Fantasy Basketball 2023-24: Week 11 Waiver Wire Targets

Hello! Happy New Year! I missed you all last week.

The waiver wire is in a weird place right now. The good news is there are a ton of options worth considering, including an awesome all-leagues must-add to headline the list. However, after that, there's a split: there are many high-impact but very short-term options, and there are also several low-end long-term prospects. I spent most of this article focusing on the former group, so I'll use this intro to call your attention to the "other recommendations" section. There are several pickups who might last on your roster for the rest of the season, even if they're never likely to crack Fantasy's Top-100. Al Horford and Taurean Prince are the main two, but Gary Trent and Jaden McDaniels are also in this category.

The schedule is mostly back to normal in Week 11 – a little busier than average, but well within the normal range. That said, the slates are a little lopsided, with 12 games Wednesday and 14 Friday, while Thursday and Saturday sport only two and four, respectively. Managers should therefore prioritize the Bucks and Spurs on waivers, as they're the only teams off on Friday. The Bucks, in particular, emerge as having a great schedule – four games, including two against the "no defense allowed" Pacers. 

As always, the players in this article must be rostered 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

Isaiah Hartenstein, Knicks (67% rostered)

Last call. Mitchell Robinson (ankle) is done for the year, making Hartenstein the Knicks primary center. Though he technically came off the bench for the first five games sans Robinson, Hartenstein still averaged 31.2 minutes during that stretch. In the nine games without Robinson, Hartenstein is averaging 8-10-2 with 1.6 blocks and 0.7 steals while shooting an awesome 64.4% from the field. If anything, those numbers undersell his abilities as a thief – his steals-per-minute pace over these past nine games is below his per-minute average for every season of his career. Hartenstein is already putting up top-100 numbers in his expanded role, and that would rise if his steals pace increases. He's an easy must-add in all leagues. 

The nominal starter for those first five games was Jericho Sims (ankle), who then missed the next four games. His original timetable had him returning sometime in Week 11, but his presence or absence hasn't affected Hartenstein either way. Sims takes the phrase "not relevant for Fantasy" to a new extreme: not only is he unrosterable, even in deep leagues, even when he starts, but his absence has no discernible impact on his "backup's" stats.

Dante Exum, Mavericks (52% rostered)

The magical ride continues. Exum has now started 12 games, averaging 15-4-5 while playing 30.8 minutes. He's riding an incredible hot streak, maintaining 60-53-84 shooting splits during this stretch. The good times should continue at least as long as Kyrie Irving (heel) remains out, and at this point, it's become plausible that Exum could retain Fantasy value alongside a healthy Irving. Unfortunately, the team has given us no information at all regarding Irving's timeline, though at this point that lack of information seems to imply a return is not imminent. Exum's teammate, Derrick Jones (24% rostered) is also worth considering while the Mavericks are beat up, though I don't have any confidence in him – he's toward the bottom of this week's "other recommendations" section.

Grayson Allen, Suns (43% rostered)

I get it. Few people want to roster the archetypal Duke villain with a boring stat profile. But, like it or not, Allen has been a top-80 player this season. His 13-5-3 and 0.9 steals are good enough. Where he shines, however, is his combination of volume threes with efficient shooting. Only Tyrese Haliburton and Derrick White can beat Allen's 2.4 threes and 49.6 FG%. Allen gets a block every other game, and he is likely to remain a starter even when (if?) the Suns' three stars are simultaneously healthy. He should be rostered in every league.

Duncan Robinson, Heat (55% rostered)

Speaking of elite three-point shooters who also help with FG%, Robinson is a rounding error away from joining Allen, Haliburton, and White on that list above. His production has basically maintained even as he's moved back to the bench. His production profile is pretty similar to Allen's, just slightly worse, and Robinson has more potential obstacles to maintaining value.

Andre Drummond, Bulls (44% rostered)

No, you didn't pass through a time machine. Drummond, on the other hand, does appear to have engaged in some science fiction chicanery. How else can you explain his 24 points, 25 rebounds, and five stocks starting in place of Nikola Vucevic (groin) on Tuesday? However you explain it, Vucevic is out and is likely to miss most or all of Week 11. That gives Drummond a few more games as a starter, during which he'll continue to rack up rebounds and defensive stats. Though it's been a while since Drummond was a Fantasy mainstay, he's still just 30 years old. It won't always be as good as it was Tuesday, but his floor as a starter is probably about what he put up Thursday: seven points, 16 rebounds, and one steal. He's a great short-term stream. My credentials as a Patrick Williams (51% rostered) skeptic are well-established, but even I must acknowledge that he should also be added while Vucevic is out. One additional note: these games serve as a reminder that, if the Bulls trade Vucevic and don't receive a center in the deal, managers should race to add Drummond.

Jonathan Kuminga (57% rostered) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (41% rostered), Warriors

If you missed out on Brandin Podziemski (71% rostered), Kuminga and Jackson-Davis have emerged as a decent consolation prize. Draymond Green's indefinite suspension is expected to last at least through next weekend, if not longer. Podziemski has started since Green's suspension, and if he's still available, he's definitely the preferred pickup (especially since his Fantasy viability is most likely to survive Green's return). Kuminga is up to 16-6-2 without Green, and he's moved ahead of Andrew Wiggins on the depth chart, at least for now.

Jackson-Davis' role didn't immediately increase without Green, but his production in the last five games has been solid. In just 20.8 minutes, he's averaging 11-9-2 with 1.6 stocks. His minutes are so low that it's hard to imagine him lasting on rosters once Green comes back, but Jackson-Davis is a solid short-term play, especially with the Warriors' favorable Week 11 schedule. They have four games, all at home, including two against teams that are not on track to make the play-in tournament.

Craig Porter, Cavaliers (22% rostered)

Porter's value probably dries up once Donovan Mitchell (illness) returns, which could be as soon as Friday (i.e., a few hours after you're reading this). That said, we have to acknowledge that Porter has averaged 7.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks in the four games Mitchell and Darius Garland (jaw) have been out. If Mitchell were guaranteed to miss a week, Porter would be one of this week's top adds.

Other recommendations: Al Horford, Celtics (50% rostered); Taurean Prince, Lakers (22% rostered); Nick Richards, Hornets (20% rostered); Patrick Williams, Bulls (51% rostered); Gary Trent, Raptors (28% rostered); Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves (28% rostered); Peyton Watson, Nuggets (6% rostered); Aaron Nesmith, Pacers (24% rostered); Day'Ron Sharpe, Nets (14% rostered); Derrick Jones, Mavericks (24% rostered)

Deep league special

Note: Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (6% rostered) should be the priority pickup for deep-league managers while Aaron Gordon (dog bite) is out; he's listed in the other recommendations section, above, for managers of all league sizes.

Andrew Nembhard, Pacers (15% rostered)

Nembhard's minutes have surged this week with Bruce Brown (knee) sidelined. The Pacers are treating Brown as game-to-game, and their injury description (a "knee bruise") makes it sound minor. As long as Brown is out, adding Nembhard in a deep league is obvious – these kinds of minutes, points, and assists are hard to find. What is interesting here is whether we should hold Nembhard after Brown returns. When the Pacers are healthy, Nembhard's workload this season has been disappointing. When coming off the bench, he has more games with under 20 minutes than with 20-plus minutes. However, managers with deep benches may want to consider holding Nembhard anyway. Indiana has turned to Nembhard to back up both Haliburton and Brown, so there are multiple paths to increased minutes. On top of that, Nembhard's per-minute assists and steals rates are so good that he has the chance to help managers even when the workload is underwhelming.