Fantasy Basketball Advice: Deep League Waiver Wire Adds

When you’re in too deep, look no further! Each week, we will give you the low-down on 1-2 hot NBA waiver wire options for deeper fantasy basketball leagues.

 

NBA Waiver Wire Pickups - Deeper Fantasy Basketball Leagues

Boris Diaw - PF / C

Boris Diaw, who recently came under scrutiny alongside Tony Parker in the "quenelle" controversy, has quickly become an intriguing look in fantasy. Until recently, the forward has been sent to the trash bin. He's had a few flashes in the pan, but Diaw's scoring has fluctuated more than the numbers on the Dow Jones Industrial.

So why is the big man headlining this week's edition? That's because now is the time to buy. As one stockbroker in Wall Street puts it, “In ten minutes, it's history. At 4 o'clock, I'm a dinosaur!” Why is there little time? Well, San Antonio has been on a losing trend. As witnessed by the upset on Wednesday, the Spurs are struggling to maintain dominance in the West. With Splitter, Green and now Leonard all out with injuries, the bench has been called in.

Diaw's minutes should skyrocket for the next 3-4 weeks (or until Leonard comes back). While he may not start at small forward, the stats are too good to pass up.

He is set for a strong finish. In his last four games, Diaw went for 13.25 (1.25 threes) points, 3.25 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.25 steals. 12+ team league owners would benefit from having that kind of production.

 

Matt Barnes - SF

He's on the fringe of bringing some serious value in deep leagues. On Monday, Doc Rivers said that Matt is “one of our key intangible players, and we haven't had that this year because of injuries.” The Clippers coach has since started Barnes over Jared Dudley for the past three games.

Whether that's a confidence issue or something else matters not. What does matter is Barnes's last three games, in which he's averaging 9.0 points, 2.7 boards, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 triples.

Sure, Wednesday was a dud, and when you add his streaky game log to the equation, you might decide to pass on this pick. But if you take a closer look, he actually is very consistent. In the month of January, he's putting up 8 points (.8 threes), 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and .8 steals, which is not far off.

Barnes is bound to continue those numbers, and there's a good chance that he will improve given the opportunity. Keep him in your sights and await the results of his next game before making a decision.