Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category (Week 9)

Fantasy managers hunting for names outside of the normal list of waiver wire names should be thrilled with the selection in front of them for Week 9. In Boston, Jordan Walsh has quietly turned efficient minutes into tangible fantasy production. With his role stabilizing, Walsh has been cashing in on high-percentage looks, chipping in across categories and proving he doesn’t need heavy usage to make an impact — a big boost for managers in deeper formats. Over in San Antonio, Julian Champagnie continues to thrive as a spark off the bench. His ability to step in and score in bunches, knock down triples and hold his own defensively has made him a reliable plug-and-play option whenever the Spurs need a lift. And in Sacramento, opportunity has opened the door for Maxime Raynaud. With Domantas Sabonis sidelined, Raynaud has taken advantage of expanded frontcourt minutes, delivering solid rebounding, interior scoring and sneaky defensive stats — the kind of short-term fantasy production that can swing a matchup. Let’s dive into these Week 9 risers and see which ones deserve a spot on your roster before the rest of the league catches up.

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Fantasy Basketball Category League Waiver Wire Pickups

Points

Julian Champagnie (SG – SAS) | 29% Rostered

Despite the returns of De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, Champagnie has shown that he’s more than capable of producing off the bench in these last couple of games. The third-year guard earned himself 17 points on 5 of 9 shooting on Monday against the Pelicans and followed that up with a 16-point game on 6 of 8 shooting on Wednesday against the Lakers.

As long as the 25+ rotation minutes remain for Champagnie, he should be a solid source of points, made three pointers, and high field goal percentages all season long. You also have to consider that he’s always one injury away from a larger role with the Spurs. Every game won’t be perfect, but he’s certainly someone worth keeping an eye on as his roster percentage continues to climb across all formats.

Assists

Jose Alvarado (PG – NOP) | 21% Rostered

Julian Champagnie isn’t the only bench player making waves in fantasy this week – Jose Alvarado’s assist numbers are no joke, with 6, 6, and 9 in his last three games, averaging 28 minutes in that span.

Alvarado’s up and down season has now culminated into a steady backup role for Jeremiah Fears, and he’s been given the opportunity to run the floor with the second unit. Alvarado’s scoring opportunities may be limited at times, but when you need a heavy dose of assists to win your matchup, this is definitely the player to target right now.

Rebounds

Maxime Raynaud (C – SAC) | 38% Rostered

Talk about major fantasy production! Maxime Raynaud has served as a consistent double-double threat each game he’s stepped in as the starter, with Domantas Sabonis tending to a knee injury. Raynaud dropped 15 points to go with his 9 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, where he played his most minutes of the season at 37.

What does Raynaud’s fantasy future look like after the return of the Kings’ All-Star center? That remains unclear for now, but if this rookie is still available in your league, there’s no question he’s worth a grab for next week. At the earliest, Sabonis is projected to return next Thursday, December 18th, when the Kings match up with the Trail Blazers. Even with the starter’s imminent return, there is also the possibility that Raynaud has earned more playing time with his recent stellar production.

Blocks

Jonathan Isaac (C – ORL) | 1% Rostered

Jonathan Isaac hasn’t played more than 20 minutes for the Orlando Magic this season, but the 6th year defensive specialist could benefit heavily from the injury to Franz Wagner, who is now projected to miss up to 4 weeks.

If Isaac’s minutes do start to trend up, his fantasy stats could rise as a result, especially in defensive categories where he typically thrives. Isaac has 1 block in each of his last two games, where he played just 11 and 12 minutes, respectively. Jonathan Isaac will be a name to monitor over the next couple of weeks, but possibly just as a deep-league streamer.

Steals

Alex Caruso (PG – OKC) | 12% Rostered

Every other week, we seem to be highlighting Alex Caruso as a steals category streamer. The Oklahoma City guard just returned from a four-game absence to the tune of 3 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound and 3 steals in 13 minutes of action.

Obviously, this is not Caruso’s most impressive stat line across his career. However, as he continues to ramp up, he could very easily work his minutes back up to the low twenties and make his presence felt on the defensive end once again. Keep an eye on Caruso for next week if you’re hurting in the steals category.

Three-Pointers Made

Gary Trent Jr. (SG – MIL) | 21% Rostered

Last week, Milwaukee Bucks forward AJ Green was highlighted as a three-point streaming candidate, but now it’s time for us to talk about his teammate: Gary Trent Jr. has hit at least one three-pointer in each of his last 14 games. Doesn’t seem like a crazy streak, but for fantasy basketball, this is exactly what managers want to see.

Giannis will remain out at least until the 31st of December, and the Bucks will continue to rely on their rotation guys for consistent production each night. Check out Trent as a streaming option, especially since he’s attempting at least 4 three-pointers per game.