Waiver Wired: Wired: Top NBA Pickups Week 21
Games Played Week 21
5 Games: TOR
4 Games: BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, NOP, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR, SAC, UTA, WAS
3 Games: ATL, BRK, IND, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, PHX, SAS
2 Games: LAL
As you can see, it’s a good week to own Raptors and a bad week to run the young Lakers out there. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Guards
Devin Booker Suns 61% owned in Yahoo! leagues – Booker was at it again on Saturday with 18 points and a career-high 11 dimes, but he missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Booker’s assists have been up lately and he’s now averaging 25.2 points, 6.4 assists and 1.6 3-pointers over his last five games. Yes, Brandon Knight is back, but I doubt it will hurt Booker, who is locked in at shooting guard. The only question is, how is he available in nearly 40 percent of the Yahoo! leagues out there?
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Lance Stephenson Grizzlies 35% – Mike Conley is out for three to four weeks, Mario Chalmers is done and Ray McCallum is still Ray McCallum, even though he plays for the Grizzlies now. Stephenson is on fire, averaging 16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 3-pointers over his last five. Had he not had a 1-of-8 shooting, two-point performance on Wednesday, those numbers would look a lot better.
Norris Cole Pelicans 28% – Cole has missed three straight games with a sore back and Toney Douglas has been filling in. I don’t know when Cole will play again, but I do know he had 23 points, seven boards, six assists, three steals and a 3-pointer in his last game played. He’s a risky pickup given the state of his back, but he should be fun to own once he’s back on the court.
Gary Harris Nuggets 45% – Harris is straight ballin’, averaging 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 3-pointers on 54 percent shooting over his last five games. He’s scored in double figures in nine straight games, is hurting the value of Will Barton, and showing no signs of slowing down.
Jerryd Bayless Bucks 28% – Michael Carter-Williams is out for the season and O.J. Mayo joined him by “falling down the stairs” recently, leaving Bayless (and maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo) as the team’s only point guard. Bayless went off for 17 points, four boards, four assists, two steals, a block and three 3-pointers on Saturday, and has played very well in three of his last four games. It’s time to move on him.
Tony Allen Grizzlies 49% – Allen has been back for four games and is playing well, averaging 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals on 52 percent shooting in them. The Grizzlies are banged up and Allen should continue to play heavy minutes at both wing spots. I am not a huge Allen fan, but he has a huge opportunity and should continue to roll.
Ray McCallum Grizzlies 5% – McCallum made his Grizzlies debut on Saturday and played well, scoring 13 points with four rebounds, two assists, two steals, a block and three 3-pointers in 27 minutes. Lance Stephenson is the guard you want to grab in Memphis, but McCallum is going to play and is a nice deep-league stash, especially with Mike Conley possibly out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury. The arrival of McCallum should crush the potential value of teammate Briante Weber.
Isaiah Canaan Sixers 11% – Speaking of banged up, the Sixers are a mess right now. Canaan is starting at shooting guard and had 22 points, two steals and four 3-pointers on Saturday. He’s been a bit hit-or-miss, but is still averaging 12.2 points and 2.4 3-pointers over his last five games.
Bojan Bogdanovic Nets 38% – Bogdanovic was given the day off on Friday and is averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 3-pointers over his last four games. I don’t think he’s injured, as Friday’s absence was designated as ‘rest.’
Markel Brown Nets 8% – Brown looked a bit must-own a week ago, after he went off for two big games on Friday and Saturday, when he scored 21 and 23 points. But he scored just four points on Tuesday and five on Friday, hitting 4-of-13 shots over his last two games. The minutes are still there and he should bounce back, but will continue to be inconsistent regardless.
Nik Stauskas Sixers 4% – Stauskas played 26 minutes and scored 15 points on Saturday, and had 110 in his previous game. The Sixers are more banged up than any team in the league and Stauskas could finally be ready to get it going. If you need 3-pointers, he looks like a nice add right now.
D.J. Augustin Nuggets 17% – Augustin has been rolling a bit off the bench as Emmanuel Mudiay’s backup and is averaging 11.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.8 3-pointers over his last five games. He had 17 points and 10 assists in 31 minutes on Saturday, when Michael Malone went with his bench for the entire fourth quarter after they made a nice comeback. Augustin is not a must-own player, but if you need a PG in a deep league, he might be able to help you out.
