Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 13: 1/12/26 -1/18/26

January 12, 2026

Thunder Dan's fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of the 2025-26 NBA season. Consider these players as fantasy basketball adds, streamers, and stashes.

It's an absolute "streamers' dream" this week as we have no fewer than six (and no more than nine) games every day in Week 13. We do have some teams on two-game weeks to avoid, and one team with the coveted five-game week as well.

As a reminder, I have been using the 25% rostered threshold on Yahoo as my cutoff for standard leagues, so there could be some players not mentioned in this article who are still valuable pick-ups, especially if you play in 10-team leagues or shallower formats. For those deep-leaguers, I always feature a section of players who are rostered in 10% or fewer leagues as well.

Let's dive into the waiver wire and see which widely available players can help your fantasy basketball team win this week.

Week 13 Schedule Breakdown (1/12 to 1/18)

Schedule Highlights

• We have four teams (DET, MEM, MIL, ORL) that only play twice this week. I will be avoiding them for streamers.
• The Lakers play five times this week, including a back-to-back to start the week and one to finish it!
• Valuable back-to-backs: LAL (Mon-Tues), CHI, DEN, NOP (Tues-Wed), NYK, DAL, UTA (Wed-Thurs), HOU (Thurs-Fri), IND, MIN, WAS (Fri-Sat), CHA, DEN, LAL, POR (Sat-Sun)

Standard League Adds - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 13

Percent owned numbers for Yahoo! "Standard Leagues" refer to 10- or 12-team leagues.

I am going back to 25% or lower as the cutoff again this week, with 10% or below being right around where I draw the line between standard league and deep league adds.

Cam Spencer - PG/SG (24%)

Spencer plays only twice this week, but this is simply a public service announcement that he is a MUST-ROSTER in standard formats with Ja Morant injured and rumored to be in trade talks. Spencer has been fantastic this year and has both short-term and potential long-term value. If he was dropped in your league during his little slump, go grab him!

Maxime Raynaud - C (23%)

Yes, I am still adding (or holding) Raynaud in standard leagues. His numbers and minutes have dipped a bit, but there's still nothing but opportunity for him in Sacto until Domantas Sabonis returns, and he has a very fantasy-friendly game for those who want boards and strong percentages (though he has pretty much stopped taking threes, it appears).

Jake LaRavia - SF/PF (22%)

The Lakers play five times this week, and Austin Reaves remains out, meaning LaRavia could be in line for more starts. The only complicating factor here is that Rui Hachimura will return to the lineup tonight, too, so we have to see how that shakes out.

Honestly, if LaRavia moves back to the second unit, it might not be the worst thing, as he has more potential in rebounds and assists when he's not playing alongside both LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Naji Marshall - SF/PF (22%)

Everyone is hurt in Dallas; it's a big mess (as it has been for most of the season). Guys like Max Christie and Klay Thompson have some appeal for points and threes, but Marshall is my favorite target as he can chip in points, boards, steals, and usually strong percentages and low turnovers.

Daniel Gafford was intentionally left off this list, too, as I just have little faith in him to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him. You can add him if you want, but don't be surprised if he's disappointing and you end up cutting him rather quickly.

Ryan Kalkbrenner - C (21%)

It took only one game for the rookie big man to remind us of his value. He went 12-9 with two blocks on 71% shooting in his return to the lineup in 23 minutes. Right now, he and Moussa Diabate should both be rostered as they appear to be heading for a 50/50 split with the center minutes, and both can do just enough with those minutes to be productive.

Collin Murray-Boyles - PF/C (18%)

Tired of reading about Sandro Mamukelashvili? Good, then it's time to shift our focus to Toronto rookie Murray-Boyles. CMB has been balling out for the Raps lately, highlighted by his massive performance in last night's win over Philadelphia.

Collin Murray-Boyles vs 76ers:

17 PTS
15 REB
3 STL
3 BLK

The first Raptor in NBA history to reach those numbers in a game. pic.twitter.com/LBnxOFDjxX

— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 12, 2026

Despite being an undersized big man at just six-foot-eight, CMB has been a beast on the glass and has flashed some impressive upside as a defender. He and Mamu are both guys we should be rostering in standard leagues with Jakob Poeltl out, as they appear to be taking turns having big games. But if we see Brandon Ingram continue to miss time (or possibly traded?), we could see them both slide into the starting lineup together, too.

Sam Merrill - SG/SF (17%)

You guys know by now that I am a huge fan of Merrill, not just because he's on my favorite team. "Money Merrill" is one of the premier catch-and-shoot guys from beyond the arc in the league right now and is absolutely on fire.

During Sunday's win over the Timberwolves, Sam Merrill broke the Cavaliers' franchise record for most consecutive games with 5 made threes.

Sunday was the 4th consecutive game that Sam made 5 3s or more. pic.twitter.com/k4pspFxdPV

— Cavs Daily (@cavsdaily_) January 12, 2026

The Cavs need his floor spacing, and he should continue to get plenty of good looks playing along two very good shot-creators in Garland and Mitchell. Keep riding Sam while he's hot, and while five threes a game isn't sustainable, three per game certainly is with his shooting stroke and this much playing time.

Tre Johnson - SG/SF (13%)

Johnson is probably the biggest winner of the CJ McCollum trade in my eyes. I thought we may have to wait until March to see him get 30+ minutes and have his role increase, but the departure of McCollum last week is speeding up that timeline.

