Last Updated on January 6, 2026 4:14 pm by Mike Passador | Published: January 6, 2026

It’s time for the first deep-league scan of 2026. A few recent injuries saw guys get added and dropped — hello Brook Lopez — and managers sitting pretty in the standings are starting to plan ahead with late-season stashes and upside plays. That has left a surprising pocket of valuable players to hang in limbo in deeper leagues, meaning we’re not necessarily scraping from the bottom of the barrel. It will depend on how your leaguemates are navigating the middle of the season, but there’s a few notable names who are playing well that deserve a little more respect than they’re seeing right now.

Let’s start 2026 off with some quick wins, shall we?

Quick Hits

These are the players under 30% rostered that really should be, even in standard leagues. You’re going to start seeing them talked about in your regular waiver columns as well so if they’re available in deeper formats, feel free pick them up right now.

Season-long potential: Peyton Watson (28%), Jay Huff (16%), Herb Jones (19%), Julian Champagnie (15%), Davion Mitchell (27%) Ryan Kalkbrenner (17%), Maxime Raynaud (26%), Noah Clowney (24%), Aaron Nesmith (28%), Cason Wallace (22%), Jeremiah Fears (17%), Bilal Coulibaly (26%), Jaylon Tyson (23%), Dylan Harper (20%), Daniel Gafford (15%), TJ McConnell (8%), Cam Spencer (17%), Ajay Mitchell (28%)

Streamable in the short term, maybe more: Nikola Jovic (25%), Isaiah Stewart (23%), Royce O’Neale (17%), Jake LaRavia (22%), Naji Marshall (17%), Sandro Mamukelashvili (22%), Jaylen Wells (17%), Jordan Walsh (5%), Paul Reed (9%)

Boring but reliable: Tre Jones (26%), Sam Merrill (13%), AJ Green (6%), Harrison Barnes (10%), Duncan Robinson (9%), Mitchell Robinson (9%), Keldon Johnson (17%), Ayo Dosunmu (23%), Steven Adams (7%), Rui Hachimura (12%), Kris Dunn (9%), Alex Caruso (8%), Luke Kornet (15%)

14, 16, 18 Teams

We’re going to be referencing Yahoo roster percentages for the most part. In one of my 12-team leagues, the highest-rostered player who is still a free agent is Noah Clowney (24%), but there are only two other players at 20% or above (who aren’t injured). As such, we’re going to set the guardrails for this between 5% and 20% rostered — for the most part.

That doesn’t mean that someone who falls outside that arbitrary band can be overlooked — they just may not be available enough to help out the bulk of deep-league GMs. Basically, if you’re probably going to hear about them in 12-team conversations, we’ve included them above. Remember, just because someone isn’t in a certain section of the article doesn’t mean you can’t bend the rules. If there’s a player that’s 4% rostered that’s a perfect fit for your build, go ahead an add him, even in a 14-team league. Things get increasingly flexible as leagues get deeper.

Justin Champagnie (11%)

Julian Champagnie has likely disappeared from most deep-league waiver wires after his excellent run last week, but luckily for us there’s a ready-made replacement who has a very similar game. Justin Champagnie lacks the explosive upside that his brother showcased last week but when the Wizards are dealing with injuries, he may actually be the more consistent offensive player. The rebounds, steals and blocks have always been there and Champagnie is inside the top-140 over the last month. If Washington ever gets to a full roster then Champagnie will likely take a back seat but until that happens he’s a clear start in 14-team formats.

Profile: Seat-warmer who might have some staying power

Tim Hardaway Jr. (16%)

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Mike Passador

Mike graduated from Boston University’s Dual Degree Program with a BA in Economics and a BS in Business with Concentrations in Marketing and Operations Management. He is a faithful supporter of Toronto sports and the Detroit Lions and is always ready to be let down. Tweet to him @Mike_Pandador, but if you badmouth Jose Calderon you might get blocked.

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