NBA Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups – Week Two
Nov 5, 2012 Blog
The first week of the NBA season is in the books and now is the perfect time to work the waiver wire to get the jump on the other owners in your league. While I wouldn’t advise making any irrational moves concerning slow starting high ADP players, there are some real gems out there that would be great claims to replace some of the lower ADP guys on your bench. Here’s a handful of guys that look like really good gambles:
Larry Sanders (MIL) – Sanders is a great pickup in leagues that allow daily roster moves, as well as keeper leagues. His playing time is going to be situational, but when he’s in there he can really help you across the board. He put up 27 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks in his first two games and qualifies at PF and C.
J.J. Redick (ORL) – Redick got left on a lot of waiver wires because he is coming off the bench behind Arron Afflalo, but with the injury to Hedo Turkoglu Redick is going to see a steady 30+ MPG. He’s played 35 and 34 minutes in his first two games, putting up 45 points and 12 assists.
Jamal Crawford (LAC) – Crawford said this was the first offseason that he’s worked on his shot and it’s clearly showing. He’s averaging 31 MPG over his first three while putting up 26 points a game. He should continue to see good minutes and be asked to contribute scoring while Chauncey Billups is out.
Danny Green (SAS) – Manu Ginobili is having back problems and Green is seeing extra minutes because of it. While I’m sure Ginobili will eventually heal, Green will likely continue to have value all season. Over the first three games without Ginobili, Green has averaged 33 MPG, 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.3 threes made.
Kevin Seraphin (WAS) – The Wizards are young and should probably just add Seraphin to their starting five to get him some experience and see what they’ve got. There’s no timetable for Nene to return, so Seraphin should be in line for about 30 minutes a night until we see Nene again. Seraphin missed the first game of the season with an injury of his own, but in his first game back, he put up 19 points and 7 rebounds, which could be his value when he’s completely healthy.
Nikola Vucevic (ORL) – The Magic are clearly rebuilding and the starting center spot is now firmly in the hands of Vucevic. He showed a glimpse last night of what he could be capable of delivering going for 18 points and 13 rebounds. Gustavo Ayon will try to compete with Vucevic for minutes, but I think Vucevic may lock this job up for 30+ MPG.
Jarrett Jack (GSW) – Brandon Rush tore an ACL and it looks like the Warriors are going with a three guard type of rotation with Klay Thompson possibly seeing some minutes at SF. Jack had a great season in 2011-12 and has seen the court for about 30 MPG over his first three games this season. He’s a great pickup if he continues to get those kind of minutes, especially for his assist ability.
Byron Mullens (CHA) – Mullens showed flashes of his three point shooting ability in the preseason, but I don’t think anyone really believed it would carry over into the regular season. They were wrong. Mullens launched 14 three point attempts over his first two games while averaging 11 points and 9 rebounds. He also added a steal and a block per game. He really doesn’t have much competition for minutes and could continue to see around 30 minutes a night.
Caron Butler (LAC) – Butler has dropped some weight and it really seems like it’s helped his knees. He’s been able to log 30+ minutes over his first three games while posting about 15 points a night.
Steve Blake (LAL) – I’ve seen a few reports that suggest that Steve Nash might miss about a month with his leg fracture. Blake will enter the starting five, but he’s not going to put up huge stats and is really just a short term pickup for anyone in 14-16 team leagues.
Carl Landry (GSW) – Andrew Bogut has been limited to about 20 minutes a night and that has forced the Warriors to put a smaller lineup on the floor by using Landry in the frontcourt. He’s responded well getting about 26 MPG and averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds over his first three games. His value will continue to depend on Bogut’s health.
Jason Kidd (NYK) – Raymond Felton is clearly the starter in New York, but the Knicks have been playing Felton and Kidd together and it’s really been working well. Kidd is a good defender and rebounder and really fits well with what the Knicks are trying to do while Amare Stoudemire is out. Kidd has managed 24 MPG while posting 12 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game over his first three games of the season.
Greivis Vasquez (NOR) – Vasquez probably isn’t on very many wires, but I’ve seen him on a few in shallower leagues where he probably shouldn’t be available. Eric Gordon is out indefinitely and Austin Rivers is playing the SG spot which leaves no other option at PG to compete with Vasquez. Over his first three games Vasquez has put up 13 points, 10 assists and 4 rebounds a game. That’s elite production, even in shallow leagues.
Patrick Patterson (HOU) – Patterson isn’t flashy and he doesn’t have a huge ceiling, but he’s got the starting PF spot locked down in Houston and has developed into a very dependable option that can get you 10 and 7 with a steal and a block per game, which is great waiver wire value.
A.J. Price (WAS) – The Wizards are content to roll with Price as their starting PG while John Wall is out. He isn’t going to put up big numbers, but he can get you 8-10 points, 5-6 assists and 2-3 rebounds a game if you are desperate for a PG option.
Richard Hamilton (CHI) – Most drafters gave up on Hamilton this season because of the constant injuries, but he looks really healthy and has regained his scoring touch going for 14 points a game over his first three. He also has the ability to throw in a handful of assists and will continue to be asked to carry part of the scoring load while Derrick Rose is out.
Omer Asik (HOU) – I know Asik doesn’t score, but there’s no way he should be sitting on waiver wires after averaging 14.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game over his first three. The offensive skills sometimes take awhile to develop, but it will come and if he can get his scoring to just 10 points a game, he’s a must own.
Bradley Beal (WAS) – Beal is being dropped all over the place right now, but I really think owners are being very shortsighted here, especially in keeper leagues. The Wizards are a mess right now and basically have no point guard. I know A.J. Price is playing the PG part, but he’s no John Wall. Beal is a great spot up shooter and needs a great distributor to get him the ball in his spots and right now he just doesn’t have that. Beal will develop better offensive skills that allow him to attack the basket, but in the beginning of his career he is limited and really needs Wall to return to bolster his fantasy value.
Tags: fantasy basketball, waiver wire