The fantasy playoffs are here for most leagues, and the grains of sand are nearly settled at the bottom of the hourglass in roto leagues. You’re going to see guys you’ve never heard of make a big impact, and players who were long considered stalwarts hit the waiver wire. It’s just that time of the year. You should shake off the preconceived notions about who players are and what they might do the rest of the way, because you’re nearly out of time. Dropping a middle-round pick whose minutes (and games) are being limited for a G League call-up who is suddenly playing 30 minutes a night is very much on the table. It’s winning time, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

As such, we’re going to break from the usual format this week. The lines between a standard-league add and a deep-league add are very much blurred right now, because help is help and every fantasy manager should be zeroing in on specific targets who can deliver in the categories that will swing the standings. We’ll highlight a few guys who need to be rostered, full-stop, but after that we’ll go category by category for all the counting stats.

(You’ll see some conflation with FG% and rebounds and blocks, so those will be your percentage targets, but it’s going to be difficult to drastically alter your fate there. The core of your roster is the core of your roster, and the guys you’re adding generally won’t have enough volume to turn the tide unless you selectively bench some of your other players.)

Pick Them Up

Players who need to be rostered in all leagues at this point. Leaving them on the wire is as good as leaving money on the table.

Kyle Filipowski (31%)

Filipowski has been a top-90 guy over the last couple of weeks, and that includes a couple games in which Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Walker Kessler were available. Collins is now out for a couple weeks, Kessler is getting healthy DNPs and the Jazz are being browbeaten into playing Markkanen, but they don’t have to play him all that much. Filipowski was hanging out on the radar no matter what and the upside will rise to the fore as the Jazz tank with abandon.

Adem Bona (15%)

The Sixers currently have 96% of their payroll on the injury list and Andre Drummond is in and out of the lineup (and not playing all that much when he’s around). Enter Bona, who is sporting a traditional center stat set with big minutes on the way.

Orlando Robinson (24%)

Robinson is getting good minutes as Jakob Poeltl’s rest days are ramping up and he’s showing out for a team that could certainly use help up front. He’s grabbed seven-plus boards in seven of his last eight, with at least one block in seven of his last eight, and has double-digit points in three straight. The ingredients are here for a strong stretch run.

Brandon Williams (23%) and Spencer Dinwiddie (23%)

The Mavs are down to eight healthy players and these are the team’s only two PGs left after Dante Exum broke his hand on Friday. Williams has limited time left on his two-way deal, so watch out for that, but both he and Dinwiddie are going to play a ton given the state of things in Dallas. Dinwiddie’s recent run in particular — he’s shooting .561 from the field with 12 3-pointers this week — is a bit of a mirage, but the minutes are there for both players to grind out quality production.

Quentin Grimes (55%)

Grimes is operating as the go-to scorer in Philly right now and while that usually leads to a shutdown for a tanking squad, we might not see that happen here. It’s not like Grimes playing well is keeping the Sixers from losing, and at this point he isn’t exactly blocking any up-and-coming prospects who look like potential core guys down the line. Roster him until you’re given a reason not to.

Kyshawn George (27%)

George has been on the radar for a while already but the rest-of-season run should be his time in the spotlight. Khris Middleton is around but not playing enough to harsh George’s mellow. The rookie is contributing across the box and has been a top-60 value in the last two weeks despite shooting .389 from the floor.

Justin Champagnie (12%)

Sticking in Washington, Champagnie isn’t quite as prominent as George, but should be ready to take on a larger role with Bilal Coulibaly done for the year. We saw him deliver must-start value at times already and much like his brother in San Antonio, Champagnie has the ability to give you good rebounds, steals, blocks and 3-pointers on any given night. That mix on top of increasing playing time puts Champagnie on the board as a potential impact player.

Tre Jones (19%)

Lonzo Ball is banged up, Josh Giddey is banged up and the Bulls are basically set in the standings with no incentive to rush anyone back. Enter Jones, who has been getting 32.3 mpg over the last couple of weeks. A rare player who can deliver you assists and steals on top of boosting your FG%, add him anywhere Jones may still be available.

Kevin Huerter (12%)

All those backcourt injuries in Chicago have also opened the door for Kevin Huerter. It’s not that long ago that he was a clear top-120 guy with upside beyond that, and recently Huerter has reminded managers of his capabilities. In the last two weeks he’s turning 30.4 mpg into 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 3-pointers while shooting .377 from the field. When that ticks up, it’s going to be a fun ride.

Want to get access to our waiver wire picks? You’ll need to have an NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up!
Premium Access Required  

Click here to join us on Discord! And Follow us on Twitter by clicking here!
Join the SportsEthos team by filling out an application by clicking here!