X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 1 (2024-2025): October 22 - October 27

Jaime Jaquez Jr. - Fantasy Basketball Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Dan's fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for Week 1 of the 2024-2025 NBA season. Consider these players as fantasy basketball adds, streamers and stashes.

The NBA season tips off tomorrow and you have probably completed your drafts unless you happen to be in one of those leagues that drafts the night before the season. Either way, it's great to have NBA basketball back in our lives and I am thrilled to be able to bring you my favorite weekly players to add for fantasy basketball this season!

We are going to start strong right out of the gates this season with a Week 1 piece that features some players you should snag who likely should have been drafted in your league. Did you draft an injured player who you can stash on IR and open up a spot to add a healthy player for Week 1? Or maybe you checked out of your draft before the final few rounds and got auto-picked some players you're not thrilled about. Either way, there is an opportunity this week to add some players who will have both short-term and potentially long-term value this season.

I am a big advocate of being aggressive on the waiver wire. If your league has daily lineups, you should absolutely be using that to your advantage and maximizing your games played each week 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 as well as the schedule breakdown for all 30 teams. Now let's see who we should be eyeing to add to our teams in Week 1!

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Week 1 Schedule Breakdown (10/22-10/27)

Teams Playing Only Two Games: DAL, DEN, MIA, NYK, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS

Friday-Saturday B2B: CHA, CHI, CLE, DET, HOU, LAL, MEM, ORL, PHX, TOR

Saturday-Sunday B2B: LAC, OKC

TEAM GAMES MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN
Atlanta Hawks 3 BKN CHA @OKC
Boston Celtics 3 NY @WAS @DET
Brooklyn Nets 3 @ATL @ORL MIL
Charlotte Hornets 3 @HOU @ATL MIA
Chicago Bulls 3 @NO @MIL OKC
Cleveland Cavaliers 3 @TOR DET @WAS
Dallas Mavericks 2 SA @PHO
Denver Nuggets 2 OKC LAC
Detroit Pistons 3 IND @CLE BOS
GS Warriors 3 @POR @UTA LAC
Houston Rockets 3 CHA MEM @SA
Indiana Pacers 3 @DET @NY PHI
Los Angeles Clippers 3 PHO @DEN @GS
Los Angeles Lakers 3 MIN PHO SAC
Memphis Grizzlies 3 @UTA @HOU ORL
Miami Heat 2 ORL @CHA
Milwaukee Bucks 3 @PHI CHI @BKN
Timberwolves 3 @LAL @SAC TOR
New Orleans Pelicans 3 CHI @POR @POR
New York Knicks 2 @BOS IND
OKC Thunder 3 @DEN @CHI ATL
Orlando Magic 3 @MIA BKN @MEM
Philadelphia 76ers 3 MIL @TOR @IND
Phoenix Suns 3 @LAC @LAL DAL
Portland Trail Blazers 3 GS NO NO
Sacramento Kings 2 MIN @LAL
San Antonio Spurs 2 @DAL HOU
Toronto Raptors 3 CLE PHI @MIN
Utah Jazz 2 MEM GS
Washington Wizards 2 BOS CLE

 

Standard Leagues - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 1

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

Al Horford - PF/C (39% rostered)

Put some respect on Big Al's name! A late addition to the list, Horford's rostership dropped under 40% in today's update and that's unacceptable!

Yes, he's boring and he might sit out a few B2Bs, but for the first few months (at least) he should be on rosters as the Celtics will be without Kristaps Porzingis. In 19 games as a starter last season, the ageless wonder averaged 11.6 points, 7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 2.5 threes. You'd be silly not to think that those numbers aren't helpful, especially on 52% from the field.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. - SF (36% rostered)

As you know, 40% is my cutoff for this piece as I don't see much value in recommending players who are rostered in 40-50% of leagues. If you are playing in a competitive 10 or 12-player league, then those players should already be rostered!

So hopefully Jaquez Jr. is off our list next week as I would expect him to get added a few more times this week thus pushing his rostership up over the threshold. I'm not sure what's not to like about the sophomore wing this season.

