Last Updated on December 11, 2025 1:17 am by Keston Paul | Published: December 10, 2025

I hope you are enjoying the NBA Cup Knockouts.
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.

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.

Stephon Castle (67%)
Key Note(s): Literally just a true double-check name.

If you ignore turnovers, Castle is a top-75 per-game producer so far. If you combine that with a FT% punt, he is top-40. If you punt FT% but you do care about turnovers, he is top-90 per game. This basically means he is more suited to H2H than pure roto settings, but in case your league missed his return somehow, Castle should be on a roster. He might lose a little “something” when the Spurs are 100 percent healthy; however, Castle isn’t shy about getting his own usage, so he will likely be fine.

Jrue Holiday (58%)
Key Note(s): Should be returning from injury soon & was producing legit top-50 value

Holiday’s playmaking looked real the last time we saw him and he was averaging 8.3 APG to go with 1.6 steals, 2.6 triples, 5.3 rebounds and 16.7 points. The Blazers are playing aggressive defensive schemes at the point of attack (so the steals should stick) and the only playmakers on the roster are Holiday, Deni Avdija and Scoot Henderson (whenever he is healthy). I don’t think Holiday is going to relinquish a starting job when he is back. If he was dropped, he is a must-add player.

Aaron Gordon (48%)
Key Note(s): Expected to return by Christmas

Gordon was having a career year in 2025-26 before his injury. I pointed out in my 2024-25 Nuggets Season Wrap that Gordon’s shooting improvements were intriguing and that only injuries held him back in 2024-25 due to reduced minutes. When he was healthy enough to play 30-plus MPG last season, he was a legit 12-team option. Well, injuries have already struck again. The concern would be if Gordon returns on a 26-, 27- or 28-minute limit, much like he did during stints of 2024-25. If Gordon can ramp up to 30-plus MPG quickly however, I think he will continue providing 12-team value. He maybe isn’t a must-grab, but he is a strong injury stash for sure.

Derik Queen (47%)
Key Note(s): Massive upside as shown by the 30-point triple-double

I honestly don’t know what the correct evaluation on Queen is. Recency bias will tell you he is awesome, but that 30-point triple-double was preceded by a six-point game with poor shooting; albeit, the peripherals were good. Queen has sort of alternated good weeks and bad weeks since becoming the starter. I think that overall, his upside warrants him being held in case he becomes more consistent. However, consistency is a legitimate problem. Even with those inconsistencies he is top-140 per game on the season and that is with him beginning the season in a bench role too. So, yes… I think we just hold.

Donte DiVincenzo (43%)
Key Note(s): His stat set is fantasy-friendly

I think DiVincenzo gets treated unfairly by fantasy managers. After a couple of bad games, he might end up back on the waiver wire. He is comfortably inside the top-100 thanks to a fantasy-friendly skill set of threes, steals and solid assists plus points. He also has no challenger for his job. Mike Conley is old and the young players are too raw. DDV is a rest-of-season player unless the Wolves make a splash in the trade market.

Reed Sheppard (40%)
Key Note(s): Same as above despite his role being less secure

I get it. Sheppard played 21 and 20 minutes in his past two games. He still had double-digit points and two triples in each of those games, also combining for two steals, nine assists and seven rebounds across both contests. Sheppard just generates stats, even when the role is limited. It isn’t ideal that his role floats around a bit, but he should be held.

Neemias Queta (38%)
Key Note(s): Top-75 9-cat per game so far and every reason I’ve said in a prior article

Queta is the only big man that Joe Mazzulla trusts. While the minutes may not tell you that (24.2 per game), the Celtics practically go small in almost all of the non-Queta minutes and they aren’t going to go small for 48 minutes every game. Queta has been an immense per-minute producer and should just be on a roster.

Grayson Allen (36%)
Key Note(s): Why is he rostered this low?

I already mentioned this in my previous edition of this article. Allen started in the brief time we saw the Suns healthy. He was the starter of choice alongside Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams. That doesn’t guarantee that Allen will be the starter for the entire season, but it was a good note to remember.

Collin Gillespie (35%)
Key Note(s): Again, how?

I cannot guarantee what Gillespie’s role looks like whenever Jalen Green (hamstring) is back in the mix and the team is at 100 percent. Gillespie has a strong argument for a true sixth-man role, but the team has a bunch of other solid role players (Jordan Goodwin and Ryan Dunn for defense for example or even Royce O’Neale) who might be more “suited” to playing alongside an offensively-focused duo of Devin Booker and Green. Who knows? You should have him on a roster right now, given his level of play, and figure that out later.

Honorable Mention(s): All of these names are under 60% rostered for some reason, but they should just be on a roster… Kyshawn George, Kevin Porter Jr., Nic Claxton, Zach Edey, Keegan Murray, Kon Knueppel, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jaden McDaniels, Jerami Grant

I don’t think those names need any extra explanation.

Standard Leagues

These players are either approaching 12-team value or have already seized it but every fantasy league may not have caught on to that yet. They may not be guaranteed to hold ROS value but they are worth a look nonetheless as it may be a possibility, or there may at least be some medium-to-long-term appeal.

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