Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 8 (2024-2025): December 16 - December 22

We took last week off as the in-season tournament has broken up the schedule in a big way. Most leagues extended Week 7 through last week and are starting Week 8 today.

We have another break in the schedule on Tuesday as the championship is being played. However, that game's statistics will not count for the season or fantasy leagues - check your league settings to be sure. Then, all teams are off on Wednesday before we resume games on Thursday.

I am a big advocate of being aggressive on the waiver wire. If your league has daily lineups, you should use that to your advantage and maximize your weekly games in H2H formats. I'll give you my top adds for standard leagues (25-40% rostered) and deeper formats (less than 25% rostered) every week and the schedule breakdown for all 30 teams. Let's see who we should be eyeing to add to our teams in Week 7!

Week 8 Schedule Breakdown (12/16 - 12/22)

• Teams with 4 games: SAC
• Teams with 3 games: BKN, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, LAC, MIA, NOP, PHI, TOR, UTA
• Thursday-Friday B2B: CHA, OKC
• Friday-Saturday B2B: MIA, MIL
• Saturday-Sunday B2B: NOP, SAC

Standard Leagues - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 8

Percent owned numbers for Yahoo! "Standard Leagues" refer to 10 or 12-team leagues.

Yves Missi - C (37% rostered)

I'm not recommending any players without at least three games this week. Missi and the Pelicans play thrice, and I'm still a bit surprised that the rookie big man remains under the 40% rostered threshold that I use.

Yves Missi putback for his 13th board pic.twitter.com/yKIeOl1eBP

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) December 16, 2024

He's piling up big rebounding numbers while blocking 1.2 shots per game. His scoring is slowly increasing, too, and he should remain an important part of the rebuilding that is likely to take place in New Orleans this season.

Kelly Oubre Jr. - SG/SF (34%)

With three games this week (two against Charlotte) and Joel Embiid's status in doubt once again, Oubre is a priority add for me.

Kelly O has played heavy minutes in four straight games and has three straight double-doubles as he's been chipping in on the boards in a big way.

Philly appears to be ready to play smaller with Oubre at power forward and with Andre Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele filling in at center and PF off the bench.

And let's not forget that rookie Jared McCain just went down with a knee injury that will sideline him for an extended period. There is an opportunity for Oubre in Philly.

Caris LeVert - SG/SF (21% rostered)

LeVert is back to his sixth-man role for the Cavs and doing what he does best - contributing some solid counting stats with decent percentages and relatively low turnovers.

The Cavs play three times this week. While LeVert has standalone value when all the Cavs are in the lineup, he also gets a bump anytime they want to rest a starter - the same way that Payton Pritchard does in Boston.

Justin Champagnie - SG/SF (20% rostered)

Two-game week alert - the Wizards are only playing on Thursday and Saturday this week.

But with Kyle Kuzma and Malcolm Brogdon still out of the lineup, Champagnie (whose brother Julian is having a career year in San Antonio) could continue to start for the lowly Wizards.

In five starts for Washington, Champagnie has averaged 15 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks. Those numbers are impressive and prove that Champagnie belongs on rosters in standard leagues while he continues to play big minutes.

Brandon Boston Jr. - SG/SF/PF (19% rostered)

I've been hanging onto Boston in several leagues, and I think he could be an important piece of the New Orleans rebuild this year. And while his production has fluctuated quite a bit since players such as Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum returned to the lineup, Boston has still seen solid minutes off the bench.

Brandon Ingram remains out and could be trade bait, Zion Williamson may never come back this season, and who knows what other trades or moves the Pelicans could make before the deadline. Boston's modest 12-3-3 is still quite useful on your bench, and his 1.5 steals per game are impressive, which makes him a must-roster as long as he can keep carving out 25-30 minutes a night.

Deeper Leagues - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 8

Percent owned numbers for Yahoo! "Deeper Leagues" refer to 14-team leagues or more.

Andre Drummond - C (15% rostered)

Embiid is out tonight and could end up missing more time this week. Drummond should slide into the starting lineup at the center position and could dominate an undersized Charlotte team twice this week.

Even if he splits minutes with Yabusele, Drum is good enough per minute to warrant consideration in deep leagues.

Vasilije Micic - PG/SG (15% rostered)

Micic continues to function as the starting point guard in LaMelo Ball's absence. He does have to contend with KJ Simpson and Isaiah Wong for minutes in the backcourt, but Micic is the most reliable passer and an older player who the coaching staff trusts to run the offense.

Vasilije Micic proves he can be a serious threat in the NBA 😤 pic.twitter.com/XxYQ3vxC9K

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) December 9, 2024

Micic averages over six assists per 36 minutes, and it's simply not that easy to find assists on the wire. If you need dimes, then Micic is your guy.

Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF/C (14% rostered)

DFS has been back in the lineup for Brooklyn for two games in December and played 30 minutes in each.

The Nets are a hot mess, and their rotations can be all over the place, but when he's been healthy, DFS has been playing starters' minutes and is capable of chipping in some contributions in threes, boards, and defensive stats.

Guerschon Yabusele - PF/C (10% rostered)

His minutes have been way down since Embiid returned, but with Embiid out, Yabusele should see more time on the floor at PF or C.

He's not going to give you many defensive stats, but he can help out with points, threes, boards, and even a few dimes, as he is a solid passer from the post or perimeter.

Duncan Robinson - SG/SF (9% rostered)

Dunc-Rob had a hot shooting week, piling up 19 and 23 points against the Cavs and Suns last week. His minutes have been pretty steady, though his production can vary wildly. With three games this week, he's one of the better 3-point shooters available, and I'm willing to take a shot on him.

The Single Digit Crowd (Super Deep Leagues)

Shake Milton - PG/SG (9% rostered)

Kevin Porter Jr. - PG (6% rostered)

Jalen Smith - PF/C (5% rostered)

Matas Buzelis - SF/PF (3% rostered)

Kenyon Martin Jr. - SF/PF (2% rostered)

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