Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups (11/12/10)
Nov 12, 2010 Blog
It was a slow three game fantasy night in the NBA on Thursday, so I figured today would be a great day to cover some of the attractive early season waiver wire pickups. Most NBA teams have 7 or 8 games under their belt, so it’s time to start making some fantasy roster moves. I have tried to hit at least one guy from each team that you might want to take a look at.
Glen Davis BOS (30 min/game, 11.6pt/5.0reb) – He has improved his game this season and with the Boston bigmen hurting, he’s getting a nice 30 minutes of action a night. The Celtics should give Kevin Garnett plenty of rest as the season progresses and Big Baby should benefit.
Derrick Favors NJN (21 min/game, 8.8pt/7.3reb) – Favors got some early season run with Troy Murphy out and showed that he can handle the job. If Murphy goes down with an injury or gets traded, Favors could find himself with a starting job in January.
Toney Douglas NYK (27 min/game, 14.3pts/3.5reb/2.1stl) – Douglas has turned into New York’s sixth man and could even move into the starting lineup if rookie Landry Fields struggles. Fields was my second waiver wire choice from the Knicks.
Evan Turner PHI (29 min/game, 10pts/6.3reb/2.4ast) – I was going to go with Lou Williams as my waiver wire pick from Philly, but he just hurt his shoulder and could be out for a month. Turner may not be available in your league, but if you need rebounds from your guard spot, he can help.
Sonny Weems TOR (22 min/game, 12.1pts/2.3reb/1.0stl) – Leandro Barbosa is possibly looking at wrist surgery and Weems could step into the backup shooting guard spot. Amir Johnson is my second favorite waiver wire candidate for the Raptors.
Daniel Gibson CLE (28 min/game, 13.6pt/3.4reb/4.4ast/1.0stl) – Gibson has evolved into Cleveland’s first guard off the bench and is finally getting a chance to show his skills. Ramon Sessions also deserves a mention for Cleveland.
Austin Daye DET (21 min/game, 8.6pt/4.3reb) – Daye struggles at times, but Kuester seems to be sticking with him. Daye also has SG, SF and PF eligibility on Yahoo. Ben Gordon also gets a mention for Detroit.
Mike Dunleavy IND (33 min/game, 13.7pt/6.2reb) – Anytime a guy scores 31 points in a game, you have to give him waiver wire consideration. The minutes and 6.2 rebounds per game are a nice find on the wire.
James Jones MIA (26 min/game, 9.6pts, 2.8 threes per game) – He’s hurting a little right now, but when healthy he’s a great source of three pointers. Udonis Haslem is my alternate waiver wire choice for the Heat.
Brandon Bass ORL (21 min/game, 9.3pt/5.7reb) – Bass and Ryan Anderson have been competing for time at PF and it looks like Bass is winning the competition. Orlando will use Bass when they need more size. Marcin Gortat is also getting some decent minutes.
DeShawn Stevenson DAL (9 min/game, 4.3pt/1.0reb) – Stevenson has moved into the starting lineup with Caron Butler out and could be earning a bigger role in the short term. He’ll probably fall back into obscurity once Roddy Beaubois and Caron Butler return, but enjoy him for now. J.J. Barea also deserves a look.
Chuck Hayes HOU (21 min/game, 5.6pt/5.4reb/.6blk) – If Yao Ming is going to miss time with his leg injury, Hayes could move into the starting lineup. He’s nothing flashy, but if you are desperate at center he could hold down the postion until a better option develops. Ishmael Smith was my second choice for Houston, but Kyle Lowery is almost back to full strength and Aaron Brooks will return in about a month.
Xavier Henry MEM (16 min/game, 7.4pt/1.7reb) – The Grizzlies are giving the rookie minutes to grow and learn and he’s making the most of his opportunity. He’s definitely a target in keeper leagues. Darrell Arthur also deserves a mention for the Grizz.
Jason Smith NOR (20 min/game, 8.3pt/4.7reb) – He’s worked himself into 20 minutes a game and has center eligibility on Yahoo. Monty Williams seems to trust him.
Shelden Williams DEN (23 min/game, 6.6pt/7.7reb) – Another guy with center eligibility and minutes. He’s useful if your starting center gets hit with an injury or if you are streaming.
Wesley Johnson MIN (27 min/game, 10.3pt/3.9reb/1.9ast) – He got off to a slow start because of a hamstring injury and might have been dropped in a few leagues. Yahoo has him owned in less than half of their leagues.
Rudy Fernandez POR (20 min/game, 7.6pt/1.6stl, 1.6 threes) – Brandon Roy is hurting and Fernandez could move into some major minutes. He can help you with steals and threes. Wes Matthews will also collect some of those minutes. Armon Johnson gets a mention as a waiver wire target in keeper leagues.
C. J. Miles UTA (24 min/game, 9.4pt/2.9reb/1.0stl/.6blk) – He’s getting time at SF and there has even been some speculation that he could move into the starting lineup to allow Andrei Kirilenko to provide offense to the second team.
Eric Bledsoe LAC (28 min/game, 8.4pt/3.0reb/5.2ast/1.0stl) – He has taken over for the injured Baron Davis and done a fine job. If Davis gets traded or remains out for an extended time, Bledsoe is an excellent target, especially in keeper leagues. Al-Farouq Aminu also deserves a short term add until Chris Kaman returns.
Shannon Brown LAL (19 min/game, 10.1pt/1.1stl) – Kobe has been getting a good bit of rest and Brown has been given those extra minutes. The Lakers will continue to rest Kobe, especially in blowouts.
Josh Childress PHO (17 min/game, 5.3pt/3.4reb) – Childress is still playing with a bulky splint on his finger and it’s hurting his stats. Once that finger heals, he will produce. Grab him before the breakout happens.
Omri Casspi SAC (27 min/game, 11.6pt/3.1reb/.7stl) – Many impatient owners dropped Casspi when he started the season coming off the bench. He’s back in the starting lineup, so grab him before other owners notice. Francisco Garcia also makes a nice waiver wire target if you can tolerate his inconsistency.
Tags: fantasy basketball, waiver wire