Always make sure you’re checking the previous waiver wire articles that are released because unless there’s an urgent situation and a player becomes a “must-add” for the remainder of the season and you have to scoop him up immediately, a player mentioned in the previous three articles will not make another appearance. We’re always looking for the “next guy” and sometimes it takes a couple of games for that player to get going and mold into their teams style of play. Keep a watch list and look at the stats from the previous two weeks to find the trends. 

Cedi Osman F CLE-20% Invested In: While the Cavaliers big men are healthy again, a key guard in Collin Sexton is lost for the season and they need effective backcourt shooting and Ricky Rubio can’t always be relied on and Darius Garland will be prioritized on the perimeter by opposing defenses meaning Osman should start taking double digit shots more frequently. He’s been dealing with a stiff Back, but he’s been thriving through the pain. He’s scored 23 or more points in 2 of his last 4 games and he shot at least 11 shots in 3 of those games during that span. He’s grabbed four or more boards in his last three games and he’s swiped balls in each of his last seven outings. Over the last two weeks, Osman has been playing 25 minutes per game and his playing time should stay consistent.

Guillermo “Willy” Hernangomez C NOP-21% invested In: Hernangomez has been known to provide teams with instant offense. He’s not the best defender, but after not seeing much time off the bench, Hernangomez has been lighting up the stat-sheet in his last four battles. Hernangomez can help stretch the floor and if the Pelicans need, they could flex him to PF short-term. He’s scored in double figures and grabbed seven or more boards in each of his last four games. His playing time during this stretch has been hovering around 20 minutes, which shows a true rotation commitment. He’s grabbed four steals total in his last four games and he’s dished three or more dimes in his last three contests. Hernangomez should have some staying power as primary backup behind Jonas Valanciunas once Zion Williamson returns, but that won’t translate to 20 minutes per game. View him as a short-term solution for now. The Pelicans lack size without Williamson and another bigger body out there possibly with Valanciunas out there to clogs up the lane a bit more.

Danny Green SG, SF PHI-26% Invested In: If looking for a final player off of your fantasy basketball bench, Green fits the mold because he plays good defense which will keep his minutes up in the 76ers rotation and he can hit long-range shots. Green had missed a few games due to a sore Hamstring, but since coming back, he’s scored in double figures in both games and grabbed four steals in both of those contests. There are a lot of mid-court players in Philly, but Green can help out in multiple areas including bringing the ball up if needed. The Sixers aren’t off to the best of starts this season and they’ll look to go defense over offense and that favors Green. He grabs nearly two steals per contest and hits two-to-three three pointers per game. Now that he’s healthy again, expect his shot-numbers to increase as we should start seeing him take eight to 10 per contest. He’s been shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc and over 47 percent from the field.

Maxi Kleber PF, C DAL-17% Invested In: Kleber’s mid-section was hurting, but now that he’s back in action, he seems to be the Mavericks best bet to play alongside Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith in their frontcourt. This group of Willie Cauley-Stein, Dwight Powell, Boban Marjanovic doesn’t make an impact. They’re just fillers, that’s it! (I say this now until one of them gets hot and I suggest picking them up in a few weeks). With Kleber back, the center spot is his and he’s played over 30 minutes in 2 of the 3 games he’s suited up for since returning to the floor. Kleber has been shooting 48 percent from the floor and over 41 percent from long-range. He’s grabbed more boards than his 5.7 average in his last 2 contests and he’s even swatted away shots in all 3 games since returning to action. 

Danilo Gallinari F ATL-15% Invested In: He’s getting the minutes, but the shots aren’t falling and with Cam Reddish dealing with a sprained Wrist it could bring this short-term solution a bigger piece of the offensive pie in Atlanta. Kevin Huerter was already recommended to be picked up in last week’s article and now we have to take a look at Gallinari because De’Andre Hunter won’t be back for a bit and Bogdan Bogdanovic will miss the next few weeks of games after spraining his Ankle. Even though he’s shooting a underwhelming 38 percent from the floor this season, he’s scored 10 or points in 3 of his last 5 games. He’s dished three or more dimes in three of his last four games and he’s grabbed steals in three of his last five games. Every little bit of production helps and yes, if John Collins got hurt, it would benefit Gallinari even more, but, with two mid-court players sidelined, the minutes will be there as he should log 20-25 minutes per game depending on his in-game impact. Try him out for a few games and see if he can show improved scoring and if he doesn’t release back out onto the wire.

