Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Rankings: Week 10

We’re trying out a new waiver wire format for week 10. Rather than having each analyst recommend a few waiver wire adds, we did a “draft” of the top 40 players available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues. We evaluated players based on their rest-of-season outlooks for 9-category leagues.

The new waiver wire approach led to a healthy balance of players offering steady production versus those offering upside, and provides a collective view of how our analysts think top waiver wire players stack up against each other. 

You may already be familiar with our Weekly Streaming Articles, and while there will certainly be crossover between these lists, we take a look at the players below in longer terms. Where streamers are generally a temporary advantage tilt that you can leverage for your weekly matchup, the waivers are players that we think have more long term potential, and would consider adding to our teams, regardless of their outlook this specific week.

We’re planning to refresh our waiver wire rankings every week based on player performance and ownership trends. 

Top 40 Waiver Wire Rankings

* Ownership percentages fluctuate, so certain players could change or edge above 50% after we publish our rankings.

Player Comments

• Caris LeVert, #2: The fact that LeVert did not require surgery on his ankle, plus the report this week that he was ‘back in the gym’, leads me to believe that the Nets are not deceiving us when they say LeVert will be back this season without limitation. If a top-50 caliber player is floating on your waiver wire, and you have the means to stash him via IR, a deep bench, or you’re simply good enough to carry some dead weight, then there’s no reason to not grab this lottery ticket.
• Kelly Oubre, #6: Oubre has been playing well over the past month (#79 in 9-cat), posting 13.7 points and 4.4 boards. Improved FG%, along with a near triple one have us intrigued. He’s a nice addition for your standard league benches, especially while we wait to see what happens in DC.
• Fred VanVleet, #8: I’ve said this many times now. I believe VanVleet is a starting-caliber PG who just happens to be buried on one of the deepest rosters in the league. If he gets traded (which is unlikely while Toronto is competing) or if Kawhi leaves in 2019 and the Raptors opt to get younger, you’ll be thankful you stashed him on your Dynasty team.
• Cody Zeller, #9: At the time of this writing, Zeller is ranked #34 in standard 9-cat fantasy, believe it or not. He’s put a stranglehold on his gig over the likes of Kaminsky and Hernangomez. Something I never thought I’d say is that I like Cody Zeller’s RoS outlook.
• Kevin Huerter, #14: It’s safe to say that Huerter is starting to make a name for himself in fantasy circles, and he couldn’t have found a better place to quickly gain minutes than the rebuilding Atlanta. Everyone knew he could shoot, but he’s also been averaging 2 combined stocks over the last 2 weeks. Add in some sneaky assist and rebounding numbers and you have the formula for some good production.
• Emmanuel Mudiay, #15: If he sticks as a starting point guard getting 30+ minutes a night, then he’s probably producing enough to warrant a spot on my roster.
• Kristaps Porzingis, #26: At this waiver wire depth, I feel like there’s a serviceable replacement for any players remaining so why not swing for the fences with a unicorn.
• Mo Bamba, #33: Vucevic’s early dominance has rained all over Bamba’s rookie season parade. My one worry with Bamba is that an Orlando Magic team that hasn’t made the playoffs in over 6 seasons might be desperate for a taste of the postseason – even if it’s all just for a first round exit. That makes me nervous that Vooch will continue eating up all the starter minutes. Either way, talent rises to the top and Bamba should work his way into more minutes down the stretch. As it stands now, Bamba is averaging 14.2 points, 1.3 three’s, and 2.8 blocks per-36 minutes. I expect his Mr. Fantastic-like wingspan to continue helping him improve his numbers – especially his steals and blocks. He’s obviously a great Dynasty stash. He’s a high risk-high reward redraft play.
• Rodions Kurucs, #38: Admittedly this is deep league flier, and possibly more of a dynasty pick, but Kurucs has started to trend up. He’s been averaging almost 15 minutes in December, and has been turning a few heads. Last game he managed 13 points, a 3, and 3 steals. He could easily put together a string of DNP-CDs, but picking him up in deep leagues is a low risk gamble that could pay off.