25/26 Week 12 Pickups

Tre Jones (Y! – 28%) – Jones is the top add on the Bulls. He is a must in all category and points leagues. He could be a top-60 player in category leagues and a mid-round player in points leagues while Josh Giddey is out. He’s going to be a major force in dimes and steals while the Australian recovers and should also be a decent source of efficient points. As a starter this year, Jones is averaging 13.8 PPG on 52.9 FG%, 0.6 3PG, 3.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, and 1.9 SPG in 29.6 MPG. Expect that assists average to rise. His current numbers as a starter are dragged down by the fact that most of his starts have come beside the ball-dominant Giddey.

Jalen Smith (Y! – 19%) – Smith is another Bull that comes with quite a bit of upside. His role isn’t as secure as Jones’ is, but if he does continue to play minutes in the mid-20s, he’ll likely be a mid-round asset. Smith is an elite per-minute producer who doesn’t need a ton of run to get in that range. So far this year, fewer than 35 players have been more productive than the big man on a per-minute basis. As long as he’s playing decent minutes, he should put up strong numbers in points, threes, rebounds, and blocks. Smith is currently producing 19.6 PP36 on 46.6 FG%, 2.7 3P3G, 13.4 RP36, and 1.6 BP36. He will also be someone to stash in preparation for the deadline. With Nikola Vucevic expiring, the odds of a trade or buy-out post-deadline are high.

Kelly Oubre Jr. (Y! – 18%) – Oubre is very close to a return. We will likely see him sometime in Week 12. When he does return, he should slide back into a significant role. He should start for the Sixers and play around 32 MPG. In a role of that size, he can be a borderline top-100 player and a top-80 asset in punt assists. He’ll likely also be more than that during stretches when Joel Embiid is out of the lineup. Before going down with a knee sprain, Oubre was playing 34.8 MPG and was averaging 16.8 PPG on 49.7 FG%, 1.9 3PG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 0.8 BPG. Those numbers were good enough to get him inside the top 85 in nine-category leagues.

Cedric Coward (Y! – 34%) – Coward was phenomenal in the Grizzlies’ overtime loss to the Sixers on Wednesday and continues to post very helpful numbers in the offensive categories and boards. He’s been a top-60 player over the last two weeks and should be added if he was dropped during his rough first half of December. Over the last 14 days, Coward has given us 16.8 PPG on 54.7 FG%, 1.8 3PG, 8.2 RPG, and 3.6 APG. What’s holding him back from being one of the biggest fantasy stories in this year’s draft class is his defensive contributions. They have been nonexistent. Over that same two-week stretch, Coward has managed just 0.4 SPG and 0.4 BPG. Both numbers are in line with his year-long averages.

Isaiah Stewart (Y! – 19%) – Stewart is a very strong short-term pickup with both Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren looking at some time on the sidelines. Beef Stew is already posting an elite number in blocks in just 22.9 MPG and could be a mid-round player until the Pistons get their starting frontcourt back. In a 30 MPG role, he could give us about 14.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 2.5 BPG. He’ll also do more than most strong sources of blocks from deep (1.4 3P36). The lone downside to adding Stewart is that the Pistons will start a stretch where they play just one game in seven nights next Thursday. Due to the schedule, you might only get three or four big lines from Stewart.

Julian Champagnie (Y! – 14%) – With Devin Vassell likely out for weeks with an abductor strain, Champagnie moves back into the standard league conversation. The forward has a shot at 30 MPG while Vassell sits. In a role of that size, he could be a top-100 player. Champagnie’s game is a very nice fit for category leagues due to the well-rounded nature of his line. The Spur is capable of posting useful numbers in points, threes, rebounds, and steals. Champagnie has been a top-125 nine-category player this year in just 27.6 MPG with averages of 10.5 PPG on 41.9 FG%, 2.3 3PG, 5.6 RPG, and 0.9 SPG. Once Vassell is back, Champagnie will be just a 14-team league piece.

Kevin Huerter (Y! – 9%) – Huerter doesn’t come with as high a ceiling as Tre Jones and Jalen Smith do, but he could be a valuable 12-team asset until the Bulls get at least one of Josh Giddey or Coby White back. He’s proven that in Chicago, both this year and last, he can be a borderline top-100 player in a high-20s role. Red Velvet is worth adding if you need a points, threes, and steals bump. This year, he’s needed just 24.1 MPG to average 11.8 PPG, 1.7 3PG, and 0.8 SPG. Huerter also has the ability to help us in blocks more than most players at his position. He’s cooled off in the category, but did average about 1.0 BPG over the first month of the season.

Miles McBride (Y! – 9%) – McBride has looked good in both of his appearances since returning from an ankle sprain that cost him eight games and should end up in a sizable role soon with Josh Hart expected to miss more time. McBride is just a forgettable 16-team league piece when the Knicks are healthy, but whenever a starter goes down, and his minutes get into the 30+ MPG range, he will be worth a grab in 12-team setups. Over his nine starts this season, McBride has averaged 14.3 PPG on 45.8 FG%, 3.2 3PG, 2.7 APG, and 0.6 SPG in 34.3 MPG. The Knicks’ upcoming schedule adds to his appeal. New York starts a stretch of four games in six days tonight.

