RADIO
Hello again and welcome to another week of NBA action, another Fantasy Basketball weekly matchup, and another batch of burgeoning forwards. These three guys have hit a solid stride in the last couple of weeks and can help out those Fantasy Basketball Managers who need either specific category help or as many overall points as possible.
Be sure to check out RotoBaller's other Week 6 NBA coverage, including our Week 6 Waiver Wire Guards and Week 6 Waiver Wire Centers.
Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List
NBA Week 6 Waiver Wire: Forwards
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (SG/SF, BKN) - Owned in 22% of Yahoo leagues
In his rookie season, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has already started 12 out of 17 games for the Brooklyn Nets and is averaging 22.2 minutes per game. In that time on the floor, the talented former Arizona Wildcat is averaging 6.1 rebounds, 5.2 points, and 1.6 steals per game. Hollis-Jefferson is a talented athletic prospect whose ability is able to translate to consistent raw results. He is proving himself to be an effective asset quickly, and could be absolutely lethal if he sees more time. Per 36 minutes, he is averaging 8.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks. That is a lot of big time production for a 6'7'' small forward. With a 3.4% Steal% and a 15.2% Rebound%, Jefferson is proving very quickly that he might need to be starting more consistently and seeing the floor more often. If that starts to happen for this rising star, make sure you are harvesting the fruits of his labor and are using his breakout to win your matchups week after week.
Thabo Sefolosha (SG/SF, ATL) - Owned in 6% of Yahoo leagues
Thabo Sefolosha can be counted on year after year for a solid percentage and a reasonable volume of three point field goals (this year is hitting 44% -- 0.7 makes on 1.7 attempts). He also plays great defense that translates to steals, currently averaging 1.5 steals per game. However, Thabo is also excelling in some categories a little outside his norm. He is currently averaging 4.9 rebounds per game as compared to his career average of 3.8 rebounds per game, 7.7 points as compared to a career average of 5.8 points per game, and 0.7 blocks as compared to a career average of 0.5 blocks per game. Sefolosha would be averaging 12.0 points, 1.0 blocks, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per 36 minutes. Sefolosha is giving his typical solid work of long distance shooting and perimeter defense, but with his increased volume of rebounds, points, and blocks, Thabo becomes a valuable utility piece, especially as he continues to see more playing time for an Atlanta team that needs help on the wing.
Omri Casspi (SF, SAC) - Owned in 12% of Yahoo leagues
Honestly, I could almost copy and paste everything I wrote about Sefolosha into this section about Omri Casspi and you might not be able to tell the difference except for a few important details. First off, Casspi is currently shooting 45% from 3PT range and is averaging a steal per contest. Casspi is also averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, and is using his increase in playing time--26.1 minutes per game (including 30.7 over his last 6) as compared to 21 minutes per game for his career--to average a higher volume of points (11.2 points per game as opposed to a career average of 8.0 points per game). Casspi has an eFG% of 59.2% and has never really had a problem scoring. Per 36 minutes he would be averaging 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and now that he has increased his Steal% to 1.6%, he is offering a much more complete version of himself to the game.