Larry Nance Jr. PF, C POR-38% Invested In: Nance, like Gallinari, has competition in front of him in the frontcourt, but he has hit the 20-minute mark in 8 of his last 9 games. Robert Covington hasn’t been moving around the same on the court and Nance can help crash the boards a bit more. He’s grabbed six or more rebounds and grabbed multiple steals in three of his last five games. Nance can hit long-range jumpers and can share the court with Jusuf Nurkic. Nurkic is an inside-specific center and Nance can hit shots from the elbow and arc. He’s taken five or more shots in five of his last six contests. Covington’s inconsistent rebounding could lead to more run for Nance as Covington isn’t given 30 minutes per game anymore. If you look at Nurkic’s minutes, he’s not seeing 30 per game either and is given fewer than 25 minutes per game. There is room for Nance to grow his role and if he continues to be aggressive under the glass, he’ll get rewarded.

Monte Morris G DEN-40% Invested In: The Nuggets have a lot of issues and it starts with keeping players on the court. We don’t know when we’ll see Jamal Murray, PJ Dozier tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the season and now Michael Porter Jr. is having a procedure that will keep him out for the rest of the way. Even Nikola Jokic has been dealing with a bum wrist. There’s a ton of scoring to go around in Denver and Morris has been scoring 11.4 points per game and takes 10-11 shots per outing. He’s scored 15-plus points in 3 of his last 6 games. Morris has also been dishing 4.2 dimes per game and he’s grabbed steals in 4 of his last 7 games. Morris plays nearly 30 minutes per game and he’s very much prioritized over Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers. Morris is the Nuggets fourth scoring option and he should absolutely be added.

Brandon Clarke F MEM-13% Invested In: It’s very difficult putting stock in a player that doesn’t play at least 20 minutes per game, but, with Ja Morant out for at least the next few weeks with a sprained Knee, the Grizzlies need all of the scoring help they can get and we’ve seen Clarke score 10 or more points in 5 of his last 7 games. He’s been scoring over 10 points per week in his last 2 weeks. Clarke has also grabbed five or more boards in five of his last six games and blocked shots in three of those games. His minutes are slowly starting to inch closer to 20 per game. He received 26 minutes of action in 2 of his last 4 battles. He’s taken eight field goals in two of his last three games and if he’s going to continue to be a volume scorer as he’s been recently, he’s worth giving a roster spot too. When a top option gets hurt, it changes the team’s entire game plan and this could benefit Clarke by giving him a higher production ceiling. 

Immanuel Quickley PG NY-11% Invested In: Quickley has been an effective change-of-pace player for the Knicks when called upon this year and with Derrick Rose hurting and Kemba Walker not making a big splash with his presence, Quickley can come in and turn the pace up a notch and get the Knicks running a bit more. He’s played over 20 minutes in each of his last 9 games and he’s scored 12 or more points in 4 of his last 5 battles. He’s dished three or more dimes in his last three games. While Rose is hurt, Quickley should have a longer leash. He’s taken nine or more shots in each of his last four outings. Quickley makes one to two three-pointers per game. Unless Rose or Walker will miss significant time, Quickley doesn’t have long-term value, but he’s clearly part of the rotation and he’s taken advantage of Rose being absent.

Otto Porter Jr. F GSW-16% Invested In: Of all the names mentioned, keep Porter on the shortest leash. He shows flashes of his old self, but it’s been hard over the last few years to rely on any consistency from Porter. Porter has taken advantage of the extra run given to him with Andre Iguodala sidelined and he’s coming off of and 18 and 10 game. Porter is more known for his defense, but, he’s scored 12 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games and grabbed 6 or more rebounds in 3 games during this stretch. Porter has grabbed steals in each of his last four games as well. If Iguodala comes back and Porter’s minutes drop to around 15-17, let him go. He’s not the same the player he used to be, but he can still defend the elbow and arc.