Fantasy Basketball Points League Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 5

January 18, 2021

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

Welcome to our weekly look at waiver wire picks up in points leagues!

Could this have been any crazier a week? The James Harden four-team trade, game after game being postponed due to teams not having enough players, and it's only the 5th week of the NBA season. With the number of delayed games your fantasy team might be hurt by your star player not taking the court, hopefully, some of these waiver wire adds can help you salvage your week if that is the case.

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 50 percent or less.

Points League - Waiver Wire Adds

Columns are written based on H2H Points Standard Size Leagues:

Kelly Olynyk - PF/C - Miami Heat (48% Rostered)
Kelly Olynyk made the list again who became the starting power forward for the Miami Heat earlier this season. Outside of Olynyk's skill set pairs nicely with the rest of the Heat's starting 5, Olynyk has found some extra minutes while Bam Adebayo has missed the last two games for Covid protocols. The biggest positive that makes Olynyk an intriguing player to add is that he should have the minutes going forward. Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard have been completely out of the rotation multiple games in a row. Both players would be fighting for minutes at the four spot taking away from Olynyk's playing time.

Eric Gordon - SG/SF - Houston Rockets (42% Rostered)
The James Harden trade shocked the league and there might be a few players who lose or gain value for the rest of the fantasy season, including Houston Rocket's Eric Gordon. As of right now, the Rockets will acquire Victor Oladipo to replace Harden in the starting lineup. Even with the addition of Oladipo, Gordon will find a bigger role in the offense. Harden has always had an insane usage as a Rocket with his absence there is plenty of room for Gordon to get more shots. Gordon is averaging 23 fantasy points and 14.3 points per game this season.

Lonnie Walker IV - SG/SF - San Antonio Spurs (41% Rostered)
Lonnie Walker IV was supposed to be a short term add while teammate Derrick White was recovering from a toe injury. Unfortunately for the San Antonio Spurs, White suffered another toe fracture and will be sidelined for another 4 to 6 weeks, giving Walker more playing time. Walker's 29 minutes per night has enabled him to average 23.32 fantasy points per game.

Cedi Osman - SF/PF - Cleveland Cavaliers (25% Rostered)
Fourth-year player Cedi Osman is having a field day for the Cleveland Cavaliers while the starting backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are injured. In the last seven games which Osman has started, Osman is averaging 30.9 fantasy points. Osman's production is heavily tied to teammates missing games and the biggest part of his game which has seen an increased role with the guards' absence has been his playmaking ability. Osman has 40 more assists in those 7 games than the 5 other games where he was coming off the bench.

Monte Morris - PG/SG - Denver Nuggets (20% Rostered)
Monte Morris has filled in as the 6th man for the Denver Nuggets wonderfully. While Morris is more known for being a defensive guard, he is averaging 11.3 points off the bench in 26 minutes per game. While Morris' numbers don't scream out as a player how must be rostered, he is providing late-round value and has earned minutes on the Nuggets team. Morris is the best bench guard on the Nuggets roster, and there shouldn't be any competition for his role as the backup point guard going forward.

Willie Cauley-Stein - PF/C - Dallas Mavericks (14% Rostered)
Even with the return of Kristaps Porzingis, the absent Dallas Maverick frontcourt has given Willie Cauley-Stein a place to rack up the fantasy points as Cauley-Stein has been given extended minutes with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell out for Health and Safety protocols. In the Mavericks last 5 games Cauley-Stein is averaging 26.7 fantasy points in only 26.6 minutes.

The addition of Cauley-Stein will most likely not be a long-term asset for your fantasy team, but when Cauley-Stein is this hot add him. When Kleber and Powell return and the minutes start to ramp up for Porzingis who has only played two games this season, it is realistic that Cauley-Stein can lose rotation minutes fast.

Immanuel Quickley - PG - New York Knicks (13% Rostered)
The New York Knicks surprised many as they entered the season with a positive record. As they have cooled off in the last couple of weeks, rookie Immanuel Quickley has been able to showcase his skills and has started to earn minutes for the young Knicks squad. Just like most rookies coming in this year, Quickley will have ups and downs throughout the season. It is encouraging to see the Quickley already have games where he has outplayed the starting guards on the Knicks roster and also games where he is part of the closing 5 man unit in the 4th quarter.

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