Yes, he's likely coming off the bench, but I think that helps his overall usage. He filled in admirably quite often last season as a starter and delivered a solid 12-4-2.5 per game on solid shooting numbers (49% from the floor, 81% from the line).

Andre Drummond - C (32% rostered)

If you employ a punt FT% strategy in H2H leagues, Drummond is a must-own player. Even if you don't, he's a solid player for the end of your bench as he's probably going to draw 20 starts this season with the news that Joel Embiid may sit out every back-to-back.

Drum is an elite rebounder, averaging nine boards per game last season in only 17 minutes a night. And his FT% won't hurt as bad as it used to during his days as a starter since his volume of attempts is way down (just 2.8 per game last season).

Dennis Schroder - PG (32% rostered)

It's going to be an ugly season in Brooklyn, but that doesn't mean that we can't find some fantasy value there. While I have no interest in Cam Thomas and his volume scoring, I do think Schroder should be rostered in standard formats.

He played 29 games for Brooklyn last season after being traded from Toronto and posted 14.6 points and 6.0 assists while hitting 2.1 threes per contest. He's not giving you any defensive stats and his FG% is lackluster, but you won't find players who can give you six assists on the wire very often.

Kelly Oubre Jr. - SG/SF (31% rostered)

Oubre might end up being only an early-season streamer, but with Paul George's preseason injury leaving his status up in the air for Week 1, Oubre should be on your radar. With Tobias Harris gone and PG13 potentially on the shelf, we could see Kelly functioning as the third option on offense after Embiid and Maxey.

He finished last season with 15 points and five boards a game to go along with 1.5 threes, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks. Once PG13 returns to the lineup, Oubre Jr.'s role will be reduced but he's still going to get minutes with the second unit.

Grayson Allen - PG/SG (32% rostered) 

Allen is moving to the bench this season but should thrive as a sixth man for the Suns. He had an impressive first year in Phoenix, nailing 2.7 threes and adding 0.9 steals while shooting 50% from the floor.

An efficient three-point assassin who won't hurt your percentages will always have a spot on my teams. Allen should be on more teams and will be a hot pickup as soon as he goes out and puts up a hot shooting night -- get ahead of the field.

Wendell Carter Jr. - C (27% rostered)

WCJ is a relatively boring fantasy player, but he's the starting center for a team that made the playoffs last season and is perfectly productive in his role, even if his minutes are capped in the 25 to 28 range.

He was good for 11 points and seven rebounds a game last year with 1.2 threes from the center position. Hopefully, he can stay healthy this season, he appeared in just 55 games for Orlando last year which destroyed most of his value.

 

Deeper Leagues - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire for Week 1

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

Caris LeVert - SG/SF (22% rostered)

Sadly (I am a Cavs fan, remember), Max Strus is out for at least six weeks. That may or may not bump Caris LeVert into the starting lineup, but either way, it does mean more minutes for him on a nightly basis.

I prefer him off the bench where he can get up more shots and produce more assists, but he's a guy who can still produce in only 25 minutes a night. I expect something around 12-4-4 nightly from LeVert with close to a steal per game and he's an elite handcuff in case either Garland or Mitchell happens to miss some time.

De'Anthony Melton - PG/SG (19% rostered)

Melton loves to play defense and the Warriors need defense in a big way, which is why I think he'll find his way onto the floor for around 24 minutes a night, even if it's coming off the bench.

Melton was good for 2.0 threes and 1.6 steals per game last season in a 27-minute-per-game role for Philly. His only real wart is his FG% but he also attempted fewer than 10 shots per game last season. He should be on more rosters with his skill set and path to playing time.

Gary Trent Jr. - PG/SG (16%)

Trent Jr. had a down year in Toronto but could fit nicely in Milwaukee alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. The Bucks badly needed a "three-and-D" wing player and Trent Jr. fits the mold of what they've been looking for. He's really only a points, threes, steals fantasy asset but he could be a good one if he manages to hold onto a starting spot and get around 30 minutes per game.

