Welcome back to the waiver wire! Need to bolster your flailing team? We've got you covered. Maybe. With this current COVID situation going on, we might have you covered. IDK. Half the guy on this list might end up not playing. We'll see.
These recommendations are mainly for 9-cat leagues, but if you play in another format, there's a good chance that the information here can still help you. We'll be looking at centers, forwards, and guards whose low rostership and upside make them ideal players to get onto your fantasy team.
Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns on how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, so be sure to check them out! Now, let's get prepared for Week 9.
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9-Category Leagues - Waiver Wire Adds
This column is written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues. All players in this article are rostered at around 50 percent or less.
DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C - Milwaukee Bucks
46% rostered
Cousins wasn't great on Christmas compared to his recent performance, but he still finished with nine points and eight boards.
His other recent games, though -- really good:
vs CLE: 12 points and 12 rebounds with five steals
vs HOU: 18 points and eight rebounds
@ DAL: 22 points and eight rebounds with four assists
Giannis returning impacted his minutes, but it looks like Cousins is still going to get just under 20 minutes. His recent efficiency makes him someone who can provide you with some solid help.
Max Strus, SG/SF - Miami Heat
39% rostered
Strus is on fire, averaging 25 points and six boards in the last four games. He's also making 5.3 threes and his worst scoring game saw him finish with 18 points, seven rebounds, our assists and four threes.
Let's keep this short: pick up Max Strus. He'll do good things for your team.
Cam Reddish, SG/SF - Atlanta Hawks
37% rostered
Dealing with an ankle injury on Christmas, Reddish still played 34 minutes, scoring 10 points and adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals. It was his first game sooting under 40 percent his December 13th.
Reddish might not put up 34 points again like he did against Orlando, but he's a nice scoring option right now with many of the Atlanta players out for protocols.
Otto Porter Jr., SF/PF - Golden State Warriors
32% rostered
With the Warriors dealing with a COVID outbreak right now, Porter got the start on Christmas and finished with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and three three-pointers.
As long as OPJ is given an expanded role -- and he should be for the next few games -- then he's capable of putting up 15 and five with multiple threes.
Chimezie Metu, PF - Sacramento Kings
30% rostered
Metu has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, with a pair of double-doubles over that time.
The most recent double-double was in his most recent game, finishing with 11 points and 10 boards against the Clippers on 41.7 percent shooting.
Metu is a good big to use if you're dealing with COVID issues.
Gary Harris, SG/SF - Orlando Magic
24% rostered
Harris has 17 or more points in four consecutive games. You can rightly be worried about his non-scoring stats -- last time out, he had no rebounds and no assists -- but he's providing points and threes right now for the Magic.
His experience is coming in handy for a team that's got a lot of young guys playing. As long as he remains healthy, Harris should be on the floor for 30-plus minutes per night and will keep getting buckets.
Deni Avdija, SG/SF - Washington Wizards
18% rostered
Four games in a row with 11-plus points for Avdija, and his last game against the Knicks saw him finish with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
Looking for points, rebounds and blocks from a player with guard eligibility? And for someone whose role doesn't feel dependent on other players having/not having COVID? Then take a gander at Deni Avdija.
Gary Payton II, PG/SG - Golden State Warriors
15% rostered
Like Porter, COVID protocols have opened up minutes for Payton. Over the last five games, Payton is averaging 13.2 points per game on 58.3 percent shooting, with 1.6 threes, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
Like much of this week's list, Payton's current streak will end at some point. Jordan Poole's going to jump back past him in the rotation. But for the next few games, you can get a good rebounding guard off the wire.
Omer Yurtseven, C - Miami Heat
13% rostered
I'll admit to not knowing anything about this man, but he's had 12 or 13 rebounds in four consecutive games and now with Dewayne Dedmon dealing with a knee injury, Yurtseven is the team's best available big. It's a short term thing, but he'll start and will give you an efficient eight points with 12 boards and some blocks/steals each game until the Heat get healthy. That's someone who should be rostered pretty widely for now.
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