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.

Most teams play three or four games this week. There are no games on Thanksgiving and Tuesday and Saturday only have five games, while two teams (the Bucks and 76ers) play only two games. The 76ers could use the time off with Paul George and Joel Embiid dealing with injuries.

We also have The Emirates Cup games on Tuesday and Friday and while the injuries continue to pile up in the NBA, there is some good news as Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal could return for Phoenix on Tuesday for the NBA Cup slate.

Let's dive into how fantasy basketball managers should be attacking the holiday week on the waiver wire.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Adds This Week

Guards To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs)

The more Castle plays, the better the rookie looks. He’s taken advantage of Devin Vassell being out with at least 33 minutes in three straight games. Over the last five games, Castle is averaging 16.2 points, three rebounds, five assists, and 1.8 three-pointers per game.

T.J. McConnell (Indiana Pacers)

It’s difficult to rely on a player who doesn’t play significant minutes, but McConnell is productive when he’s on the court. He has played at least 21 minutes in four of the last five games and the one he didn’t was a 17-point loss. McConnell is aggressive and can help in assists and steals. Over the last five games, he is averaging 12.2 assists, 5.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game and almost 10 shots from the field.

Malcolm Brogdon (Washington Wizards)

Brogdon is starting and has seen his minutes increase after making his season debut on November 17. For a young team, it’s surprising he’s getting the starts, but the Wizards have four games this week and he’s a short-term play due to injury risk.

He had 18 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes on Friday and had 15 points with five assists on Sunday. Jordan Poole missed that game with a hip injury and could miss the start of the week.

Forwards To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies)

Aldama has been coming off the bench, but he is producing across the board. Aldama had two double-doubles last week and averaged 16.7 points, 9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1 steal over three games.

For the season, Aldama is averaging 12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 three-pointers, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks, while shooting 47.3% from the field and 85% from the foul line.

Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)

Thompson has yet to make his season debut, but he was placed on the active roster Saturday and is getting close to playing. Thompson finished the season strong last year. Over the final 15 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1 block.

Guerschon Yabusele (Philadelphia 76ers)

The 76ers only play Wednesday and Saturday this week. Joel Embiid has knee soreness and Paul George had a left knee bone bruise. Yabusele has benefitted with Embiid out and has started over Andre Drummond at times. Yabusele can do a little of everything and while he’s getting minutes, he’s useful in deeper leagues.

Centers To Add in Fantasy Basketball This Week

Robert Williams (Portland Trail Blazers)

Williams is likely a short-term option, too. Deandre Ayton is out again Monday with a finger injury and Donovan Clingan is out with a knee injury. Williams will be relied upon and he can help with rebounds, blocks, and steals.

Moussa Diabate (Charlotte Hornets)

The Hornets are really thin at center. Mark Williams and Nick Richards have returned to practice, but there is no timeline for their return. As long as they remain out, Diabate can be rostered as a short-term play. He won’t score much, but he’s a force on the board and can contribute in steals and blocks. Richards can also be added since he will start when he’s back.

Players To Drop In Fantasy Basketball This Week

  • Miles McBride (New York Knicks)
  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
  • Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)

Fantasy Basketball Trends To Watch Entering Week 6

Ball is Ballin’

LaMelo Ball is on a heater for the Hornets. He had 50 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 6 three-pointers on Saturday in a loss to the Bucks. Ball has taken at least 20 shots from the field in 10 of the last 12 games, including 65 over the last two games. He is averaging 30.2 points, 6.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 4.6 three-pointers, and 1.2 steals per game.

Knecht connects from three

Dalton Knecht had a memorable stretch for the Lakers with Rui Hachimura out for five games. Knecht got the chance to start and excelled. In the five games, the rookie averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, four three-pointers, and shot 50% from three-point range.

Against the Jazz last Tuesday, Knecht scored 27 points in the third quarter and had 37 points on 12-for-16 from the field, including 9-for-12 from beyond the arc. Hachimura returned on Saturday and Knecht played 28 minutes and had 9 points and 5 rebounds and took 7 shots from the field.

Jerome helping Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are 17-1 and while the top players are big factors, to be this dominant it takes many players. Ty Jerome has been one of the biggest surprises this season. Jerome has a 21% usage rate coming off the bench. Jerome has scored at least 24 points in three of the last four games with blowouts part of the reason for the extra minutes. Caris LeVert being out has pushed Jerome into a bigger role, too. Jerome is averaging 12.6 points, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.7 three-pointers, and shooting 59.7% from the field.

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, our Bet Tracker for our daily free NBA bets, as well as our NBA DFS projections for each main slate.