Last Updated on December 31, 2025 8:56 pm by Keston Paul | Published: December 31, 2025

Happy New Year to everyone reading along! Here at SportsEthos, our mission remains the same as we turn the calendar: help you win championships across all of your fantasy leagues. We’re committed to building something special that gives you real, actionable edges you can’t find anywhere else, and we’re incredibly grateful to have you riding with us. The new year tips off with a manageable five-game slate that offers plenty of streaming angles and decision points to exploit, so let’s jump right in and get to work.

Top Pickups

This is the “general must-add” section regardless of the slate. If these players are being overlooked and remain chilling on the waiver wire, consider adding them to your squad.

Cedric Coward (31%)

Coward’s season has followed a familiar rookie arc: an eye-catching opening act, a stretch of growing pains, and now signs that things are starting to stabilize. Even with the bumps, he’s already delivering top-135 value in 8-cat formats on a per-game basis, averaging 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 triples in 27 minutes per night. The offense and rebounding base is solid, but the real separator between Coward and a much higher fantasy tier is on the defensive end. With just 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks so far, there’s clear room for growth, and that’s where his ceiling lives. If those defensive numbers tick up as he continues to settle into the league and his role expands, the path toward top-50 upside becomes very real. This is a classic add-before-the-turn player and if Coward is still sitting on your waiver wire, it’s a good time to be proactive.

Adem Bona (2%)

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