Waiver Wired: Wired: Top NBA Pickups Week 18
Games Played Week 18
4 Games: CLE, DET, GSW, IND, MIA, MIN, NYK, ORL, PHI, POR, TOR, WAS
3 Games: ATL, BOS, BRK, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIL, NOP, OKC, PHX, SAC, SAN, UTA
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Guards
Devin Booker Suns 56 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues – Coach Earl Watson says that Booker will be the focal point of the team’s offense going forward and he’s averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 3-pointers over his last five games. He’s also shooting just 32 percent over that stretch, but I bet he gets hot again soon. He’s getting 35 minutes a night, so if the shots start falling, the production will follow.
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Zach LaVine Timberwolves 58% – Sam Mitchell says he’s going to alternate starts for LaVine and Tayshaun Prince and that happened on Saturday night, when Prince started and failed to score a point. Yeah – I don’t get it either. LaVine is averaging 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks and 1.4 3-pointers over his last five games.
Norris Cole Pelicans 34% – Cole should be good to go with Tyreke Evans out for the year, although Eric Gordon is due back soon. Cole’s averaging 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 0.8 3-pointers on 48 percent shooting over his last five games. Ride him as a starter until Gordon returns, then play wait-and-see with him.
Archie Goodwin Suns 36% – Goodwin is averaging 17.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 0.8 3-pointers on 43 percent shooting over his last five games. He doesn’t have a steal in any of them and many folks are worried about the return of Brandon Knight (groin) in a couple weeks. I still think Goodwin is going to get plenty of run either way and plan on holding him until it no longer makes sense to do so.
Brandon Jennings Magic 37% – Jennings had 18 points and four 3-pointers along with three rebounds and four assists in 25 minutes in his first game for the Magic on Friday. I would like to see it again, but Scott Skiles appears to like him and Elfrid Payton could take a hit here. I’m all for grabbing Jennings and seeing what happens.
Bojan Bogdanovic Nets 29% – Bogdanovic is suddenly hot and could get even hotter if the Nets buy out Joe Johnson. BB is averaging 14.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.2 steals and 3.0 3-pointers over his last five games, shooting a whopping 63 percent over that stretch. He doesn’t do much besides score and three, but he’s rolling right now and probably deserves a spot on most fantasy rosters.
Gary Harris Nuggets 18% – Harris has played 40 minutes in three of his last four games and Randy Foye is now in OKC. Harris is averaging 14 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 3-pointers over his last three games. He’s also shooting it well right now, hitting 18-of-34 shots over that stretch, and looks like a nice pickup right now.
Langston Galloway Knicks 31% – Jose Calderon avoided a trade and is still the starter, but with the Knicks’ playoff hopes quickly fading, I still like the idea of holding Galloway. He hasn’t been great since Calderon returned from an injury, but he’s getting 26 minutes a game over his last five and I get the sense he’s going to start playing well again very soon.
E’Twaun Moore Bulls 10% – Moore has been quiet lately, scoring nine, five and eight points in his last three games, but he played 35, 22 and 29 minutes in those and Jimmy Butler’s (knee) still not back. As long as the minutes are there, the chances of Moore bouncing back should be pretty good. Prior to his last three duds he scored 12, 17, 8 and 24 points.
Dennis Schroder Hawks 27% – Jeff Teague suffered a wrist injury on Saturday night but we don’t know how serious it is. He was able to briefly return from it, so hopefully it’s not too bad. What we do know is that Schroder went off for his best game of the season, just missing a triple-double with 25 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers on 10-of-19 shooting. He scored 16 points on Friday night and scored 18 in his final game before the All-Star break, meaning he’s hot. Kyle Korver and Teague have been playing better, but despite the fact the Hawks were quiet on deadline day, it looks like Schroder is worth a grab/hold right now.
Donald Sloan Nets 8% – Sloan went off for 14 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals, a block and two 3-pointers on Friday. Sloan’s been wildly inconsistent and far from a must-own point guard, but there is some hope after his last game. He’s averaging 9.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.6 3-pointers over his last five. Maybe he’s about to get hot, but one thing is clear. He’s the player you want to own over Shane Larkin.
Courtney Lee 30% & Jeremy Lin 39% Hornets – Courtney Lee is expected to start at SG for the Hornets, but didn’t get his physical completed in time for Friday’s game. He’s going to mostly provide value with some points and threes, meaning he’s not a must-own player in my book. He’ll also hurt Jeremy Lin a bit, but Lin could still be sneaky while coming off the bench. Both players are in wait-and-see fantasy mode.
Tony Allen Grizzlies 37% – Allen is dealing with a sore left knee that might keep him out on Sunday, but with Lee now in Charlotte, should take over the shooting guard duties. If his knee problem is worse than feared, Mario Chalmers will be worth a look, but for now I like the idea of picking up Allen.
Gerald Green Heat 15% – Dwyane Wade has sat out two straight games with a sore knee, but his MRI was clean. Green has played 28 minutes over his last five games, but is averaging just 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and not much else over that stretch. If Wade ever goes down for good, Green will be worth owning. But for now, he’s only a luxury hold, at best.
O.J. Mayo Bucks 5% – Mayo’s now starting at PG for the Bucks, but hasn’t exactly killed it. But he had nine points, seven rebounds, six assists, five steals and two 3-pointers on Saturday, which could be a sign of things to come. Michael Carter-Williams also played well in that one with 17 points and nine rebounds, but hit just 6-of-14 shots. Mayo is worth a stash, especially with Jerryd Bayless out with a sprained knee.
Nik Stauskas Sixers 5% – Stauskas has been starting at SG for the Sixers and has played well in two straight games, averaging 13.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.5 3-pointers in 28 minutes over those two. If you need 3-pointers, Sauce Castillo looks like your man.
Shelvin Mack Jazz 3% – Mack joined the Jazz on the trade deadline and could challenge Raul Neto for the starting job. Neto scored 15 on Friday and Mack has yet to make his debut for the Jazz. I don’t think Mack’s a must-own player, even in deeper leagues, but he’s a guy you’ll want to keep an eye on over the next 10 days or so.
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