NBA Waiver Wire: Week 7 Players to Target

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving break. We've got a tricky set of waiver wire options available ahead of Week 7. There are a lot of potentially high-value targets to choose from, but many of them come with significant red flags or looming threats to their productivity. Choosing the right players for your roster may be trickier than usual, but there are many possible avenues to improving your team.

After a few odd weeks, we don't have to pay too much attention to the schedule this week. The Celtics and Spurs play just twice, but the day-to-day schedule is relatively balanced and more than half the league plays three games. 

As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.

Adds For All Leagues

Mo Bamba, Magic (28 percent rostered)

Bamba has been the biggest fantasy winner since Nikola Vucevic (ankle) got hurt. Vucevic is expected to miss at least a couple more weeks, so Bamba can stick on your roster for a while. Bamba hasn't seen the biggest minutes boost over the Magic's four games without their All-Star – that honor belongs to Khem Birch, who's up to 26.5 minutes during that window, but Birch doesn't do anything for Fantasy. Bamba, on the other hand, is averaging 10.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 threes. That blocks average would be good for fourth in the league this season. Blocks are so scarce that Bamba's shot-blocking excellence alone would warrant a pickup, and the fact that he adds solid rebounding and threes makes him this week's top pickup.

Tyus Jones, Grizzlies (20 percent rostered)

Rookie starter Ja Morant (back) is "week to week", opening up a major opportunity in the Grizzlies' backcourt. Morant was averaging 28.7 minutes, 6.4 assists and 15.2 field goal attempts, and Jones will be asked to pick up the majority of those vacated responsibilities. In Morant's one missed game this season, Jones started, scored 14 points and dished eight assists in 28 minutes. In addition to extra scoring and passing, Jones is a capable thief, likely to contribute a meaningful quantity of steals while his minutes are up. 

Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks (59 percent rostered)

Have the Mavericks finally found a third scorer? Before Hardaway entered the starting lineup last week, he was averaging just 10.2 points per game. In his three games as a starter: 22.3 points and 4.3 assists. Granted, a lot of that increased scoring is the result of him getting lightning-hot from behind the arc, making 61% of his threes for 4.0 made per game. Though that shooting is completely unsustainable, the change in role could lead to a lasting boost in his scoring and overall production. Hardaway showed in both of the last two seasons that he's capable of providing solid value as a scorer and a three-point shooter.

Other recommendations: Nerlens Noel, Thunder (28 percent rostered); Davis Bertans, Wizards (61 percent rostered); Jae Crowder, Grizzlies (58 percent rostered); Kevon Looney, Warriors (25 percent rostered); Glenn Robinson, Warriors (50 percent rostered); Jarrett Culver, Timberwolves (33 percent rostered); Rodney Hood, Trail Blazers (35 percent rostered); Bismack Biyombo, Hornets (11 percent rostered)

Buyer Beware

Garrett Temple, Nets (13 percent rostered)

Temple has been taunting fantasy managers for years. His typical pattern is to put up one or two great games – something along the lines of 16-20 points, 2-plus threes, and a small smattering of assists and rebound – then disappear back into fantasy uselessness for a few months. Then lather, rinse, repeat. More often than not, adding Temple has been a waste of a transaction and a poor use of a start.

That said, just because this pattern has been repeated for years, it doesn't mean it could never change. He's started the last 10 games, ever since Caris LeVert (thumb) went down, and is averaging 31.6 minutes in that span. While he's put up a few stinkers, he's scored in double-digits in seven of those starts, and he's averaging 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 threes and 2.4 assists. LeVert is expected to miss at least another two weeks. Though Temple's history should instill significant doubt about his ability to keep this going, we have to acknowledge that he's been solid for 10 games and his role should be safe for at least another six.

Marquese Chriss, Warriors (16 percent rostered)

Kevon Looney (hamstring) is expected to return Monday after suffering an injury in the first half of the Warriors' first game this season. Looney's return could throw the entire big man rotation into disarray, and it's already a messy four-way timeshare. It's entirely possible, therefore, that as I'm typing this Chriss' window of fantasy usefulness has already closed.

But on a fundamental level, we don't know how this will play out, and there are a lot of ways to get Looney to 25 minutes per game without significantly altering Chriss' role. And, surprising though it may be, Chriss has been really good lately. He's averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 22.8 minutes over his last six games. More importantly, he's been dominant in the defensive stats, averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals over that stretch, and logging at least two "stocks" (steals plus blocks) in all but one of those games. That defensive output is incredibly rare, and it's worth adding him on the chance that he's able to keep it going.

Donte DiVincenzo, Bucks (33 percent rostered)

While Khris Middleton was out for seven games with a quad injury, DiVincenzo went from a fringe bench option playing just 13.9 minutes per game to a Bucks' starter and a popular Fantasy add averaging 26.6 minutes. During that run, DiVincenzo put up 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals, in addition to some small contributions in threes and assists. Even before Middleton returned, it was clear that DiVincenzo had earned a larger role in the rotation, but we didn't know quite what that would entail.

Middleton is now back, though he's still coming off the bench and playing under a minutes cap. The fact that DiVincenzo has remained the starter so far is a significant positive sign about what his role will be once Middleton is back to full strength – many teams will reinsert a returning player into the starting lineup, even if they have a minutes cap. So is the fact that DiVincenzo is still averaging 24.7 minutes, 11.0 points and 5.7 rebounds in the three games since Middleton returned. But the most likely scenario is still that a full-strength Middleton would mean a massive downgrade in DiVincenzo's value. While DiVincenzo is still usable, and it's possible that he remains so for the rest of the season, his value could take a major hit very soon.

Deep League Special

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lakers (5 percent rostered)

With Avery Bradley (leg) out for another week, Caldwell-Pope remains a deep-league option for at least that long. Caldwell-Pope has been starting since Bradley went down, averaging 11.8 points (54% FG), 2.5 rebounds, 2.1 threes and 1.5 assists in 28.3 minutes. He's coming off of two down games, but the fact that his workload didn't change in those two despite the lower production is a good sign. Nothing he does is all that exciting, but it's good enough to be worth an add.

Other recommendations: Jordan McRae, Wizards (4 percent rostered)