Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers for Week 21: 3/16 -3/22

March 15, 2026

Thunder Dan's fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 21 of the 2025-26 NBA season. Consider these players as fantasy basketball adds, streamers, and stashes.

It's officially crunch time, folks! A lot of leagues have already started their playoffs, but just about everyone else should be starting this week. The current state of the NBA has made playing fantasy basketball a challenge this season, especially in the last month or so.

Advancing this week is going to take some savvy waiver wire management and probably a little bit of luck. In the immortal words of Michael Scott, "I am not superstitious, just a little stitious." So break out those lucky jerseys and pre-game rituals - whatever it takes to keep your players healthy, and don't be afraid to be aggressive with your weekly moves!

I'm sticking with 15% this week as the threshold for player adds. If you are in a shallower league (such as eight or 10-teamers), then there will probably be some good players available in that 15-25% rostership stripe that I won't mention here. Alright, fantasy hoopers - let's get to the finish line. Here are my top waiver adds and streamers for Week 21 of the NBA season.

Week 21 Schedule Breakdown (3/16 to 3/22)

Schedule Highlights

• Washington (UGH) and Phoenix have the coveted five-game week with B2Bs to start AND finish the week!
• Boston, Brooklyn, and Portland each play four games WITHOUT playing a B2B set this week.
• Other teams (besides WAS + PHX) with Mon-Tues B2B are Orlando and San Antonio.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 21

Javon Small - PG/SG (13%)

Trying to guess which Memphis guard is going to go off each night can be tricky. Ty Jerome has been great, but is getting rested far too often to be trusted for the entire week. Scotty Pippen Jr. is now out for the year, making things a bit easier to project as Jerome, Small, Walter Clayton Jr., and Cam Spencer now are the lone guards remaining.

Small has played in six straight games for Memphis, while Clayton and Spencer have both missed games recently, making him the most trustworthy of the group. He was really good last week, too, averaging 18 points and 5.5 assists to go along with 2.5 threes on 52% shooting.

Justin Edwards - SF (12%)

The Sixers are a walking infirmary right now, and Edwards happens to be a healthy body they can slot in at small forward or power forward. We could see Kelly Oubre Jr. and Joel Embiid both back at some point this week, but Edwards is an intriguing stream at least to start the week, based on what he's done in his last two games.

Will Riley - SF/PF (11%)

The good news is that Washington has five games this week. The bad news is that most of their team is not really rosterable due to how they've spread minutes out to so many different players and are willing to rest players down the stretch.

Riley's minutes remain the safest right now, though his production has taken a hit since Alexandre Sarr returned to the lineup, too. It's not my favorite pick-up, but you have to think he could have at least a few solid games in a five-game week with Washington likely to rest some other regulars in a few B2Bs.

Nick Richards - C (10%)

Jalen Smith's return has not phased Richards, who continues to flirt with double-doubles and provide some low-end production in boards and blocks. It's not sexy, but Richards' steady production is worthy of consideration if you need big man stats.

Mitchell Robinson - C (10%)

Mitch-Rob is flying high after a massive 22-rebound performance in a spot start on Friday night. It's only a three-game week for the Knicks, but that means no back-to-backs where Robinson usually rests, and there are some really good matchups in there this week (Indiana and Washington in particular).

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

You know the drill with O-Max; he's been a staple of this article for several weeks in a row. Memphis has four games, and no healthy big men, so expect him to continue to see around 25 minutes and post some usable stats.

Dylan Cardwell - PF/C (10%)

Cardwell returned to action last night, but was held scoreless in 13 minutes off the bench. He was flirting with top-50 value before getting hurt, so if he can get those minutes back up into the low-20s, he could be a major asset in boards and blocks. I have no idea why Sacto would play Precious Achiuwa 30+ minutes at Cardwell's expense (but you never know with the Kings), so I expect to see Cardwell spell both Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud once he gets his conditioning back.

Oso Ighodaro - C (10%)

The Suns play five games this week, putting Ighodaro in play if you need another big man option. He's been pretty mediocre since sliding into the starting center role for Mark Williams, but his minutes have been steady in the mid-20s. It's a volume play here with five games and Williams' return still a ways out, and nothing more.

