Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 19: 3/2-3/8

March 1, 2026

Thunder Dan's fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 19 of the 2025-26 NBA season. Consider these players as fantasy basketball adds, streamers, and stashes.

One thing that has become more apparent to me this year than in any previous year of covering fantasy basketball is that there are so many readers who are playing in leagues that are using standard settings. I am very comfortable in 12-team, 9-CAT H2H leagues, but I realize that many of you are playing in both smaller and larger leagues. Some of you are in 8-CAT, or 10-CAT, or have very unique category settings. While points leagues are not my cup of tea, I recognize that they are still quite popular as well.

The other thing that is not uniform at all across leagues is how the playoffs are structured. Some of you will be starting the playoffs in your league this week, while others still have a week or two left before they start. It's tough to take all of that into account every week and provide useful, actionable advice for as many managers as possible, but I always try to do my best to avoid covering just the obvious pick-ups and moves.

Since I had more than one reader respond to me the last few weeks with "most of those players are not available in my league," I am going to move my threshold for pick-ups down to 10% rostered or lower on Yahoo. Let's face it, most of the players in that stripe of 11-25% rostered are rostered in a lot of 12-team leagues or larger, and I've already written about them multiple times this season. Alright, fantasy hoops managers - let's get to the finish line. Here are my top waiver adds and streamers for Week 19 of the season.

Week 19 Schedule Breakdown (3/2 to 3/8)

Schedule Highlights

• Two teams to avoid in this scoring period are the Cavs and Hawks, who both only play TWO games.
• Boston is the only team that plays four games WITHOUT playing a B2B set this week.
• The coveted Sat-Sun back-to-back to close out the week - Pistons, Bucks, and Magic.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 19

Javon Small - PG (10%)

The guard situation in Memphis is a total disaster at the moment, with Small sharing minutes with Scotty Pippen Jr., Cam Spencer, Ty Jerome, and Walter Clayton Jr. But Jerome and Pippen have had their minutes restricted and have been rested occasionally, opening up minutes for the rest of the group.

Small has played 25+ minutes in five straight games and is averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals over the last two weeks. Memphis has a front-loaded week with a B2B set on Tuesday-Wednesday, so Small makes for an ideal streamer who can be swapped out midweek.

Sam Merrill - SG/SF (10%)

Here we are again with "Shooting Sammy" Merrill. Donovan Mitchell is going to miss some time, and Merrill has played 34 and 36 minutes the last two games without Mitchell (and James Harden). He is an elite shooter from distance and usually doesn't hurt your FG% in the process. Only two games from the Cavs, BUT Sammy is a potentially elite streamer on Tuesday, then dump him since he doesn't play again until Saturday.

Sam Merrill crossing people up pic.twitter.com/PMGLviKI2l

— Mack Perry (@DevaronPerry) February 26, 2026

Pelle Larsson - SG/SF (10%)

Larsson keeps chugging right along, even with the return of Tyler Herro to the Heat lineup. He's played 32+ minutes in five straight games and is a sneaky source of assists with four or more in his last four contests.

I continue to be so impressed by Pelle Larsson.

Yes, 20 points today, but look at his shot chart. Everything at the rim.

Not only is he a great cutter, but he also does a great job of eating up whatever space you give him and he's really improved his off-the-dribble game. pic.twitter.com/ufWXDCiXS6

— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) March 1, 2026

Larsson is much more than just a shooter; he's really evolved into a good cutter without the ball, and his FG% has jumped up as a result of a lot of easy buckets at the rim. His role on this team feels safe, and he's one of my fave adds for the week.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper - PF/C (10%)

Prosper continues to see pretty consistent playing time at center with Memphis running out of healthy bodies inside. He has one game where he disappeared last week (against Golden State), but the overall trend has been positive for him.

O-Max is averaging 0.8 threes, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game over the last two weeks with excellent FG% and FT%. As I mentioned with Small, Memphis is loaded with ideal targets for streamers to start the week with their Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back set.

Micah Potter - PF/C (9%)

Potter is the big man in Indiana to roster as he continues to play more minutes than Jay Huff and be more productive as well. He's not a great rebounder, but he is scoring efficiently and knocking down threes. Pascal Siakam continues to miss time, which is a trend that should continue as well. I love Potter's potential this week, and as a guy who could have value the rest of the way.

Al Horford - PF/C (9%)

The ageless wonder has been posting some of his classic low-volume, diverse stat lines for the Warriors in a role that has expanded to around 26 to 28 minutes a night at times.

