The New Year is here, and with it have come new injuries and new opportunities. The biggest storyline of the last week is Nikola Jokic’s hyperextended knee that will cause him to miss at least a month. Denver will have to fill the void with a committee approach, and multiple Nuggets appear in this week’s column.

Aaron Nesmith has played great since returning to Indiana’s lineup, and he tops the list. With key injuries in Chicago and Washington, Bulls and Wizards feature prominently here, too. Multiple frontcourt injuries in Detroit should mean plenty of run for Isaiah Stewart for at least the next week.

Here are the top fantasy basketball waiver wire adds for Week 12.

→ Watch the NBA Coast 2 Coast Tuesday on NBC and Peacock, as the Heat take on the Timberwolves at 8 p.m. ET before the Mavericks and Kings square off at 11 p.m. ET. Both games are available on Peacock. Check your local listings for the NBC game in your area.

2025-26 Fantasy Basketball Top 200 Rankings: Tyrese Maxey jumps into the top five

Fantasy managers expected big things from Maxey, and he has delivered thus far.

• Raphielle Johnson,

Priority Adds

1. Aaron Nesmith
2. Isaiah Stewart
3. Jake LaRavia
4. Peyton Watson
5. Quentin Grimes
6. Justin Champagnie
7. Isaiah Collier
8. Ayo Dosunmu
9. Caleb Love
10. Luke Kornet

Quentin Grimes, Philadelphia 76ers (35 percent rostered)

After a rough stretch of games, Grimes is back on track with four straight strong performances. Over the last week, he’s averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 blocks and 3.0 triples across 33 minutes. Despite improved availability across the roster, Grimes is surging as one of the first guys off Philly’s bench. His 40 minutes in Monday's OT loss highlight Philadelphia's faith in him late in games.

Aaron Nesmith, Indiana Pacers (27 percent rostered)

After returning from a six-week absence, Nesmith has found his groove, and he’s worth a look off the waiver wire. Across his last four outings, he’s averaged 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 swats and 3.0 triples across 29.6 minutes. Nesmith is a top-75 fantasy player over the last week, and his role could increase significantly with Bennedict Mathurin (thumb) set to miss substantial time. Indiana is still looking for answers in its starting five, and Nesmith certainly delivered on Sunday with a 25/4/8 line including two swats and five triples across 34 minutes.

Peyton Watson, Denver Nuggets (27 percent rostered)

Watson has started 21 straight games, filling in for Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. Gordon and Braun both returned on Sunday, with Braun rejoining the starting five and Gordon coming off the bench. Watson remained with the first unit and logged his third straight 20-point game in 29 minutes. Watson’s playing time and production may be scaled back with Gordon and Braun back, but the Nuggets are still without Nikola Jokic, Jonas Valanciunas and Cameron Johnson. Rotation minutes will be available, and Watson has done enough to earn at least 25-30 for the foreseeable future. DaRon Holmes II has started at center with Jokic and Valanciunas sidelined, but he isn’t worth a look in most fantasy leagues due to his limited minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. is a viable add thanks to his scoring and three-point shooting.

Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls (23 percent rostered)

All of Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter and Tre Jones have seen increased run and production over their last four games, and all are worth adding off the waiver wire with Coby White on a minutes restriction and Josh Giddey still sidelined. Jones is the best add for managers in need of assists, while Huerter is the better rebounder and three-point shooter. Dosunmu is the best of the group in all-around production, so he's the preferred add here. Huerter is best reserved for deeper leagues, while Jones and Dosunmu are worth rostering in standard leagues.

Isaiah Stewart, Detroit Pistons (23 percent rostered)

Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris will be out for at least a week, freeing up Stewart to take on a larger role for Detroit’s next three games, and potentially longer. Stewart has recorded a blocked shot in 10 straight games, averaging 2.4 swats in that span. He started Sunday’s win over the Cavaliers, delivering a full 8/3/2/2/3 line across 31 minutes.

Jake LaRavia, Los Angeles Lakers (21 percent rostered)

LaRavia continues to shine for the Lakers, and he should stay heavily involved in the rotation until Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves return. Even when the pair return, LaRavia has been too good to see his minutes cut dramatically. Over his last two games, LaRavia has averaged 23.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 3.5 triples. He needs to be rostered in all standard leagues.

Isaiah Collier, Utah Jazz (16 percent rostered)

Collier offers strong numbers in a scarce waiver wire category – assists. He’s averaging 6.6 on the season, but over his last 11 games, he’s dished 8.5 per game to go with 9.8 points, 3.1 boards and 1.0 steals. Collier has been excellent as Keyonte George’s primary backup at PG, but if the latter is forced to miss time or Utah mixes up its starting five, Collier would be in line for big stat lines. In his last start, Collier went for 16/6/10 with a block and a triple across 37 minutes.

Luke Kornet, San Antonio Spurs (15 percent rostered)

Kornet had his best game of the season on Saturday, delivering 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots across 31 minutes. He’s enjoyed a strong run of games as of late, and he should retain value even after Victor Wembanyama returns. Wemby could come off the bench or see a reduced workload in the games ahead, especially with San Antonio playing a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back set.

Caleb Love, Portland Trail Blazers (13 percent rostered)

Jerami Grant (Achilles) will miss a 10th straight game on Monday, which means Love should continue to see meaningful minutes. Across his last seven appearances, the rookie out of Arizona has posted 17.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 3.9 triples across 29.7 minutes. He’s worth a look as a points and threes specialist.

Justin Champagnie, Washington Wizards (12 percent rostered)

Over his last four games, Champagnie ranks just outside the top 100 in per-game fantasy value with averages of 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 triples across 25.5 minutes. Kyshawn George is without a timeline for return, and Champagnie should continue to be involved in the rotation until he returns. If you miss out on Champagnie, Bilal Couliabaly is a worthwhile add, as is Tre Johnson, who has started each of the last four that George has missed.

Other options:Cam Spencer (18%), Bilal Coulibaly (27%), Tre Johnson (10%), Tre Jones (26%), Kevin Huerter (11%), Tim Hardaway Jr. (17%), Julian Champagnie (15%)