We still don't know how much Trae Young will play in Washington, but it sounds like very sporadically, if at all, so Johnson is a prime add for those who want a young player with upside who could be rounding into form down the stretch.

Rui Hachimura - SF/PF (12%)

I don't love Hach's game, as he's really only a points, threes, rebound guy; however, the Lakers play five times this week, and he's set to return to the lineup tonight. Stream him if you need scoring.

Caleb Love - PG/SG (11%)

Yes, Jrue Holiday returned to the court for the Blazers last night, but he only played a handful of minutes off the bench. They are likely going to take a few games to ramp him up slowly, and Love was outstanding once again - pouring in 21 points and drilling five triples last night.

Caleb Love is, easily, one of my favorite stories this season

He went undrafted, after a collegiate career that had plenty of ups-and-downs

But that unshakeable confidence has clearly carried over to the NBA and helped him be a spark plug for Portland pic.twitter.com/pVTtHwK9Um

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) January 10, 2026

The Blazers are still without Jerami Grant, so Love's role off the bench as their top scorer with the second unit remains safe for now. He's a nice pick-up if you need points, threes, and he can even offer some low-end assists.

Jalen Smith - PF/C (10%)

Smith returned to action for Chicago this weekend after missing two games. He played 16 minutes off the bench, but did his usual thing with seven points, nine boards, and two blocks. He was starting at power forward next to both Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic before he got hurt and was putting up double-doubles with ease, so I'd add him just in case he ends up slotting back into that spot.

Even if he stays on the second unit, we know he can be valuable in points, threes, boards, and blocks in 18-20 minutes.

Deep League Adds - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 13

Percent owned numbers for Yahoo! "Deep Leagues" refer to 14-team leagues or larger.

De'Anthony Melton - PG/SG (7%)

How many of you remember how excited we were for Melton back in his days in Memphis? Even in Philadelphia, Melton had some solid per-minute numbers, but topped out at just 27 minutes per game in 2022-2023.

It's been a long road back for him from injuries that forced him to miss most of last season, but he's finally getting a chance to contribute for the Warriors and has been pretty solid over the last two weeks. He's always been a great steals guy and rebounder from the guard position, so if he can settle into 25 minutes a night with Golden State, I love him as an add even in standard formats.

Zeke Nnaji - PF/C (6%)

The Nuggets' big man is making some noise lately and is getting a chance to showcase his game. Denver is without their star center Nikola Jokic and their backup big man Jonas Valanciunas, which opened up a huge crater in their lineup that DaRon Holmes III wasn't able to fill.

Zeke Nnaji : 14 points (5-9 shooting & 4-5 from the FT line), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals & 2 blocks in 28 minutes off the bench pic.twitter.com/iDCcd8ztTH

— Lee Harvey (@Sayian_Warrior) January 12, 2026

Aaron Gordon is working his way back to his regular minutes, but they can't get away with playing him at center all the time. Look for Zeke to continue to get about 25 minutes a night for the next week or two and provide some nice production in points, rebounds, and defensive stats.

Jamal Shead - PG (6%)

Shead's role and minutes have fluctuated in his second season, but he's put up some impressive numbers anytime he's had the chance to be featured. In his second start of the year on Sunday, he went for 22 points and six assists in 37 minutes.

Look at him go, man

Jamal Shead was moving differently today, as he has been all year

A great worker with a great motor who was a complete difference maker in the Raptors’ comeback pic.twitter.com/BQPfaLoXHq https://t.co/ctJeb1oIWE

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) January 12, 2026

Toronto is all banged up right now with Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and RJ Barrett all missing games in the last week, so there's a chance Shead could continue to have a bigger role this week. His strong play certainly has made the case for more than just 15 minutes a night.

Ryan Nembhard - PG (4%)

I know we have been here before, but Nembhard may have another crack at the starting point guard spot in Dallas. With Brandon Williams hurt, he slid into the starting lineup this weekend and dropped 16 points and six assists in 29 minutes. With Anthony Davis out for a while, the Mavericks may want to move Cooper Flagg off the point, which would open up minutes for Nembhard, who has proven that he can put up stats with minutes - even in a timeshare with Williams.

Craig Porter Jr. - PG/SG (3%)

CPJ has been playing a lot of minutes for the Cavs lately and even made a brief one-game appearance as a starter alongside both Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. That experiment didn't work all that well, but he's still very useful in a 20 to 25-minute bench role.

Porter Jr. isn't asked to score much, but can be a major asset in assists and is an elite defensive player, averaging 1.7 blocks/steals in just 17 minutes per game this season. Lonzo Ball can't stay healthy and hasn't been very good even when he is.

Walter Clayton Jr. - PG/SG (2%)

The rookie out of Florida has flashed a nice per-minute fantasy game this season, but he's just struggled to get consistent minutes as Utah has a lot of young guards they want to play. He's dominated any time they send him down to the G-League, so he has nothing left to prove in terms of his ability.

He's seen his minutes trend up over the last few weeks, though his 30 minutes on Saturday night were largely a product of the Jazz getting blown out by 55 points. Still, this is a player who could have significant value down the stretch if Utah trades away some assets or decides to rest (or shut down) some players. I like him a lot as a stash if you have the room on your roster.

Good luck this week, friends, and never hesitate to reach out with questions on roster moves!

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