X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Week 12 and Buy/Sell

Dicky Fung reviews Week 11 breakouts, and looks ahead to Week 12 for fantasy basketball waiver wire adds/pickups, buy lows, sell highs, and more lineups advice.

Cheers to 2018, and here's hoping good fortune for every fantasy owner out there the rest of the way. The fantasy basketball season has been flying by, and it is crucial you find solutions if you are still still facing struggles. Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, be sure to check them out.

Some injury news around the association: Stephen Curry (ankle) returned from nearly a month-long absence and didn't miss a beat, draining 10 three-pointers for 38 points on Saturday. He's not fair. Isaiah Thomas is close to returning any day for the Cavaliers, so make sure you remember to take him off your IR when you hear more about his status this week. James Harden went down with a hamstring injury late in an overtime win against the Lakers, and his outlook for this week is very murky. Mike Conley could return as early as Friday, in case owners forgot about him.

Now let's look back on Week 11 and get prepared for Week 12.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Week 12 Schedule

4 Games – Spurs, Trail Blazers, Suns, Timberwolves, Bucks, Knicks, Lakers, Bulls

3 Games – Celtics, Nets, Hawks, Cavaliers, Pistons, Heat, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Thunder, Magic, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards

2 Games – Hornets, Pacers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Sixers, Kings

 

Week 11 Breakout Performers

Tyreke Evans, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies

Week 11 averages: 26.3 PPG 5.5 RPG 6.5 APG 0.8  SPG 0.3 BPG 3.0 3PM 52% FG 82% FT 1.5 TO

Evans continues to obliterate projections, as he's cruising on top-20 value over the past month. He's been unreal and has been the lone bright spot for the Grizzlies this season. Another impressive thing about his play this season is he's taking care of the ball, turning it over just 1.9 times per game. Mike Conley (Achilles) could come back as soon as Friday and will almost certainly take some touches away. However, there's no reason why the Grizzlies can't make it work as they want to make one last push for playoff contention.

Otto Porter, SF/PF, Washington Wizards

Week 11 averages: 17.5 PPG 6.5 RPG 2.5 APG 1.8 SPG 0.8 BPG 3.0 3PM 52% FG 75% FT 0.5 TO

Porter has struggled a bit over the past month with a nagging hip injury and the absence of John Wall has caused the rest of the rotation to do things outside their comfort zone. But since the return of their All-Star point guard, Porter is back to being a 9-cat gem. Don't let his average scoring fool you. Not many players can consistently give you this amount of points together with rebounding, steals to go along with elite 3-pointers and field-goal percentage. He's going to continue being a top-25 player the rest of the way.

Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

Week 11 averages: 30.8 PPG 5.0 RPG 6.3 APG 2.0 SPG 0.0 BPG 3.0 3PM 52% FG 91% FT 2.0 TO

There's a good reason why Tom Thibodeau wanted Jimmy Butler in Minnesota. Butler is a perfect fit for this young T-Wolves team that needs his veteran leadership to take them into the next level. Butler took some time to get going earlier in the season, but he's been locked and loaded as a first-round play ever since.

Lou Williams, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers

Week 11 averages: 28.0 PPG 2.7 RPG 4.7 APG 0.3 SPG 0.3 BPG 4.0 3PM 50% FG 86% FT 1.3 TO

The Clippers are hammered with injuries in the back court, having just lost Austin Rivers (Achilles) on Saturday night. Rivers is day-to-day right now, but Sweet Lou will continue to bomb away regardless of whoever is on the roster as the Clippers need him and Blake Griffin to provide the offense. Williams has averaged 30.4 points over the last five games.

Terry Rozier, PG/SG, Boston Celtics

Week 11 averages: 14.5 PPG 5.8 RPG 2.5 APG 1.3 SPG 0.8 BPG 2.8 3PM 58% FG 83 % FT 0.8 TO

Rozier has pulled off four double-digit games, and he's getting it done with across the board with peripheral stats. He is shooting 54 percent over the last five, which is not sustainable. However, his play lately has regained the trust of Brad Stevens again, especially given his ability to play along side Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving. Rozier was a second-round play this week.

Dirk Nowitzki, PF/C, Dallas Mavericks

Week 11 averages: 14.8 PPG 7.5 RPG 1.5 APG 0.5 SPG 1.3 BPG 1.5 3PM 57% FG 75% FT 0.5 TO

Who said the old man was done? The future Hall of Famer continues to surprise us year after year, and he's done it again with a red-hot shooting December. The ole reliable has really gotten it done over the last two weeks, averaging 14.3 points and 2.3 treys on 51 percent shooting. He's crushing it in 9-category scoring formats, turning it over just 0.8 times per game. What's more impressive is he has not missed a single game this season and has even played in all back-to-back sets.

 

Week 12 Standard Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups

Terry Rozier, PG/SG, Boston Celtics (22% Ownership)

It's time to pick up Rozier, as he was posting second-round value over the past week. He could be a nice source of steals with some some nice input in 3-pointers and rebounds from a guard position. With a safe role, he could very well flirt with at least late-round value rest of the way.

Ish Smith, PG, Detroit Pistons (41% Ownership)

Reggie Jackson (ankle) is going to miss 6-8 weeks, and Smith is going to be a full-time starter until he's ready to return. Smith has played well in his two starts, and he is a very capable fill-in player with mid-round upside.

