Welcome back, freaks. Fantasy football season is over, so it’s time to really dial in your fantasy basketball teams by hitting up the waiver wire. I am here to steer you in the right direction, as you ascend towards a championship.

Double-Check Zone

These are players who are highly likely to be gone — maybe even drafted — in any competitive league. And yet, their roster percentage is well below 100 on Yahoo, meaning you need to take the 20 seconds and make sure that these guys are not floating around anywhere.

Ausar Thompson (48%)

We send out love and blessings to Jaden Ivey, who was lost for the season due to a broken fibula in his left leg. Ivey’s departure from the Detroit lineup leaves a gaping hole and the solution is Ausar, who entered the starting lineup against the Wolves on Saturday night. Ausar had a 10-10 double-double with six steals in 26 minutes and he is by far the best pick up in fantasy basketball right now.

Russell Westbrook (69%)

Did you know that Mr. Triple Double has a PRA of 12-6-8 with 2.2 steals over the last month? That’s #91 value in nine-cat Yahoo leagues. Westbrook is hovering around 30 minutes per game even when Jamal Murray or Christian Braun are healthy because Denver head coach Michael Malone loves dogs—and Westbrook is one of the all-time dogs. He should be rostered in way more than 69% of Yahoo leagues. I encourage you to wake up to this Nuggets’ vintage of Westbrook and/or let go of any judgy biases you may have formed about him. Giddy up.

Yves Missi (41%)

Why are so many of you sleeping on Missi? Why is he available in 59% of Yahoo leagues? That makes no sense to me. Missi is a mainstay in the Pelicans’ starting lineup who has multiple blocks in five of the last seven games. For the season, the rookie is blocking 1.5 shots per game.

Who would you rather have on your fantasy team right now: Missi or Clint Capela? Missi is averaging nine points and eight rebounds with 1.5 blocks per game. Capela, who is rostered in 80% of Yahoo leagues for name-value only, is averaging nine points, nine rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. Gimme the swats with the young fella.

Malik Beasley (35%)

Beasley is not a streamer and he should be rostered in way more than 35% of Yahoo leagues. Over the last month, Beasley has a PRA of 17-3-2 with 1.0 steals and 4.3 threes per game. Folks, 17 ppg with 4+ threes should not be on the waiver wire, it should be in starting lineups whenever the Pistons lace ’em up.

When I think of the top bench players in the league this season, three dudes immediately pop into my mind: Payton Pritchard, De’Andre Hunter and Beasley. The Pistons’ sixth man already has 14 games with 20+ points.

Standard Leagues

These are players worth a long look in 12-team leagues. Maybe they help in one key area; maybe they have legitimate season-long appeal and will continue to improve; maybe they are good but not better than the last guy on your roster. Maybe they hit the wire as a streaming sacrifice, or to make space for someone in the Double-Check Zone. That’s life sometimes! But this group should all be at least on the radar, if not full-on rostered in standard formats.

We’ll also display a player’s Yahoo roster percentage next to their name.

Keon Ellis (17%)

Shoutout to the great Aaron Bruski because his guy Keon Ellis is back in the starting lineup thanks to the coaching change from Mike Brown to Doug Christie. Ellis is a must-add because of his elite ability to rack up fantasy gold (blocks, steals, threes). Ellis has started the past three games, averaging 11-2-2-1-2 with two threes in 32 minutes. It makes sense to start Ellis with all of the offensive weapons that the Kings have and I’m surprised Coach Brown didn’t utilize him that way.

Keon Johnson (12%)

The Nets will be playing without Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson for a chunk of time and D’Angelo Russell just left their last game with an injury that I expect to linger because, well, it’s D-Lo. That’s where Keon comes in to boost fantasy squads around the world. Over the last two weeks, Johnson has a PRA of 15-5-2 with 1.7 stocks and 2.1 threes. In his game against Philly on Saturday, Keon had 15-8-8 with a steal and two threes. I would grab him now before he turns into someone else’s treasure.

Brice Sensabaugh (8%)

Say hello to my little friend. Sensabaugh just dropped 61 points in a two-game span and he is officially on the reality and fantasy radar. He racked up 34 points with seven threes in Saturday’s win at Miami and he backed that up with 27 points and five threes in Sunday’s win at Orlando. Utah is a revolving door of injured starters on the way to the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, so there should be plenty of playing time for Sensabaugh for the rest of the season.

Tristan da Silva (21%)

Please don’t look at the rookie’s low-dough game (6-9-2-0-0) in Sunday’s loss to the Jazz. I encourage you to feast your eyes on the previous week when da Silva had a PRA of 15-5-4 with 1.0 steals and 3.0 threes. Paulo Banchero is out. Franz Wager is out. Mo Wagner is out. Jalen Suggs missed Sunday’s game with a back injury. Orlando is the land of opportunity and da Silva is taking full advantage of playing time he wasn’t supposed to get this early in his career.

Streamers, Maybe More

Take a look at these players for short-term help with an outside chance at a long-term commitment. For now we’re just having fun, but who knows where life takes you? Maybe an injury fill-in spot becomes permanent. Maybe the hot streak never ends. And maybe you’ll add someone on a bender and feel free to drop them for the next hotness when the time comes.

Nikola Jovic (12%)

We are all wondering who will benefit the most from the Jimmy Butler drama in Miami. This is still a work in progress and the winners figure to alternate from night to night. That said, Jovic got the start in the Heat’s first game since suspending Butler and he went for 17-1-3-2-2 with three threes in just 24 minutes. If you start, then you are anchored into minutes and therefore likely to be more consistent than reserves. Jovic started 38 games last season, posting a PRA of 9-4-2 with 1.6 threes and 1.0 stocks in 22 minutes.

Jaime Jaquez (12%)

There are many potential beneficiaries to the Butler drama, including Haywood Highsmith and Terry Rozier. That said, I want you to focus on Jaquez, who played 34 minutes off the bench in game one of the post-Butler era with a decent stat line of 13-2-4-0-1. Jaquez might not get a starting assignment, but I like his chances to be featured more and handle the ball more without Mr. DTD. Jaquez was solid in 20 starts last season, averaging a PRA of 15-4-3 with one three and 1.5 stocks. If you want to get very excited, take a look at what he did in a 2OT game vs. Sacramento on Monday.

Cam Whitmore (8%)

The injuries to Jabari Smith and Tari Eason have created a rotation spot for Whitmore, who is a major talent that just needs burn to take off. Over the last two weeks, Whitmore is averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds with two threes and one stock per game. He is wildly inconsistent from night to night, but the spike games are explosive. I view him as a quality streamer right now, but that opinion could change with more consistency and/or another Houston injury.

Bub Carrington (12%)

The Wizards’ backcourt is a mess right now, with Jordan Poole (hip) and Bilal Coulibaly (ill) missing Sunday’s game, and Malcolm Brogdon leaving with right foot pain (uh oh). Bub took advantage of the increased usage rate with a PRA of 16-7-4 with four threes and one steal. Bub was a thing earlier this season and if Poole and Brogdon continue to miss games, then Bub will be a sought-after player on the waiver wire. The box score loves Bub, who has awesome PRA potential going back to college.

Deeper Leagues

Managers in 16-team formats (and even 14-teamers, if we’re being real) can still find a lot of value out there. The barriers to roster entry get lower as the player pool deepens so some of these guys will end up as streamers, while others could end up being game-changing adds. Might as well find out who is who.

Kel’el Ware (10%)

Ware is an ascending player with the Heat and it looks like they have hit on another first round pick. The departure of Thomas Bryant and the benching of Kevin Love have ushered Ware into the backup center role and he is flourishing. Over the last three games, his minutes have risen from 17-21-22. He made 18 of 24 shots over that span with 47 points and seven stocks. If he Coach Spo keeps him around 20 minutes per game, we might have the next Yves Missi on our hands.

Jaylen Wells (8%)

Wells popped last Friday at Sacramento with 30 points and eight threes. The production fluctuates on a nightly basis, but he has a PRA of 16-6-3 with 3.3 threes and one steal over the last week. Wells has been in the starting lineup since the second week of the season, hitting double figure scoring 21 times.

Jake LaRavia (4%)

LaRavia reintroduced himself to the fantasy world on Saturday with 17 points and 10 assists in 32 minutes off the Memphis bench. I can’t guarantee those minutes moving forward, but the Grizzlies have several players on the shelf so Jake should be consistently playing 20+ minutes. In 22 minutes per game this season, Laravia has a box-score friendly line of 8-4-3 with 1.4 stocks and 1.0 three.

Justin Champagnie (3%)

We all need to stay aware of the other Champagnie brother because he remained in the Wizards’ starting lineup despite the return of Kyle Kuzma. Justin played 57 minutes while starting alongside Kuz for the past two games, with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four stocks and three threes. If you are in a 12-team league, then you have no need for Champagnie. But if you are in a 14-team league or more, then you need to strongly consider picking him up.

Who’s Popping?

These are players who are in mid-pop or players who are about to pop for various reasons. (“Pop” is another way of saying “increase in stats”.)

It is our job as winning fantasy managers to constantly target these “pop players” in drafts and off waivers. Why? Because the best way to build a championship team is with a crew of studs who are having career years. You cannot win chips with a bunch of dudes having injury-hit or “down” years. It’s all about the arrow, folks. Is it pointing up…or down?

Alex Sarr

The French rookie is popping as we speak, with 18+ points in three of his last four games. Over the last month, Sarr is averaging a robust PRA of 15-7-3 with 2.2 threes and 1.2 blocks. He is destined to be one of the top block-three guys in the NBA, but the present looks pretty darn bright as well. The good news with Sarr is that the Wizards are unlikely to sit him down in pursuit of Cooper Flagg. The Wizards will most certainly tank, but teams don’t usually shut down top picks like Sarr.

Deni Avdija

Deni is currently in the Portland starting five because Jerami Grant is dealing with a facial contusion. That said, Deni is playing so well that Chauncey Billups will have to at least think twice about sending him back to the bench. In recent games, he went for 18-14-4-0-3 against the Bucks and 27-8-6-1-1 against the Jazz. Over the last two weeks, Avdija has averaged a PRA of 20-8-4 with 1.7 threes and 1.0 steal. Even if he goes back to the bench, he will play starters’ minutes and remain very productive for your team.

Max Christie

It’s all happening for Christie right now. He is starting for the Lakers and playing the best ball of his career. Over the last two weeks, Christie has a PRA of 15-3-2 with 2.4 threes and 1.1 steals. That stat combination is too good to be left on waivers so pick up Christie and ride the wave.