DaRon Holmes (Y! – 16%) – You don’t want to drop anyone even remotely safe for Holmes, but the rookie is worth a punt in most leagues. As the last man standing in the Nuggets’ center rotation, Holmes has a shot at locking down minutes in the 20s while both Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas recover. Whether he can successfully pull that off is hard to say. We have seen very little of Holmes at the pro level. He missed all of last year with a torn Achilles after being drafted in 2024, has appeared in just four games this year, and has played a total of 34 minutes in his NBA career. Holmes is worth a roll of the dice because he did have a fantasy-friendly game in college. At Dayton, he was a strong rim protector who could hit from deep. That archetype is usually at least somewhat useful in fantasy basketball when placed in a significant role. As a junior at Dayon, Holmes averaged 20.4 PPG on 54.4 FG%, 1.0 3PG, 8.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 2.1 BPG in 32.5 MPG.

Aaron Nesmith (Y! – 26%) – Nesmith is finally healthy and is worth an add in 12-team leagues. If he can rediscover his shooting stroke, he could become a top-100 player. His role is large enough to get him into that range if he can start shooting in even the mid-40s instead of the high-30s. That should be doable, as Nesmith shot over 50 percent from the field in 2024-2025. Despite shooting a ridiculously poor 37.1 percent on the year, Nesmith is ranked inside the top 150 in nine-category leagues. He’s managed that feat by averaging 14.4 PPG on 37.1 FG%, 2.9 3PG, 4.5 RPG, and 0.9 SPG. He is an especially nice add in punt FG% and punt assists (1.5 APG).

Jake LaRavia (Y! – 10%) – LaRavia is worth a short-term add with Rui Hachimura likely to miss a few more games with his calf injury. As long as Rui is out, LaRavia should play enough minutes to be a solid 12-team piece. He does have a fantasy-friendly game and is usually worth rostering when he starts. Over his 10 2025-2026 starts, the forward has produced 10.5 PPG on 43.7 FG%, 1.0 3PG, 5.7 RPG, 1.9 SPG, and 0.5 BPG in 32.5 MPG. Once Hachimura is healthy, LaRavia’s minutes will fall back into the low-to-mid-20s, where he will be just a back-end 14-team league option.

Caleb Love (Y! – 7%) – Love is not a long-term option, as his role will shrink considerably once the Blazers get one or two of Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday, and Scoot Henderson back, but until then, he should be worth holding in very deep leagues and will be a quality points and threes streamer in shallower settings. Over his last five, in 30.4 MPG, Love has been a borderline top-100 player with averages of 16.6 PPG on 46.9 FG%, 3.6 3PG, 2.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, and 0.8 SPG. The Blazers begin a stretch of four games in six nights tonight and will play four times in Week 12.

Tre Johnson (Y! – 9%) – Johnson’s game isn’t fantasy-friendly enough to get him into the standard league conversation, but in very deep leagues, where points, threes, and not much else type of lines aren’t as common, he is worth a flier. Johnson has been a top-110 player over the last two weeks thanks to averages of 15.3 PPG on an unsustainable 50.6 FG% and 2.6 3PG. The rest of his line has been poor, which is not a surprise, as he did very little besides score at Texas. Over that same two-week stretch, the Wizard has managed just 2.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, and 0.6 SPG.

Nikola Jovic (Y! – 24%) – Jovic has looked good in two of his four appearances since returning from his elbow issue. However, the reason why he’s on this list is not his recent production, which is hard to trust. He’s on this list because of the Heat’s Week 12 schedule. Miami is one of just two teams that play four games in Week 12 that are not part of the 12-game Wednesday slate. The other team is Minnesota, whose fantasy-relevant players are rostered in 100 percent of competitive leagues. Scooping up Jovic and any other Heat role players that are available should place you at an advantage next week, even if the forward posts some mediocre lines. Since returning four games ago, Jovic has averaged 14.0 PPG on 36.0 FG%, 2.5 3PG, 5.8 RPG, 5.3 APG, and 0.8 SPG.

Luka Garza (Y! – 2%) – It’s hard to trust the Celtics’ rotation beyond the top four, but in very deep leagues, where we don’t always have the option of grabbing sure things, we should add Garza and see where things go. He’s a very strong per-minute player whose minutes have been trending in the right direction for a couple of weeks. He’s now topped the 24-minute mark in four of his last six. Over that six-game span, Garza has averaged 10.7 PPG on 67.6 FG%, 0.8 3PG, 5.8 RPG, and 0.5 BPG. He’s not a threat to steal Neemias Queta’s starting spot, but if his minutes do stabilize in the low-20s, Garza could be a top-200 player, which would make him a useful piece in 16-team leagues and someone to stream in shallower settings.