Last Updated on December 25, 2025 3:14 pm by Keston Paul | Published: December 25, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Hopefully as a holiday treat I can identify some pickups that can help your roster power to playoff position!

Here is the article layout:

• Double-Check Zone: Players who should be on a 12-team roster, but whose roster percentages suggest you need to make sure they’re not on your wire.
• Standard Leagues: Players worth an add in standard leagues with a potential path to value over a decent stretch of time (or the season).
• Streamers, Maybe More: Players on a hot streak or a path to short-term value with a smaller chance of long-term upside if certain things break their way.
• Watch-List: Players who may not quite be surefire adds yet, but those who should be monitored in case they trend up.
• Deep Leagues: Lower-rostered players who should be available in 14-team or 16-team leagues and beyond.
• Weekend Watch: A quick look at teams with strong weekend schedules if you’re planning on some very short-term pickups.

All stats and rostership percentages are from Yahoo as of 12/25

Double-Check Zone

Most of these players will be rostered in competitive leagues, but we get just enough questions about them to warrant another call-out. These are your priority adds and if anyone on this list is still available, thank your lucky stars.

Russell Westbrook (65%)
Key Note(s): Impactful assists although he has his flaws

I get Westbrook isn’t every fantasy manager’s cup of tea. That said, the Kings seem determined to keep him in a sizeable role, translating to plenty of useful fantasy stats. It’s tough to argue against his production in the last two weeks per game — 31.4 minutes, 6.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 16.7 points on 40% from the field. You can’t trust the threes nor FT%, but there is a lot more good than bad with Westbrook. He probably is already rostered by a team needing his stats, but he’s worth a quick glance just to confirm that is the case.

Jrue Holiday (56%)
Key Note(s): Still week-to-week with uncertain timeline

Holiday was smashing it early on, averaging 16.7 points on 44.6% from the field, 5.3 boards, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals in the first 12 games of the season. Unfortunately, a right calf strain has held him out since. While I would be skeptical of any player returning back to previous levels after coming back this long an absence, the Blazers offense has not gelled since then. The team needs Holiday to be more functional on offense, and he should be able to approach these numbers when he returns. Really, my only hesitancy is the lack of any clear timetable. I don’t think there are too many better stashes out there though, which means Holiday should still be a priority stash on IR.

Derik Queen (52%)
Key Note(s): Multi-category upside even through the rookie inconsistency

In dynasty, I was pounding the table for Queen as someone who could potentially operate as an offensive hub while providing enough defensive stats to be worth the investment. By now, most fantasy managers are starting to realize the same. Queen has clear on-court warts. At the same time, it’s rare to have a player with this level of touch and passing vision at his size. There will be plenty of down games for Queen as with any rookie. But there will also be pop-off games where he dominates and racks up stats across the entire box score. On average, this should make Queen a plus overall. If a manager decided to drop Queen after a string of bad games, add him back quickly.

Aaron Gordon (48%)
Key Note(s): Gordon’s shooting can offset injury ramp up, plus Nuggets need him

We’re probably still a few weeks away from Gordon hitting the court, but that is close to the time managers should consider adding him back as a stash. His shooting jump should help negate any athleticism struggles as Gordon ramps back up, allowing to carve out some value even if the boards and defensive stats aren’t there right away. While the Nuggets are winning plenty fine without Gordon, he is still a crucial member of their team. Expect the minutes to start low early on but tick up as Gordon ramps back up. He may be right outside standard league value initially but could soon be a clear-cut top-75 player right as the fantasy playoffs approaches. That’s a player worth riding out the waves.

Reed Sheppard (42%)
Key Note(s): ?!

What are we doing people? I hope this roster percentage is one of those fake things that is just not being calculated right, as Sheppard has put up around top-50 value this season. There is ZERO reason he should be on waiver wires in most any fantasy format. Plus, there’s a chance he breaks out even further and adds even more value.

Jerami Grant (41%)
Key Note(s): Impactful points and other goodies for top-100 output

Did I think Grant was basically done as a standard league player coming into the season? Yep! Was I mistaken in that? It appears so! Grant has ratcheted his shot volume back up, putting in around 20 points a game consistently along with a handful of threes a game. With enough rebounding and passing to not make him just an empty points player. As mentioned earlier with Holiday, the Blazers need any source of offense they can find. This makes Grant trustworthy enough to be a stable member of your standard league roster.

Saddiq Bey (36%)
Key Note(s): Starting line-up mainstay with points and boards

Bey has remarkably come back from his ACL injury will little-to-no ill effects. While he is minutes-reliant, his hold on a starting spot doesn’t appear to be going anyway anytime soon. At worst he should be a low-end hold in standard leagues as he’s been for much of the season already with decent contributions across the board.

Honorable Mention(s): All of these names are under 60% rostered for some reason, but they should just be on a roster… Andrew Wiggins, Ryan Rollins, Kon Knueppel, Keegan Murray, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, P.J. Washington, Jabari Smith Jr., Jaden McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo, Santi Aldama, Neemias Queta

We’ve seen enough about these names in the past, so no further explanations were needed.

Standard Leagues

These players are either approaching 12-team value or close enough to it that they should probably be rostered in standard leagues. Perhaps they’re holding down that last roster spot on your team while others are getting healthy, but nonetheless they are worth a look for some potential longer-term appeal.

 Want full access to this week’s hot Waiver Wire Adds? You’ll need to have an Ethos 360, All-Sport or NBA FantasyPass membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required  

Join the SportsEthos team! Fill out an application by clicking here!