Dyson Daniels - PG/SG (17%)

Daniels is a sleeper that just about every fantasy analyst has touted at some point this season, yet he's still under 20% rostered somehow -- amazing! He should probably be in the first section of this piece as I think he could end up being an add in all formats with his statistical diversity and defensive ability.

Daniels is set to have a major role in Atlanta and could produce some big numbers this season with meaningful minutes. His 1.4 steals per game in just 22 minutes last year is just one example of his upside as a 30-minute role for him could push that number up to over 2.0 steals per contest.

He's shown some improved shooting, too, which would help round out his fantasy skill set nicely as he's already a plus rebounder and shot blocker for his position.

Tari Eason - SF/PF (17%)

Eason is oozing upside but has a tough path to consistent minutes as Houston's roster is loaded with young talent. I'm still enamored with his ability to stuff the stat sheet on a per-minute basis as he has averaged 1.3 steals and 0.75 blocks per game through the first two seasons of his career despite barely playing over 20 minutes a night.

Nick Richards - C (12%)

Mark Williams' status is still up in the air for the opener and Richards has a chance to start at center in his absence. He averaged close to a double-double last season in 26 minutes per game with 1.1 blocks while shooting 69% from the floor. Even if Williams does return to the lineup, Richards is a nice handcuff to own and can contribute enough stats in a bench role to be rosterable in deeper formats.

Jalen Smith - PF/C (8%)

Smith could end up carving out a nice role off the bench with the Bulls. He averaged nearly ten points a game last year in only 17 minutes with 1.0 threes while shooting 59% from the floor. He's still just 23 years old and can pile up points, boards, threes, and blocks with enough playing time.

Nikola Jovic - PF/C (4%)

Jovic could start at power forward for Miami and I think he has a leg up in that position battle with Haywood Highsmith. I am a big fan of his game as he's a solid shooter from deep and an excellent passer out of the post. He's a great stash for Week 1 until we see how this rotation unfolds, he only needs about 25 minutes a night to have value in deep leagues with solid contributions in threes, boards, assists, and percentages.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Hagen Smith17 mins ago

Showing Strikeout Potential At Double-A
Texas Rangers38 mins ago

Kohl Drake Strikes Out 10 On Wednesday
Linus Ullmark38 mins ago

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Robby Snelling46 mins ago

Tallies Nine Punchouts For The Second Time This Season
Anthony Cirelli51 mins ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Javier Rivas53 mins ago

Continues Hot Start To High-A Regular Season
Logan Thompson59 mins ago

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Chase Petty1 hour ago

Strikes Out Seven On Wednesday
Connor McMichael1 hour ago

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Cade Horton1 hour ago

Shines On Wednesday
Anze Kopitar1 hour ago

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe1 hour ago

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin1 hour ago

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Gabriel Landeskog2 hours ago

Delivers Six Hits In First Game Since 2022
NFL2 hours ago

Browns, Giants, Patriots Receive Calls For Picks Nos. 2-4
Austin Wynns2 hours ago

Collects Three More Hits on Wednesday
Emilio Pagán2 hours ago

Emilio Pagan Closes Out Reds Win
Trevor Larnach3 hours ago

Launches Another Long Ball
Oneil Cruz3 hours ago

Keeps Stacking Stats
Logan Webb3 hours ago

Works Six Scoreless Innings In Giants Win
Christopher Morel3 hours ago

Mashes Second Homer Of The Season
Tyler Herro3 hours ago

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell4 hours ago

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero4 hours ago

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown4 hours ago

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green4 hours ago

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski4 hours ago

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III4 hours ago

Set For MRI Thursday
Chandler Simpson4 hours ago

Extends Hitting Streak To Four Games
Jacob Melton4 hours ago

Quiet Since Returning From Injured List
Lazaro Montes5 hours ago

Hits Home Run No. 5
Joel Díaz5 hours ago

Joel Diaz Continues Strong Start To High-A Season
Ryan Clifford5 hours ago

Goes Deep On Wednesday
Jaison Chourio5 hours ago

Hits First Home Run Of High-A Regular Season
Brady Singer10 hours ago

Earns Fourth Win In Quality Start
Corbin Carroll10 hours ago

Keeps Raking With Two More Homers
Carlos Rodón10 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Strong Again In Win Over Cleveland
George Kittle12 hours ago

