We are officially at the quarter mark of the fantasy basketball season, and if your leagues are anything like mine, the waiver wire is starting to resemble the Sahara Desert – empty and barren.

The sample size of player production continues to widen, so a lot of early season gems have been unearthed and pocketed.

For those who are getting hurt by game postponements and COVID protocols, it's difficult to evaluate whether to try and make a big move or stay the course.

On the flipside, if you've been getting lucky with your matchups, don't fall into a false sense of security with how strong your team may be.

At a certain point, scouring the waiver wire might not be enough to add significant value to your team, so entering the trade market is the move.

This is something I plan on visiting in the future, but in the meantime, here are some options on the wire that can help you along this week.

***Note that I've indicated their rostered percentage in ESPN leagues in brackets

PF: Jarred Vanderbilt, Minnesota Timberwolves (5.5 per  cent)

Karl-Anthony Towns remains out as he recovers from COVID-19 and is likely to miss the entire week. Vanderbilt has been a player picking up the slack in his absence. Vanderbilt is averaging 13 PPG and 7.5 RPG over his last two games while collecting four steals and two blocks. To be clear, there won't be much production once the Wolves are fully healed, but it doesn't hurt to capitalize in the meantime.

SF/PF: Taurean Prince, Cleveland Cavaliers (12.5 per cent)

Prince has been stuffing the stat sheet for his new team over the past week: 13.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, 2.3 threes, 1.7 steals and 1 block per game in 25 minutes a night.  His 47.8 per cent field goal percentage during that time won't hold up (Prince is 41.3 per cent from the field in his career) but that's more than okay with everything else he's providing. There aren't many certainties with the Cavs rotation right now, but Cleveland is winning games (2-1 last week) with Prince in the mix. Upcoming games against the lowly Pistons and Timberwolves won't hurt either.

C: Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers (37.6 per cent)

An efficiency monster, Zubac won't hit you over the head with counting stats but thrives on how effective he is in limited court time (18.5 MPG). Over the past two weeks Zubac has been playing at a top-100 level. Even though 8.3 PPG and 8.2 RPG doesn't seem like a lot, his 80 per cent from the floor and a block per game come in handy, all while almost never turning the ball over (0.8 TO). The Clippers also have the best fantasy schedule this week with four games – three of them coming on light schedule days. If your schedule is jam-packed on Wednesday and Friday, give Zubac a shot.

SG/SF: Jeremy Lamb, Indiana Pacers  (31.8 per cent)

Since returning from ACL surgery on January 20th, Lamb has been surprisingly steady. With Caris LeVert (kidney) and T.J. Warren (foot) out indefinitely, Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren is short of options at the wing. Lamb is scoring 15 ppg on efficient shooting (55.6 per cent from the floor & 90 per cent from the stripe) while adding a steal per contest and turning it over less than once a game. The Pacers have four games this week and no back-to-backs, so Lamb should continue to roll for those needing offence.

SG/SF: Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs (4.7 per cent)

Vassell is a target reserved for deeper leagues. A steals specialist, Vassell has at least one swipe in 13 straight games, and multiple steals in six of those contests. He's played more than 24 minutes a night over the past week and has been chipping in a bit in other areas (2 threes, 2.3 APG, 4.3 RPG) He also hasn't turned the ball over once in 11 games, something that will endear the rookie to head coach Gregg Popovich.