Fantasy Basketball 9-Cat Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5

January 18, 2021

Week 5 fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups, adds, and sleepers for the 2020-2021 NBA season. Justin Carter recommends guards, forwards and centers to target through waivers or free agency in fantasy leagues.

Can you believe we're into the fifth week of NBA action? This season is going so fast, somehow.

Anyway, let's help you figure out some waiver wire additions who can boost your squad in a 9-cat league!

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 5. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.

Standard 9-Category Leagues - Waiver Wire Adds

Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:

Tyrese Maxey, SG - Philadelphia 76ers

53% rostered - The Sixers continue to welcome guys back to the rotation after the team's COVID issues, but Maxey continues to remain in the team's rotation. He's probably getting to a point where he's maxing out how much he'll be rostered, but if he's still on the wire in your 12-team league, grab him. He's a good scorer with good defensive instincts who won't turn the ball over too much, and we also now know that if he's pressed into a big role by injury, he can respond.

Lonnie Walker IV, SG/SF - San Antonio Spurs

40% rostered - While he was held to eight points against Houston on Saturday, Walker has topped the 20-point mark twice in the past week. In the past four games, he's made 10 three-pointers, plus has three blocks. His rebounding and assist numbers won't jump off the page and he won't be particularly helpful when it comes to field goal percentage, but as long as he's playing an elevated role on this team, he can contribute enough to make it onto your fantasy roster. Just be ready to move on from him if Derrick White (toe) returns soon and knocks Walker down a bit in the rotation considering White's one game this year was one of just two times Walker played under 24 minutes.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG/SF - New Orleans Pelicans

20% rostered - It's NAW SZN! The second-year guard only played 12.6 minutes per night as a rookie, but he's starting to get opportunities now with Lonzo Ball sidelined with a knee injury. NAW has started in the past two Pelicans games, averaging 24.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 threes per game. If you need to use the wire to find points and threes, Alexander-Walker is a nice short-term add, though it's unclear just how long he'll maintain value. The fact he started ahead of Eric Bledsoe last game is definitely interesting, though!

Immanuel Quickley, PG - New York Knicks

20% rostered - So, the Knicks have a problem. They have a lot of point guards on their roster who were drafted fairly high, but none of them are actually good. It appears the best point guard is actually rookie Immanuel Quickley, who just posted two really strong stat lines in a row:

It's become increasingly clear that Quickley is this team's best point guard. Dennis Smith Jr. isn't even. in the rotation. Frank Ntilikina is hurt, but hasn't been very good when he has played. Elfrid Payton is the starter and is fine, but shouldn't be starting for a team that's been less-bad than expected.

So, here comes Quickley, who should start at this point. He's knocking down his shots efficiently from three and inside the arc. He's dishing out some assists. He isn't committing a lot of turnovers. He's got active hands to swipe away some steals. Start him, Knicks! And start him on your fantasy teams too, fantasy managers!

Willie Cauley-Stein, PF/C - Dallas Mavericks

17% rostered - The Mavs are thin up front right now. That won't last forever, but as long as it does last, WCS is going to play 30 minutes per game and pull down double-digit rebounds and block some shots. His inconsistency in terms of scoring isn't great, but what scoring he does do happens at a hugely efficient rate, so there's another plus! Cauley-Stein is likely a short term add because he needs heavy minutes to pull down the boards needed for fantasy relevance, but if you need a quick boost at your big man spots, he's someone who is clearly worth investigating.

James Johnson, PF/C - Dallas Mavericks

5% rostered - Johnson has scored in double figures twice in the past three games. He also has six blocks and six steals over that span. Look, injuries are why he's even playing right now and at some point the return of Dwight Powell and Dorian Finney-Smith will end Johnson's time in the sun, but if you need blocks and steals right now in a deep league, why not stream Johnson for a little bit?

Jeff Green, SF/PF/C - Brooklyn Nets

4% rostered - The Nets traded a lot of pieces -- Caris Levert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs -- for James Harden, which means someone on this roster has to step into a bigger role. Enter Jeff Green, who is eligible at three positions and has played 30-plus minutes in back-to-back games. The veteran has experience playing with James Harden and his ability to play the four but to also give you small-ball minutes at the five opens up a lot of possibilities. If you need someone who can reliably give you 10 points along with a couple of threes and a steal, there's a good chance Green might be someone you're looking for in a 14-team league.

T.J. McConnell, PG/SG - Indiana Pacers

3% rostered - The Pacers essentially traded Victor Oladipo for Caris LeVert, but an MRI on LeVert revealed a small mass on his kidney. LeVert is now out indefinitely. A shortened guard rotation s going to open up more chances for T.J. McConnell, who returned on the 14th from a three-game absence and responded with eight assists and three steals. McConnell isn't someone to run out and grab in most leagues, but in a 14-team league where you're desperate for assists and steals, I think McConnell will be a reliable source of both things at least until LeVert is back, even if his lack of scoring upside will be highly frustrating.

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