Last Updated on February 17, 2026 9:16 pm by Mike Passador | Published: February 17, 2026

The trade deadline has come and gone and frankly there weren’t many pre-deadline stashes that hit paydirt as a result of all the moves made. Some of the bigger names on the board moved for lots of salary filler, and a few trades were comprised of low-level depth players who don’t have a ton of long-term promise in their new spot. We’ll touch on a few of the guys who could end up on the fantasy radar deeper in the article.

We’re right at the end of the All-Star break which means it’s time for the final push in fantasy. Head-to-head leagues should only have a couple weeks, if that, before the playoffs begin. If you have some standings cushion it’d be a good idea to scout out potential matchups and start to load up in the categories you’ll need to win against possible opponents. If you’re fighting for your life, chase down immediate production. You’ll have to forgo some upside just to see tomorrow. The week off without looking at box scores is a nice mental reset but it’s time to sit up straight again. Let’s get to it.

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 Kyle Kuzma (24%). As such, we’re going to focus on guys who are under 20% rostered.

Guys who are already on the standard-league radar but may still be available to you: Scoot Henderson (18%), Maxime Raynaud (19%), Dylan Cardwell (20%), Nique Clifford (18%), Herb Jones (19%), Jeremiah Fears (14%), De’Anthony Melton (10%), Tristan Vukcevic (4%), Malik Monk (15%), Jay Huff (20%), Jalen Smith (20%), Egor Demin (9%), Collin Murray-Boyles (16%), Daniel Gafford (24%), Tim Hardaway Jr. (14%), Michell Robinson (8%), Scotty Pippen Jr. (8%), Jarace Walker (21%), Tre Johnson (11%)

Devin Carter (4%)

Carter has been over 20 minutes in each of the last five games and the Kings are really clearing the deck in the backcourt; Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder are gone, Zach LaVine is out for the season and DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook are due for reduced workloads. In those last five games, Carter has contributed 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.8 steals per contest. You can never trust that the Kings are actually going to make the right call for his development but Carter has the looks of a strong pickup who is even hitting rosters in some 12-team formats. If you can afford to gamble on upside, Carter is up there near the top of the list.

Profile: Upside pickup with a low floor

Nick Richards (4%)

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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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