Every Monday, Adam Ronis drops by with his fantasy basketball waiver wire guide and trends to watch, walking you through how to attack the week ahead for fantasy hoops.

The schedule is more normal this week with the Holidays and the NBA Cup behind us. Most teams play three or four games and the Suns are the only team playing two games, while injuries continue to pile up.

Luka Doncic is out at least one month with a calf injury, Ja Morant is week-to-week with a shoulder injury, and Devin Booker has missed the last few games with groin tightness.

On the bright side in regards to the injury front, Zion Williamson is beginning to practice and Kawhi Leonard is targeting a return on January 4 to make his season debut.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Adds This Week

Guards To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Scottie Pippen Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)

Ja Morant is day-to-day with a shoulder injury and Marcus Smart will miss two weeks. Whenever Pippen has been given the chance to start, he has done well. Pippen is averaging 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 three-pointers while shooting 53..5% from the field, including 40.5% from three-point range.

Spencer Dinwiddie (Dallas Mavericks)

With Luka Doncic out for one month, Dinwiddie will see an expanded role. Dinwiddie might not start every game, but he will see more minutes. In three starts this season, he has averaged 17 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, two steals and one three-pointer. The field goal percentage will hurt as Dinwiddie is shooting 37.6% from the field.

Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers)

When Henderson gets the playing time, he can be helpful. He’s getting the minutes over the last few games, with at least 24 minutes in five straight games. Henderson has at least 12 points and multiple three-pointers in four straight games. In the last three games, Henderson averaged 17 points, three rebounds, six assists, and more than two three-pointers per game with eight steals and two blocks.

Forwards To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Quentin Grimes (Dallas Mavericks)

Luka Doncic has a calf strain and will miss at least one month. Grimes will see an increased role, especially this week since Naji Marshall has three games left on his suspension. Grimes has started nine games this season and is averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.4 three-pointers, 1.2 steals, and shooting 50% from the field in 28 minutes per game. Even if he doesn’t start every game, he should see close to 30 minutes per game.

Kelly Oubre (Philadelphia 76ers)

Oubre is more appealing when the 76ers are missing a starter or two, which happens often this season. The 76ers have a great schedule against Portland, Sacramento, Golden State and Brooklyn. Philadelphia has a back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday and Joel Embiid and Paul George could sit out one of the games.

Dalton Knecht (Los Angeles Lakers)

The trade of D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn presents a bigger opportunity for Knecht. The rookie could be the primary option off the bench. He’s had some big games this season and has played 33 and 25 minutes in the last two games. In deeper formats, he can help with points and three-pointers.

Centers To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Noah Clowney (Brooklyn Nets)

The trade of Dorian Finney-Smith opens up a spot for Clowney. The Nets will continue to make trades and it should only get better for Clowney as the season goes on.

Players To Drop In Fantasy Basketball This Week

  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
  • Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Fantasy Basketball Trends To Watch Entering Week 11

Kuminga rising

There’s a reason why Jonathan Kuminga was on the sleeper list and this past week showed it. After a slow start to the season, Kuminga is coming on strong in December. He is averaging 21.3 points, six rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 three-pointers, and shooting 47.9% from the field. In the last four games, the Warriors forward averaged 27 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, one steal, and shot 55.4% from the field. Kuminga scored a career-high 34 points in consecutive games on Friday and Saturday.

Edey standing tall

Just when Zach Edey became the favorite in the betting market to win Rookie of the Year, the Grizzlies center is in concussion protocol. Edey is a +120 favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook followed by Yves Missi (+400), Stephon Castle (+600), and Jaylen Wells (+900). The 7-foot-4, 300-pound center has three double-doubles in the last six games. In those games, he is averaging 11.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and shooting 59.2% from the field.

MVP race is tight

The MVP race between Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander keeps getting closer and closer. Jokic is anywhere from +125 to +140 to win the award, while SGA is anywhere from +110 to +140 and he’s the slight favorite on most books. Jokic has won the MVP in three of the last four seasons. He is averaging 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.3 three-pointers, and shooting 57.1% from the field. Those stats are better than any of the years he won MVP. Denver is 17-13 and the seventh seed in the Western Conference. SGA is averaging 31 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.1 three-pointers, 1.9 steals, 1.2 blocks, and shooting 52.3% from the field. The Thunder are the top seed in the Western Conference.

Looking for even more NBA action this week? Check out our NBA Player Props Tool to find the best edges in your daily player prop betting and our Bet Tracker for our daily free NBA bets.