Another week has passed in the NBA, but the excitement certainly hasn’t died down. The Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers have surprised the Association with superb records, and the San Antonio Spurs look like they’re ready to contend for a title.
Injuries continue to pile up around the league, and “next man up” mentality has lent itself well to new opportunities and increased production. Role players and rookies have stepped up, and three first-year players are featured in this week’s column.
📺 → Watch the NBA on Peacock on Monday night, as the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Nets in Brooklyn. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET!
“Ice Trae” will be sidelined for at least four weeks after spraining his MCL last week.
Here are the top fantasy basketball waiver wire adds ahead of Week 3.Fantasy Basketball Priority Adds
1. Ryan Rollins
2. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
3. Quentin Grimes
4. Nickeil Alexander-Walker
5. Jeremiah Fears
6. Cedric Coward
7. Donte DiVincenzo
8. Collin Murray-Boyles
9. Jarace Walker
10. Bilal Coulibaly
11. Quenton Jackson
12. Josh Minott
Ryan Rollins (43%), Milwaukee Bucks
Rollins was a recommended add last week, so hopefully you scooped him up when he was more widely available. Despite some monster performances, he’s still available in 57% of Yahoo! leagues. Rollins has averaged 24.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 3.0 triples across his last three outings. Even when Kevin Porter Jr. returns, Rollins has certainly done enough to remain in the starting five, and he’s the top fantasy pickup heading into Week 3. Through the first two weeks of the season, he’s provided second-round value, and this will likely be the last time you can acquire him so freely on the waiver wire.
Donte DiVincenzo (37%), Minnesota Timberwolves
DiVincenzo started the season with the first unit, and he should retain that role moving forward. For now, he’ll get a boost in production until Anthony Edwards is able to return. Minnesota has started Mike Conley in Edwards’ place, and while Conley has been serviceable, DiVincenzo is the preferred add. Over his last five, DiVincenzo has averaged 14.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.4 triples.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker (36%), Atlanta Hawks
NAW has been a source of instant offense for the Hawks all season, finishing with a season-low 10 points in the opener and going for at least 16 in every other contest. He’s provided seventh-round value to fantasy managers thus far, offering 16.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.7 triples per contest. Poor FG% is the biggest hit to his fantasy value, but he’s been an otherwise strong option. The absence of Trae Young for the next four weeks could be a boon for NAW, making him a must-add.
Quentin Grimes (36%), Philadelphia 76ers
Grimes has been excellent off the bench this season, and he could be in line for additional minutes and usage moving forward. Kelly Oubre Jr. posted a season-high 29 points on Sunday before an ankle injury forced him out of the matchup with Brooklyn early. Oubre Jr. is a great add (assuming he’s healthy), but Grimes has done enough in his own right to warrant consideration here. He’s scored in double figures in each game this season and notched his first double-double of the campaign against Brooklyn. Grimes posted a monstrous 22/7/13/1/1 line with four triples in the blowout victory over the Nets. According to Statmuse, his career-high 13 dimes are the most by a 76er off the bench since Allen Iverson in 2004.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (35%), Miami Heat
Jaquez Jr. is off to a phenomenal start, and he came away with his best game of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers. In 35 minutes, he finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He’s ranked 75th in per-game fantasy value thanks to strong contributions in points, rebounds and assists. Lack of the three-ball and defensive contributions caps his ceiling, but a guy averaging 19/7/5 who’s available in 65% of Yahoo! leagues cannot be ignored.
Bilal Coulibaly (34%), Washington Wizards
Making his return from a thumb injury, Coulibaly immediately joined the starting five, and he’s averaged a 13/5/4 line with a steal, two blocks and a triple over his last two contests. The third-year forward has logged just over 25 minutes per game thus far, and we can safely assume his playing time – and thus his production – will tick up. His versatility is intriguing for fantasy purposes, as he can stuff the stat sheet with valuable contributions on both ends of the floor.
Cedric Coward (33%), Memphis Grizzlies
Coward – the 11th pick out of Washington State – has immediately made an impact for Memphis. He’s logged over 25 minutes a game as a reliable option off the bench, scoring in double figures in all but one contest thus far. The Grizzlies already need help at guard, but they could be particularly thin if Ja Morant continues feuding with Memphis’ coaching staff and finds himself on the bench. Don’t be a coward – add Cedric.
Josh Minott (23%), Boston Celtics
Minott is averaging just over 21 minutes per game this season, but he’s contributed 8.3 points, 6.8 boards, 1.5 dimes, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and a triple per game. That production has been good for per-game fantasy value inside the top-100, and managers in need of boards and swipes could certainly do worse, assuming they can deal with the poor shooting (42.5%).
Jeremiah Fears (19%), New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans absolutely stink this year, and the team seems committed to getting its young stud some meaningful playing time. The only downside with Fears is the capped ceiling due to negative game script. New Orleans has already played in multiple blowouts, and more are surely on the horizon, which could mean fewer minutes at the end of games. He’s averaged 16.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.7 triples across his last three outings.
Jarace Walker (17%), Indiana Pacers
Due to a number of key injuries, Walker has found a spot with the Pacers’ starting five, and he’s logging the most minutes of his career to kick off the 2025-26 campaign. He’s started each of Indiana’s last three, averaging 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.7 triples across 31.3 minutes. Expect him to see big minutes moving forward due to the ongoing absences of Obi Toppin and Bennedict Mathurin.
Quenton Jackson (7%), Indiana Pacers
Like Jarace Walker, Jackson has benefited greatly from Indiana’s multitude of injuries. The fourth-year man out of Texas A&M has started two straight, averaging a 20/5/7 line with a pair of swipes and 2.5 triples. He was instrumental in Indiana’s upset victory over Golden State on Saturday, turning in 25 points, 10 boards and six dimes, while hitting the dagger bucket in the final seconds of the game. He should continue seeing increased opportunities for the foreseeable future.
Collin Murray-Boyles (5%), Toronto Raptors
Jakob Poeltl (back) remains out, and it’s not yet known when he’ll return. Toronto’s lottery pick should stay heavily involved for as long as Poeltl is out or limited. CMB posted 15 points, nine boards, five dimes and three steals across 31 minutes in Sunday’s comfortable victory over the Grizzlies. He’s got matchups with the Bucks, Hawks and 76ers this week.
Others to consider: Jabari Smith Jr. (42%), P.J. Washington (41%), Kelly Oubre Jr. (39%), Tre Jones (35%), Ajay Mitchell (33%), Collin Gillespie (22%), Kevin Huerter (14%), Simone Fontecchio (10%), Luke Kennard (6%), Jaylon Tyson (5%), Mike Conley (4%)