NBA Waiver Wire: Top Adds for Week 12

As always, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.

Adds for All Leagues

Aaron Holiday, Pacers (43 percent rostered)

For the second week in a row, Holiday is my top add. His roster rate has doubled since last week, but it should be a lot higher (frankly, I'm disappointed in you, CBS Fantasy community – you guys are usually excellent about quickly identifying a must-add player and getting him off the wire in almost all leagues). Holiday looks like a budding star, and he's probably earned himself a large and steady role even after Victor Oladipo (quad) returns. Even if Oladipo's return does harm Holiday, that looks like it is still roughly a month away, if not farther.

Holiday has played at least 30 minutes in eight of the last nine games, and he was limited by foul trouble in the ninth. He's started in seven of those. I think that the biggest reason Fantasy managers have been reluctant to buy-in on Holiday is a fear that his stats are inflated by injuries to his teammates, most notably to Malcolm Brogdon (back), but that fear doesn't align with the facts. The Pacers' backcourt was fully healthy when Holiday was promoted to the starting lineup, and his time sharing the floor with Brogdon has more than doubled (in games that they both played) during this stretch. He's averaging 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 2.0 threes in 30.1 minutes over the last nine games.

Maxi Kleber, Mavericks (16 percent rostered)

I remain a huge Dwight Powell (31 percent rostered) booster, but Kleber has become the more valuable player of the two, at least for now. Kleber has played at least 31 minutes in each of the last three games, averaging 18.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 threes and 1.3 blocks. His surge has come with Kristaps Porzingis (knee) on the sidelines – Porzingis has missed each of the last three games – but Kleber's success during this run seems somewhat likely to earn him a larger role even after Porzingis returns. Porzingis looks likely to miss at least one more game, if not more, and Kleber has been so good during this run that he's more than just your typical streamer.

Larry Nance Jr., Cavaliers (53 percent rostered)

Nance (knee) is set to miss the next week or two, and is roster rate is (understandably) plummeting since that timeline got announced. So why am I highlighting him as an add? Kevin Love is getting increasingly frustrated, and that frustration has become obvious even to casual observers. That kind of attitude can be a major problem for a new head coach and a young team. The Cavaliers may have to trade him just to remove a potentially problematic influence on the rest of the team. 

If Love gets traded, Nance would be a major beneficiary. He's been the clear third fiddle, behind Love and Tristan Thompson, limiting Nance to 24.3 minutes per game. But Nance has averaged 12.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 threes in his five starts this year. Even though this is a speculation-based recommendation, Nance's upside in a post-Love world is much higher than the players in the "speculative adds" section below.

Other recommendations: Kevin Huerter, Hawks (59 percent rostered); Darius Garland, Cavaliers (51 percent rostered); D.J. Augustin, Magic (34 percent rostered); Ish Smith, Wizards (35 percent rostered); Danuel House Jr., Rockets (33 percent rostered); Dwight Powell, Mavericks (31 percent rostered); Eric Gordon, Rockets (44 percent rostered); Nerlens Noel, Thunder (28 percent rostered); Bobby Portis, Knicks (39 percent rostered); Jordan Clarkson, Jazz (42 percent rostered); Duncan Robinson, Heat (40 percent rostered); Troy Brown Jr., Wizards (48 percent rostered)

Speculative Adds

Michael Porter Jr., Nuggets (60 percent rostered)

Porter has (finally) seen some extended run over the past few games, and he's been every bit as good as the pre-NBA draft scouts expected. He's looked comfortable, and his athleticism and smooth touch has been as-advertised. He's a must-add in keeper leagues, though he remains more of a speculative pickup in redraft.

The problem with Porter, which reared its head again Saturday night, is that his workload is still highly inconsistent. He's stuck on one of the deepest depth charts in the league, and coach Mike Malone seems reluctant to commit to him. Even after his 25-point explosion on Thursday and a comment from Malone that seemed to imply an increased role for the rookie, Porter played just 12 minutes Saturday. Yet, while it might remain frustrating for a while, Porter obviously has impressive scoring chops and is a solid rebounder. The potential payoff here is high.

Other recommendations: Jordan McRae, Wizards (38 percent rostered); Kevin Porter, Cavaliers (19 percent rostered)

Health-dependent Streamers

Gorgui Dieng, Timberwolves (51 percent rostered)

The Timberwolves are at it again with Karl-Anthony Towns (knee), who's missed the last nine games with a knee injury – but been listed as questionable ahead of every single one of them. He could be back as soon as Tuesday, or he could miss several more weeks, we have no idea. Whenever Towns comes back, Dieng's value probably disappears and he probably becomes droppable. However, as long as Towns is out, Dieng remains a fantastic play. With Towns out, Dieng has averaged 12.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 threes, 1.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 29.2 minutes. That's put him inside Fantasy's top 50 since December 17. 

While we're talking about the Timberwolves' backups, we should acknowledge Shabazz Napier (24 percent rostered), who has averaged an impressive 22.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 threes over the last three games. That production has come while the rest of the backcourt has been decimated, missing multiple high-minutes rotation players, and I find it unlikely Napier's value remains once those players start returning. But he's probably worth streaming for now, at least.

Christian Wood (33 percent rostered) and Sekou Doumbouya (17 percent rostered), Pistons

Both of these players could also be listed in the "speculative adds", as one or both would probably see a big boost in value if Andre Drummond gets traded – Adrian Wojnarowski reported last week that the Pistons are actively shopping Drummond. They also have short-term streaming value, however, as Blake Griffin (knee) has missed the last three games and Markieff Morris (foot) has missed the last four, and the team has provided no insight as to when either will return. Wood never sees a ton of minutes, even when someone above him is injured, but he is an impressively efficient per-minute producer. He has not played more than 28 minutes in any game this season, but he is averaging 20.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per-36 minutes on the season. Wood has averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 23.2 minutes since Morris got hurt.

Doumbouya is a rookie who had played just 24 minutes total before Thursday, when he was promoted to the starting lineup. In his two starts since, he's averaged 13.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 1.5 steals in 32.5 minutes.

Deep League Special

Ivica Zubac, Clippers (27 percent rostered)

Zubac is playing just 17.5 minutes this season, and that workload has been pretty stable. That's just not enough minutes to warrant standard league attention. But Zubac is productive, even in his limited role. He's up to 10.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks over the last seven games, more than enough to help out in most deep formats. The block rate is perfectly in-line with his season-long numbers, and the points and rebounds are only slightly above his seasonal averages, so he has some potential to stick on your rosters. It's also worth noting that he's up to 20.3 minutes during this latest run. That's only a marginal uptick, but Zubac has been on the border of rosterability all season, so that small increase could be all he needs if he can sustain it.