This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The NBA season hasn't started yet, but already it may be time to make some waiver moves.
Whether you drafted DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) knowing he was hurt, or Derrick White (heel) in the days between the Dejounte Murray (knee) injury and White's own, many managers have a bench spot that opened after placing someone on IR.
You don't need an injured player to already have your eye on the waiver wire, though. Some people – myself included – already regret a couple of their later picks. Others – again, myself included – have already made some trades that created roster openings. Or, perhaps, some still are just hyperactive fantasy addicts who crave the ability to constantly tinker with their roster – one last time: myself included.
It's a weird time on the waiver wire, since a lot of the best options provide value in similar categories. That's alright though. Plenty changes in the first couple weeks, and it's an important time to maximize total value. Trades are much more common, so even if these players aren't a great fit for your roster, if they produce over the first week or two managers can look to trade them for better fits.
Players included below must be owned in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Adds for all leagues
Editor's note: Ownership percentage reflects CBS leagues
Larry Nance, Cavaliers (56 percent
The NBA season hasn't started yet, but already it may be time to make some waiver moves.
Whether you drafted DeMarcus Cousins (Achilles) knowing he was hurt, or Derrick White (heel) in the days between the Dejounte Murray (knee) injury and White's own, many managers have a bench spot that opened after placing someone on IR.
You don't need an injured player to already have your eye on the waiver wire, though. Some people – myself included – already regret a couple of their later picks. Others – again, myself included – have already made some trades that created roster openings. Or, perhaps, some still are just hyperactive fantasy addicts who crave the ability to constantly tinker with their roster – one last time: myself included.
It's a weird time on the waiver wire, since a lot of the best options provide value in similar categories. That's alright though. Plenty changes in the first couple weeks, and it's an important time to maximize total value. Trades are much more common, so even if these players aren't a great fit for your roster, if they produce over the first week or two managers can look to trade them for better fits.
Players included below must be owned in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Adds for all leagues
Editor's note: Ownership percentage reflects CBS leagues
Larry Nance, Cavaliers (56 percent owned): Even before Nance signed his four-year, $45 million dollar contract, I listed Nance inside the top-80 on my own personal board. The fact that the team was willing to make such a long-term investment in him only increases his appeal. He was already slated to see a big increase over the 20.8 minutes per game he averaged after getting traded to the Cavaliers midway through last season, and the new contract only adds confidence to that presumption. In fewer than 21 minutes, he was a top-80 player over the last two months of last season. He should have been drafted, and he should be owned in all format, including 8-team leagues.
OG Anunoby, Raptors (11 percent owned): Anunoby still has a chance to end up as a starter for the Raptors, since they have not finalized their rotation yet. He'll need a starter's workload to accumulate fantasy value, since he is very much a better in real life than fantasy player. He's a great early-season add because we should find out quickly whether we want to keep him or drop him. Either he's getting enough minutes to accrue meaningful production -- probably in rebounds, steals, threes and field goal percentage to go with minimal turnovers -- or he isn't, and we'll know the answer to that before the weekend rolls around.
Derrick White, Spurs (34 percent owned): White's ownership skyrocketed after it was announced that Murray would miss the entire season with a torn ACL. Then, barely a week later, White's ownership plummeted on the news that he, too, could miss multiple months with an injury of his own. White's injury involves the plantar fascia, a tiny ligament in the foot that has ruined many players' seasons – and, for some, marked the end of their career. So while the injury is a major red flag, his initial recovery timeframe has been halved, and it now looks like he could return to the court before the end of the month. The Spurs are completely depleted at point guard, so White could see a lot of minutes once he returns. He's a bit of an unknown, but the best projections indicate that he'd probably help most in rebounds, threes, and field goal percentage – his best production comps are Murray, Terry Rozier, and David Nwaba, though none of those are an exact match. He should be rostered in all 14-team leagues, and the majority of 12-team leagues.
Cedi Osman, Cavaliers (37 percent owned): None of the Cavs' wing men were widely drafted, primarily because of the uncertainty over how minutes would get distributed in what appears to be an evenly-matched depth chart. Well, the latest indications from Cleveland indicate Osman is likely to be the primary small forward, and that he will get the elite defensive assignments. Coach Ty Lue specifically named Victor Oladipo as a future foe when saying Osman had earned the role of primary wing defender. That pronouncement provides a huge boost to Osman's value, since all we were waiting on was clarity on his role. He's not great, but if he's seeing a ton of minutes then he should have time to provide a lot of rebounds, steals and threes, with marginal assists and field goal percentage. He'll be bad-not-terrible in points and somewhat harmful in free throw shooting.
