Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 15

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.

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 15.

Week 15 Schedule

4 Games - Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Bulls, Kings, Pistons, Jazz, Raptors, Rockets,

3 Games - Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, Thunder, Celtics, Bucks, Nets, Clippers, Hawks, Spurs, Lakers, Warriors, Suns, 76ers, Wizards, Knicks, Hornets, Heat

2 Games - Pacers, Timberwolves, Magic

Week 15 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:

Thaddeus Young - PF - Chicago Bulls (51% owned)

With Lauri Markannen sidelined for the month, Daniel Gafford out, and Wendell Carter Jr. dealing with his ankle sprain. There are plenty of minutes available in the front-court that veteran Thad Young will inherit over the next few weeks. Young is not the highest ceiling asset available but he is consistent and with more usage/shot opportunities, could be as valuable as ever on a bad Bulls team. Young is not much of a scorer but will rack up rebounds and steals while hitting a few threes and not wreck your percentages. He does not turn the ball over much and should display top-75 value until a few teammates return.

Shabazz Napier - PG - Minnesota Timberwolves (26% owned)

With Jeff Teague out of town, Napier has taken over as the starting point guard in Minnesota. He is not the best real-life point guard but can provide proper fantasy stats if he retains the starting job. His assists alone are worth snatching off of the wire. To add on to his appeal, Napier is prone to spurts of scoring outbreaks when given plenty of play-time and usage. If he can sit somewhere in the low-30's minutes-wise, he should be a must-add fantasy option off of the wire given that he can add steals, threes, and good ratios on top of his main production.

Cam Reddish - SF - Atlanta Hawks (14% owned) 

Rookies like Cam Reddish are hard to nail down. While they have great upside, the inconsistency Is treacherous to navigate. Over the past two weeks, Reddish has been very solid, maintaining a good shooting percentage with a few 20 point outings, steals outbursts, threes, and some rebounds. However, over the course of the season, we have seen him go ice-cold from the field and do nothing but hurt your squad. The addition of Jeff Teague may have helped him a lot of late given that there is a competent ball-handler behind Trae Young who can properly distribute the ball and run the offense. Reddish had been given the reigns at times but is not a good enough dribbler or passer yet to fulfill the role. His relegation to a more 3-and-D role may be benefitting him fantasy-wise and in real life. He's a speculative add in deeper leagues for teams that need some upside.

Seth Curry - SG - Dallas Mavericks (10% owned) 

With Dwight Powell out for the season, Seth Curry has slotted into the starting lineup recently and performed fairly well. The addition of Willie Cauley-Stein could push him back to the bench if they choose to alter the lineup again but that is a wait-and-see situation as WCS gets acclimated to Dallas's scheme. Curry is not a high upside add but can provide scoring, threes and good ratios for teams who need those particular categories covered.

Omari Spellman - C - Golden State Warriors (7% owned)

With the trade of Willie-Cauley Stein, Omari Spellman is left in Golden State as the most traditional option at the center position. While they have started Marquese Chriss there and utilized Draymond Green as they always have as their small-ball five, Spellman should see plenty of run with WCS's departure. Although his most recent outing against Indiana was a dud, Spellman has shown fantasy viability this season and should regain value in the next week or so. He is someone who doesn't hurt your ratios, can score in the double digits, add threes, rebounds, steals and the occasional block with low turnovers. Get on him in leagues with 12 or more teams as an end-of-bench big.

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