NBA Waiver Wire: Best Adds for Week 6

Coronavirus postponements continue  to be the big story across the NBA this week – we're now up to 20 postponed games. The Grizzlies and Kings have already lost one game next week, hurting the fantasy prospects for both rosters. The Wizards haven't played a game in almost two weeks, but there are rumblings that they may finally return to action either Sunday vs. the Spurs or Tuesday vs. the Rockets.

These postponements obviously have a big impact on fantasy, and while most of that is negative, it does create some opportunities: rosterable players on the most-impacted teams are becoming more widely available. And the ongoing pandemic isn't the only story, of course. Breakouts, injuries, and hot streaks are all impacting the pool of available waiver options.

As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.

Double-check your league

A few names rostered in more than two-thirds of leagues but who are still under-rostered. Double-check to make sure they aren't available in your league.

Brook Lopez, Bucks (67% rostered)

Davis Bertans, Wizards (67% rostered)

Adds for all leagues

Rodney Hood (13% rostered) and Gary Trent (30% rostered), Trail Blazers

CJ McCollum (foot) missed his first game Monday, and then Portland had two games postponed because the Grizzlies did not have enough available players. Those two postponed games are probably the only reason I'm able to talk about this pair, because had they played their full slate of games this week I doubt either would still be available on enough waiver wires to qualify here. 

With McCollum out, Hood got the start and saw the bigger increase in minutes. He played 25, up from his average of 13.1. But he was also having a better night than Trent, shooting 9-14 (64%) compared to Trent's 1-9 (11%). Moving forward, I'd expect both players to see increases in minutes and field goal attempts, and for both to be rosterable until McCollum's return. 

Derrick Jones (12% rostered) is also likely to see an increase in workload, but his weirdo stat profile is only attractive in some deeper leagues for managers punting points.

DeAndre Jordan, Nets (65% rostered)

If Jordan is still available in your league, you should go fix that. He's the only true big man on the Nets' roster following the Harden trade. And, finally in a situation he's happy about after a few years leading the league in viral clips of him standing completely still for an entire defensive possessions, he is back to playing with some actual effort. At least until Brooklyn acquires another big, Jordan is likely to average close to a double-double with solid blocks.

Doug McDermott, Pacers (23% rostered)

So, this is a weird one. First, Myles Turner (hand) has a broken bone, but they're already calling him questionable and implying he's close to a return. My hunch is that this is going to be another one of those annoying questionable-every-night-but-actually-out-for-multiple-weeks situations – a broken bone in your hand should take at least two or three weeks (Cody Zeller, listed below, missed 30 days with a similar injury) – but I could very easily be wrong there. Second, why isn't Goga Bitazde playing? With Turner out, the promising (and highly productive per-minute) Bitazde should be the first guy to see a boost in minutes, but got the dreaded DNP-CD in their last game. None of this makes any sense to me.

But I have to assess the situation as it is, and what we've seen so far is that McDermott is an all-leagues play as long as Turner remains out. In the two games without Turner, "McBuckets" is averaging 19.5 points and 3.5 threes in 33.0 minutes. As long as this workload continues, he should also be a medium source of rebounds and assists.

Moritz Wagner, Wizards (20% rostered)

I mentioned Wagner last week, and nothing has changed since then except his roster rate – literally, the Wizards still haven't played. The short version of what I said last week: Thomas Bryant (knee) is out for the season, opening up a massive hole in the Washington frontcourt. Robin Lopez (24% rostered) is likely to get the first crack at the starting job, but Wagner's role should also increase and Wagner's skillset is much better for fantasy. Wagner would be listed higher if the Wizards had a better coach than Scott Brooks, who is notoriously bad at rotation management. 

Cody Zeller, Hornets (18% rostered)

Zeller is set to return Friday from a broken hand injury that he suffered in the opener. In that game, he started and played 19 minutes before the injury. Now that he's back, it seems likely that he'll play in the 25-28 minutes per game range, enough to average something like 12-8-2 with good efficiency metrics and occasional defensive stats. He may not be the most exciting option, but if I'm right about his workload projection he's likely to be a borderline top-100 guy in 9-category settings.

Other recommendations: Luguentz Dort, Thunder (61% rostered)

Deep league special

Jae'Sean Tate, Rockets (18% rostered)

With John Wall (knee) out the last four games, Tate's minutes have jumped to 31.5 per game and he's started three times. The undrafted 25-year-old rookie has been a key part of Houston's rotation all season, and he's often seeing big minutes when one of their primary guards is out. Tate doesn't have any one standout category, but he produces a little bit of everything – that makes him best suited for roto leagues or points leagues. It's possible Tate eventually loses some minutes to the recently acquired Kevin Porter, but that's probably not something we have to worry about for at least another week, if not longer. 

Other recommendations: Xavier Tillman, Grizzlies (12% rostered); Isaiah Roby, Thunder (14% rostered)