Wants To Be Highest-Paid Tight End
Tyler Lockett12 hours ago

Joining The Titans
12 hours ago

Will Shedeur Sanders' Game Translate To The NFL?
Las Vegas Raiders12 hours ago

Raiders Could Go With Offensive Lineman At No. 6 Overall
NFL12 hours ago

Jaguars, Raiders Looking To Trade Up In First Round
New Orleans Saints12 hours ago

Saints Won't Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trevor Penning
Nick Chubb13 hours ago

Not Interested In Retirement
George Pickens13 hours ago

Drawing Trade Interest
Rashee Rice13 hours ago

Taking Part In Offseason Program
13 hours ago

Concerns About Tetairoa McMillan's Lack Of Effort
Jahan Dotson13 hours ago

Eagles Decline Fifth-Year Option On Jahan Dotson
Brandin Podziemski15 hours ago

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis15 hours ago

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.16 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Minnesota Vikings16 hours ago

Vikings Waive NaJee Thompson, Trevor Reid
Adam Svensson16 hours ago

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Jake Fromm16 hours ago

Lions Release Jake Fromm
Seattle Seahawks16 hours ago

Cameron Young Let Go By Seattle
Detroit Lions16 hours ago

Detroit Makes Kerby Joseph The Highest-Paid Safety In League History
Davion Mitchell16 hours ago

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski17 hours ago

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford17 hours ago

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.17 hours ago

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum17 hours ago

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart17 hours ago

May Miss Another Game Thursday
NYI18 hours ago

Cal Clutterbuck Announces Retirement
Pavel Zacha18 hours ago

Recovering From Small Procedure
Nikolaj Ehlers18 hours ago

To Miss At Least Two More Games
Miro Heiskanen18 hours ago

Still Out On Wednesday
John Klingberg18 hours ago

Enters Oilers Lineup For Game 2
Evander Kane18 hours ago

To Make Season Debut Wednesday Night
Gabriel Landeskog18 hours ago

Likely To Play In Game 3
Denver Broncos20 hours ago

Broncos Not Expected To Trade Up In Round 1
Houston Texans20 hours ago

Texans Trying To Move Up In Round 1 Of NFL Draft
Atlanta Falcons20 hours ago

James Pearce Jr., Mike Green Potential Top Targets For Falcons
Dallas Cowboys20 hours ago

Cowboys Could Add Wide Receiver Help With No. 12 Pick
New Orleans Saints20 hours ago

Saints Likely To Address Defense With No. 9 Pick?
Jaren Jackson Jr.1 day ago

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander1 day ago

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman1 day ago

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam1 day ago

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Giannis Antetokounmpo1 day ago

Posts Big Double-Double In Game 2 Loss
Lee Hodges1 day ago

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA1 day ago

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Julius Randle1 day ago

Leads Timberwolves In Scoring In Game 2
Gary Woodland1 day ago

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Luka Dončić1 day ago

Luka Doncic Nets 31 Points In Lakers Win
Max McGreevy1 day ago

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard1 day ago

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens1 day ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard1 day ago

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
John Tavares1 day ago

Collects Two Points In Overtime Win
Christiaan Bezuidenhout1 day ago

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Frederik Andersen1 day ago

Posts 40th Postseason Win
Akshay Bhatia1 day ago

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young1 day ago

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Kirill Kaprizov1 day ago

Leads Wild To Valuable Road Win
Matthew Tkachuk1 day ago

Returns With Three-Point Performance
Erik Van Rooyen1 day ago

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Anthony Cirelli1 day ago

Suffers Undisclosed Injury Tuesday
Gabriel Vilardi1 day ago

May Return To Jets Lineup Thursday
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore2 days ago

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa2 days ago

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry2 days ago

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF