Welcome back, freaks. This is the most important waiver wire week of the fantasy basketball season with the NBA trade deadline coming up on Thursday. There will be plenty of new discoveries off the waiver wire, but there are several difference makers who you can add to your championship pursuit right now.

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.

Stephon Castle (33%)

Why is Castle only rostered in one-third of Yahoo fantasy leagues? What is going on here, class? Over the last week, Castle averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 threes and 1.3 steals. He is turning into the goodie guy we thought he could be as a champion at UConn. Over the last month, Castle is averaging a PRA of 16-4-4 with 1.4 threes and 0.8 steals. The fantasy gold–which is blocks, steals, threes–aspect of his game has taken a big leap over the past two weeks.

Yes, I did hear about De’Aaron Fox coming to San Antonio, but I project Fox and Castle to start in the backcourt with Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes and Victor Wembanyama rounding out the starting five. Will Castle average 18-6-4 alongside Fox? Maybe not, but his numbers will still be really solid as the Spurs make a playoff push down the stretch.

Kel’el Ware (49%)

Ware has cooled off over the last week, but DO NOT send him back to waivers. Also, scoop him up if he’s been foolishly dropped in your league. Ware is averaging 5.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 0.5 threes over the last week of play. Not good. However, he has given us 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 threes over the last month, which is clearly a stat line that should be highly rostered.

He is locked into the Miami starting five for the rest of the season and beyond. It is possible that he is a little gassed because his rookie frame is learning how to “Heat Culture” night in and night out. The All-Star break is right around the corner, which will rejuvenate the rookie for the stretch run, when he will be helping teams win fantasy rings.

Zach Edey (68%)

It is time for Edey to be rostered in at least 85% of Yahoo leagues, but he is not even at 70%, so please double check your waiver wire for the Purdue rookie. Edey has really turned a corner over the last two weeks, averaging 11.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.

His minutes continue to be hit and miss, but he is putting up solid stat lines even when his minutes are in the teens. I expect his minutes to slowly rise in the second half, as the Grizzlies continue to groom their prized rookie for what they hope to be a long playoff run.

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