No back-to-backs this week for the Warriors, so hopefully we don't get any rest days for Big Al. Fire him up if you need threes, blocks, and assists.

Robert Williams III - C (8%)

I know the Yahoo ranks over small sample sizes are not to be taken too seriously, but the "Time Lord" ranks 55 over the last two weeks and is back to his old tricks of posting some of the most balanced lines in the game. His minutes will always be capped, but as long as he's healthy and playing 18-20 minutes, he can do some serious damage.

After today, the Blazers don't play until Wednesday, so he's an ideal pick-up for the second half of the week.

Derrick Jones Jr. - SF/PF (7%)

Kawhi Leonard and John Collins are back in the lineup, but DJJ remains a staple of the Clippers' lineup as their low-usage, glue guy. His scoring is always going to fluctuate, but the defensive stats have been quite strong lately as he's posted 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks over the last two weeks.

Taylor Hendricks - SF/PF/C (7%)

Hendricks is coming on strong for Memphis and is finally getting some consistent playing time for the Grizzlies after riding the pine often in Utah. He's scored in double figures in three straight and can rack up blocks and steals in a hurry. I like him every bit as much as O-Max, and he's more widely available.

Tristan Vukcevic - PF/C (6%)

I know that the Wizards players are maddening for fantasy with these low minutes, but Vukcevic is good enough on a per-minute basis that 20 minutes per game is enough to make him viable. His last two weeks' averages are 11 points, 5.0 boards, 1.4 threes, and 2.0 blocks/steals. Those numbers will work for us in 9-CAT, so don't write him off just yet, as Alexandre Sarr is likely to miss all four of the Wizards' games this week.

Will Riley - SF/PF (6%)

The one guy in Washington who IS getting minutes pretty consistently is Riley, and he's responded with some pretty big games lately. The FG% is definitely a concern, but Riley can chip in with more than just scoring as he's also seen an uptick in his rebounding and assist numbers, too.

Elite footwork from Will Riley pic.twitter.com/XePIdyT7U8

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) March 1, 2026

Devin Carter - PG (3%)

I have no idea what Sacto plans to do this week with guys like Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan, but Carter had a fantastic game in his last one, going 15-7-5 with four steals. He had two DNPs before that, so it's a risky proposition here. I'd probably wait to see that Westbrook is confirmed out before streaming Carter.

Danny Wolf - PF/C (3%)

The FG% has been underwhelming, but Wolf continues to produce across the board and is coming off two of his better games this month. I like the assists from the PF/C slot and the threes, too. Brooklyn doesn't play any B2Bs; they could still easily rest MPJ in one or more games this week.

Nick Richards - C (3%)

Jalen Smith is out for at least a week, meaning we should see Richards continue to get minutes in the twenties. He's much more of a traditional center than Guerschon Yabusele, and while his upside is limited, he's a cheap double-double candidate and a guy who can help boost FG% and blocks.

Tristan da Silva - SF/PF (3%)

It's been an up-and-down season for da Silva, but he's been playing heavy minutes for Orlando lately as the Magic continue to look for a way to plug the hole in their lineup left behind by Franz Wagner.

Wendell Carter Jr alley-oop dunk, assisted by Tristan da Silva pic.twitter.com/yRrM8L7QwN

— The Magic Way (@MagicFilmRoom) February 27, 2026

The uber-athletic sophomore can do a little of everything and has a couple of smash matchups this week (Washington and Dallas) that make him a pretty solid play.

Quenton Jackson - PG/SG (2%)

It's Silly Season in Indiana earlier than for most clubs, and Jackson has seen his minutes increase in each of the Pacers' last three games. He's scored in double-digits in four straight contests, chipping in a handful of threes and assists.

Indiana is going to continue to rest guys, so don't be surprised if Andrew Nembhard sits at least once this week and Jackson posts a big line in his absence.

Isaac Okoro - SF/PF (2%)

Don't look now, but Okoro is actually having his most productive stretch of the season for Chicago. The Bulls have very few healthy wings, allowing Okoro to play heavy minutes and get up more shots than usual.

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

We know that Clayton can post very usable stats in 20-25 minutes a night, and he's played 20+ in his last four games since returning from injury for Memphis. I think he and Small are the two Memphis guards who are the least likely to be rested. The assists here are nice, as WCJ has had five or more in three of his last four.

Gary Payton II - SG (1%)

Payton's minutes are all over the place, but he continues to provide elite production in steals lately. He's at 1.6 swipes per game over the last two weeks, while also adding 1.6 threes and 12 points per game. You could do worse than that!

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

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