The Playlist: Fantasy basketball waiver wire and schedule breakdown for Week 2 in the NBA

The bad news first. Thunder guard Jalen Williams was taken off the floor on a stretcher in Sunday’s game against the Clippers with a gruesome left ankle injury. The severity isn’t confirmed, but his season looks to be in jeopardy. That’s awful for Williams, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2025-26, and for fantasy managers who spent an early pick on him. Meanwhile, Magic guard Jalen Suggs suffered a non-contact right knee injury and will undergo an MRI, on top of Paolo Banchero being out four to six weeks with a high-ankle sprain. Those are the long-term losses, and they leave plenty of opportunity on the Week 2 waiver wire. Let’s get to the adds.

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation

Shallow leagues

Paul Reed – PF/C, Detroit Pistons – (50% rostered)

Reed was a pickup you wanted before Friday, and his rostership has jumped from 11% on Wednesday. He went for 19 points with 11 boards and 4 assists in 26 minutes against Miami after Jalen Duren (hamstring) left early, and he started Sunday against Philadelphia. Duren will be re-evaluated in two weeks, which makes Reed the starting center for all of Week 2 and possibly longer. Detroit plays Tuesday against the Knicks, Wednesday against the Hornets and Friday at Brooklyn. He should be rostered in all leagues.

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Anthony Black – PG/SG/SF, Orlando Magic – (50% rostered)

Black made his season debut Sunday after missing the first two games with an ankle sprain, and he looked more than ready, scoring 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with 5 3s, 5 assists, 3 boards and 2 steals in 26 minutes. With Banchero out for an extended period and Suggs hurt, Black will play a lot of minutes and provide a much-needed versatile guard who can create, defend and help generate offense. The Magic elected not to extend him earlier in the offseason. It’ll be interesting to see how his play might force their hand. He’s a must-add in all formats as he’ll see a big boost in usage going forward.

Jared McCain – PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder – (30% rostered)

Ajay Mitchell (56% rostered) is my first choice to replace Williams, followed by Cason Wallace. The problem is, Wallace left Sunday’s…

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Author : Dan Titus

Publish date : 2026-10-26 12:55:00

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