RADIO
Daniel Lubofsky looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to pick up off waivers in Week 5.
Week 5 is an interesting turning point in the fantasy season. No, it's not time to start fretting about the playoff picture, but the NBA season has given us a big enough sample size -- roughly a month -- where skeptics begin to slowly pivot into believers and outlier starts to the season -- both hot and cold -- fall into a state of normalcy. It's at this point where one's roster truly begins to round into form. You know its strengths and its weaknesses and look to fill in the gaps.
Of course, a trade could remedy whatever ailments you may face, but that requires quite a bit of negotiating and back-and-forth with no promises of an actual deal.
Instead, how about scour the open market where the options are much more plentiful? It might not be as satisfying as a blockbuster trade, but the right free-agent pick-up could function as an ideal supporting piece around a roster finally building its identity.
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Week 5 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Pickups
Alec Burks - PG/SG - Golden State Warriors - 45% owned
Injuries across Golden State's roster has opened the door for the most unlikely contributors to try their hand at keeping the Warriors afloat.
One such player has been Alec Burks, signed to fortify Golden State's bench only to be thrown into the fire soon after. The results have been encouraging, with 14.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc.
The key with Burks has been consistency. Over his last six outings, his point totals read 23, 10, 9, 20, 7, 29. It makes for quite the roller-coaster ride for fantasy owners, one more level-headed people might not be able to stomach for longer than a week.
Still, something is interesting about a shoot-first 2-guard with plenty of looks at his disposal and relatively acceptable efficiency. If your team needs a spark to jumpstart a slow start, consider looking at Burks and his enticing potential as one of the Dubs top scoring options.
Nicolas Batum - SG/SF - Charlotte Hornets - 39% owned
After fracturing a finger on opening night, Nicolas Batum finally made his return to the court Saturday night against the Knicks. In the two games since, he's scored a combined six points on 25.0 percent shooting but still managed to contribute elsewhere as he always has.
Against both New York and Toronto, the 11-year veteran posted averages of 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. A small sample size sure, but Batum's play is indicative of the all-around contributions he's brought to the table since entering the NBA that don't revolve around scoring.
Charlotte is looking to prioritize its youth with guys like Miles Bridges and PJ Washington over the 30-year-old Batum, but the Frenchman still found minutes in the mid to upper 20s upon return. The Hornets will continue to trust his playmaking abilities without many other options to turn to.
His days of being a triple-double threat might be over, but Batum is still a sneaky wing option who can chip in a little bit of everything with the occasional breakout performance.
Nemanja Bjelica - PF - Sacramento Kings - 41% owned
Following the injury to Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento turned to Bjelica to fill their open power forward spot in the starting lineup.
Bjelica has started every game since then and performed about as well as the Kings could've hoped, with just three single-digit scoring performances throughout 12 outings.
He's also been a tremendous source of 3-pointers, canning 2.1 of his 4.1 attempts per game. Of players at least 6'10'' with a similar number of attempts, Bjelica's 50.9 percentage ranks No. 1, and there's been no indication that will change any time soon.
Throw in a modest 6.1 rebounds per game -- and a career-high 10.9 points per game -- and Bjelica is a low-end forward option with a unique mix of contributing numbers. Who knows what his role will be once Bagley returns. Until then, be confident in Bjelica's abilities with a role that empowers him to let it fly.
Langston Galloway - PG/SG - Detroit Pistons - 26% owned
On a perimeter-starved Pistons team, Galloway has used the opportunity to produce some of his best work, averaging a career-high 13.2 points per game off the bench for Detroit.
His field goal and 3-point percentage -- 45.6 percent and 46.2 percent, respectively -- are also the best of his career along with 2.3 makes from downtown per game.
The Pistons are just 19th in scoring and have only seen Blake Griffin on the court for two of their 13 games. Reggie Jackson hasn't played since late October and Derrick Rose has missed five of Detroit's last seven games.
Andre Drummond is dominating around the rim, but his offensive repertoire is limited to that area. Detroit needs offense to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and Galloway looks like one of the few healthy players on the roster who can give them a lift.
Markelle Fultz - PG/SG - Orlando Magic - 27% owned
The saga of Markelle Fultz has been well documented, but things have slowly begun to look up in Orlando for the former No. 1 overall pick.
He's averaging 10.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes a night. He's scoring efficiently from the field but less so from the 3-point line. Still, it's encouraging to see him simple attempt shots from out there, as it's the only way to help him rediscover a once deadly outside stroke.
Based on the Magic's last two games, Fultz looks ready to break out, scoring 13 and 19 points, respectively, while dishing out a combined six assists.
He began the season coming off the bench but has assumed the starting point guard spot over the last eight games.
It took much longer than expected, but everything seems lined up for Fultz to continue trending upward. As his confidence continues to build, the impressive performances will start to come in bunches. Once that happens, you better hope he's not still sitting on the waiver wire.