Tyus Jones, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (32% Ownership) 

Jeff Teague (knee) is out for at least 2-4 weeks, and Tyus Jones will see all the minutes he can handle at point guard. Jones has been killing it from the defensive end, with averages of 9.8 points, 6.2 dimes, 1.0 triple, 0.6 turnovers and an elite 3.8 steals per game in 36.4 minutes a night as a starter this season.

Marquese Chriss, PF/C, Phoenix Suns (44% Ownership)

Chriss has suddenly reemerged on our radars, including a 14-point, eight-rebound, four-assist performance against the Kings on Friday. He would add three treys with a block and a steal, just displaying some of his forgotten upside. He's been pretty awful all season, but the Suns could really be turning to youth development again at this point of the season. It wouldn't hurt to pick him up and see where it goes. Just make sure you don't drop anyone you'd miss.

Shabazz Napier, PG, Portland Trail Blazers (18% Ownership)

Napier has been a sneaky play for over a month now, ranked #60 for December. He's thriving with or without Damian Lillard (hamstring), as Coach Terry Stotts has gone a lot of with three-guard lineups lately. Napier has been red-hot, averaging 18.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals on 48 percent shooting. Don't expect to last, but you have to pick him up and hope he continues to sustain value.

 

Week 12 Deep Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups

Gerald Green, SG/SF, Houston Rockets (1% Ownership)

James Harden (hamstring) could not return on Sunday night's game against the Lakers, so newly acquired Green could be looking at a couple of starts. He doesn't offer much outside of points and 3-pointers, but he's worth using in deep leagues if Harden misses times. Green has scored 18 and 10 points in his two games with the Rockets this past week.

Lance Stephenson, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers (23% Ownership)

The injury to Victor Oladipo (knee soreness) and the Pacers only play twice this week, which is why Stephenson isn't much more than a deep league asset at this moment. Unless we hear more bad news on Oladipo, Stephenson's upside is likely capped. Lance can really fill it up across the board, but turnovers and the poor shooting off-sets his upside. Pick him up as a handcuff to Oladipo if you have nothing to lose.

Frank Ntilikina, PG, New York Knicks (12% Ownership)

Coach Jeff Hornacek just recently teased the media and us again with the idea of starting the French rookie. He did not however state a timeline on when this would actually happen, but the minutes has been steady lately at 27.2 per minute over the last five. All signs are pointing to him having a sneaky good second-half of the season. Give him a look if you want to boost your assists and steals numbers. Just don't expect consistency.

 

Buy Low

Kawhi Leonard, SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs

I don't usually recommend buying Spurs players, but the track record of Leonard is too good to ignore. Leonard has never finished below top-7 in the previous three seasons and I would count on the Spurs taking the chains off soon rather than later. There is always going to be a risk of him sitting out back-to-backs for the foreseeable future, but he's an elite play when healthy.

 

Sell High

Lou Williams, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers

Williams has seen his usage spike with all the injuries, but he will have to hand the keys back over to Blake Griffin now that he's returned to the lineup. There's a good chance that Williams could still continue putting up outstanding numbers, but he's also a key candidate to be traded should the Clippers decide it blow it all up before the trading deadline.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

NBA DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful NBA Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and NBA Lineup Optimizer & Generator with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy basketball.

Sign Up Now!


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.



POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Ketel Marte

Likely To Return This Weekend
A.J. Puk

Won't Need Surgery, Won't Throw For 2-3 Weeks
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Could Be Forced To Injured List With Oblique Injury
Jeimer Candelario

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Spine Strain
Patrick Rodgers

A Solid Value Play At TPC Craig Ranch
Jamal Murray

Explodes For 43 Points In Game 5
Carson Young

Looking To Recapture Form At CJ Cup
Jayson Tatum

Fires In 35 Points In Series-Clincher
Matt McCarty

An Intriguing Value Play At CJ Cup
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Logs Massive Triple-Double In Game 5
Maxi Kleber

Listed As Questionable For Game 5
Will Zalatoris

Searching For Putting Form At CJ Cup
Rob Dillingham

Out On Wednesday
Jae'Sean Tate

Still Out On Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Listed As Probable For Wednesday
Jack Eichel

Notches Two Assists In Game 5 Victory
Sam Stevens

A Risky Play With Upside At CJ Cup
PGA

Sungjae Im Riding Momentum Into CJ Cup
Sebastian Aho

Sends Hurricanes To Round 2
Ben Griffin

Looking To Stay Hot After First Career Win
Jake Knapp

Looking For More Success At TPC Craig Ranch
Linus Ullmark

Records Shutout In Elimination Game
Brady Tkachuk

Extends Point Streak To Four Games
Mackenzie Hughes

Is An Interesting Option At CJ Cup
Pavel Dorofeyev

Doesn't Finish Game 5
Filip Gustavsson

Exits Early Due To Illness
Aaron Ekblad

Slapped With Two-Game Suspension
Aldrich Potgieter

Trending Downward For CJ Cup
Taylor Pendrith

Plays Well In Houston Recently
PGA

Niklas Norgaard May Not Be Cut Out For Texas
Rasmus Hojgaard

Could Be Up Or Down In Texas
Ben Rice

Smacks Two Homers To End Slump
Jorge Polanco

Hits Two More Homers, Drives In Five
Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Set To Start Wednesday
Shota Imanaga

Exits With Leg Cramps
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59th At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60th At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18th At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18th At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great," Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City