RADIO
Injuries and inconsistent play have opened the door for the big men on this week's waiver wire. All three are "older" young guys (25-27) looking to make their mark in the league after a few years of basically just existing. These are all players capable of having breakout years if they get their fair share of playing time. Don't miss out on these potential fantasy studs or are they just potential duds waiting to happen? Judge for yourself below.
Be sure to check out RotoBaller's other Week 7 NBA coverage, including our Week 7 Waiver Wire Guards and Week 7 Waiver Wire Forwards.
Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List
NBA Week 7 Waiver Wire: Centers
Kosta Koufos (SAC, PF/C) - 45% Owned
Koufos has three double-doubles in his last six games. Wiyh rookie Willie Cauley-Stein out for 4-6 weeks with a dislocated finger Koufos' minutes will be more consistent then they have been. Koufos has averaged 8.8 points and 7 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field this season. These numbers are with him coming off the bench and getting 20-25 minutes a game. Without Cauley-Stein out there Koufos will be the only true big man to back up DeMarcus Cousins. Rudy Gay and Omri Casspi play the four for the team a lot and this leaves the two big men as the sole rebounding and shot blocking threats on the court. Koufos will get his highest usage of the season over the next few weeks and will be a valuable asset when it comes to shooting percentage, rebounds and blocks. Right now he's putting up career numbers in all of those categories.
Festus Ezeli (GSW, C) - 19% Owned
Festus Ezeli is playing a little under 20 minutes per game this season. He's started more games this season than he did last year and his total number of minutes played this year (434) are getting close to the total number he played last season (504). In fact, if Ezeli scores 19 more points this season, it'll the highest number of total points he's scored in a season in his career. Basically, the Warriors are giving Ezeli the first real playing time of his life and he is producing. The same way David Lee seemed to disappear last year in favor of Draymond Green it seems that the Warriors are leaving behind Andrew Bogut in favor of Ezeli. His 1.5 block average in only 20 minutes this season is one of the highest blocks per minute average in the league. The Warriors are still changing and evolving despite beating everyone they've played this year. Ezeli will be a big piece of the defending champions moving forward and if he can continue producing and get just a few more minutes a game, then he should be a big piece of fantasy teams as well.
Jon Leuer (PHO, PF/C) - 17% Owned
Jon Leuer has started the last two games for the Suns and it seems he will continue to be the started indefinitely. The former Wisconsin product seems to be favored by coach Jeff Hornacek over Markieff Morris at power forward. Leuer is averaging 7.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and one three pointer made this season. Leuer is likely to be getting closer to 28 minutes (average of the 5 games he's started) as a starter than the 18 he has been getting coming off the bench. If that is the case he fits the mold of a stretch four with some upside.