Keon Ellis - PG/SG (9%)

Last week, I said pick up Ellis for his defense, and then he went out and scored 19, 20, and 13 points in his last three. He even started for Cleveland on Friday night. The Cavs love this guy, and even with Max Strus returning today (possibly), I think Ellis has 25 minutes sewn up because of his versatility, while Strus and Sam Merrill battle it out for minutes as the off-ball shooter.

Cody Williams - SG/SF (9%)

Williams has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Utah tank job, as he's playing nearly 40 minutes a night and posting some season-high numbers.

CODY WILLIAMS MY GOODNESS 😱🫢 pic.twitter.com/VD12xh9Cou

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 27, 2026

The efficiency likely isn't going to be there, but the counting stats are quite solid. He's averaging around 14-4-5 over his last four games, just don't expect many threes or defensive stats.

Bub Carrington - PG/SG (8%)

I make zero promises that Bub won't miss a game this week for "load management" as Washington has two B2Bs, but he hasn't missed one in two months and is playing the second-most minutes per game lately behind only Riley. His stat lines have been ugly, but there are still some assists there that may interest some of you.

Danny Wolf - SF/PF (8%)

Wolf remains the safest Brooklyn player to roster here late in the season. He's seen his minutes tick up to nearly 28 per game over the last week and is averaging 12-9-2 with 1.5 threes. The efficiency has been horrible, but beggars can't be choosers!

Isaiah Jackson - C (7%)

Jackson is locked in as the backup center and has nine blocks in his last five games. He's not going to help out much in points, but his per-minute rebounding and blocks numbers are quite solid.

Taylor Hendricks - SF/PF/C (6%)

I really thought Hendricks was primed for a big week last week, but he missed a game and was underwhelming in two of the other three. That 17-10-2 game against Dallas with three treys and two blocks is what we are chasing, though, and he's certainly capable of doing that this week with his minutes safely secured in the mid-20s.

Daeqwon Plowden - SF/PF (4%)

The Kings love this dude! He's played 30+ minutes in four straight games and has had some modest production as a result. I think Cardwell could cut into those minutes a bit, but we could also see Sacto randomly rest some guys like Russell Westbrook or DeMar DeRozan, too.

Leonard Miller - PF (3%)

This is my favorite, sneaky guy this week! Miller is a freakishly athletic big man who has never had a chance to play this much in his three-year career. He's seeing 30+ minutes a night over his last three games and making the most of his opportunity.

Leonard Miller with the two hand jam 🔨@LeonardMi11er | @CHSN_ pic.twitter.com/NcsveGseGu

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 6, 2026

His last three games should have grabbed your attention, but if not, go watch some highlights. This kid can play and should have an opportunity to keep showcasing his skills on this dumpster fire of a Bulls team.

Kevin Huerter - SG/SF (3%)

As a member of the Huerter fan club, I feel obligated to mention that he's seen 20+ minutes off the bench for Detroit in four straight games. He's a sneaky-good fantasy player with minutes if you need points, threes, and assists.

Tristan Vukcevic - PF/C (3%)

That's two very solid games in a row for Vuk, who returned recently from injury. I don't trust the Wizards, but I do trust Vuk's per-minute stats, and he only needs about 20 minutes to be productive.

Gary Payton II - SG (2%)

Is Payton the best-rebounding guard under 6-foot-2 in the league? He has two double-digit rebounding games in his last four, and he managed those in only around 20 minutes per game! The Warriors are a mess, so as long as GP2 is healthy, he should continue to be in the mix for 20+ minutes, which is enough to do some damage.

Rob Dillingham - PG (1%)

A super bargain bin special here, Dillingham has seen 20+ minutes in four of his last five games and has 12 points in two straight games. The Bulls likely want to keep auditioning him here at the end of the season to see what he can do, so consider him if you are absolutely desperate for guard stats in deeper leagues.

Ben Saraf - PG (1%)

If you need some assists, Saraf has seven, six, four, and five dimes over his last four games. With Egor Demin out for the year, Saraf has taken on a much bigger role and has even outplayed fellow rookie Nolan Traore recently.

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

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