidate for those in 12-plus team leagues.
Daniel Gafford - C - Chicago Bulls (10% owned)
With Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined for the next month at least, Daniel Gafford will step up as the starting center in Chicago. Gafford is not the strongest fantasy option in the world, and his minutes could fluctuate based on the matchup, but he is valuable. There is strong block potential, with a great FG percentage and rebounds on top. His FT percentage will be a bummer and should make him more of an option for owners already punting (or soft punting) the category.
Christian Wood - C - Detroit Pistons (21% owned)
We have all heard the rumors regarding Andre Drummond, and from Detroit's rotations, it is clear that Christian Wood is the direct back-up. If Drummond is actually traded by next month, Wood could end up as the pick up of the year. He holds little standalone value at the moment but that does not matter. He is a worthy handcuff who can be dropped within a few weeks. Wood can be a solid provider for FG percentage, points, rebounds, blocks and potentially, threes, while not killing FT percentage. Grab him now and wait.
More Fantasy Basketball Analysis
By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.