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In our weekly look at the waiver wire in fantasy basketball, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried gives us some in-depth NBA analysis about which guards to target off the waiver wire, and which guards to continue scouting. Fantasy owners would do well to check out Brad's Week 8 Forwards & Centers Pickups, as well. RotoBaller covers the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups each week, so stay tuned!
Waiver Wire Pickups at the Guard Position
Waiver Wire Must-Add Guards
Jodie Meeks: Meeks made our list a few weeks ago, and since that time he's done nothing to persuade any owners to drop him. However, Meeks's ownership percentage is still low and to further boost his value, word came out Thursday that Steve Blake would be out six weeks with a UCL injury. With Blake joining Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar on the injured list, the opportunities for Meeks will only grow. The sharpshooter has had a solid last two weeks in which he's scored 14.5 points a game, 2.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 three-pointers per game. The best stat however might be 32.3, which is his minutes played per game. With the recent injury news, that number should only increase, as will his value. Meeks does not give a ton of value outside of scoring and shooting, but he doesn't hurt you in any one area, which makes him a great add in any league. Rush out to get him before it's too late.
Jeremy Lin: Having missed the last six games due to a knee injury, Lin has seen his ownership percentage fall. Although he does have an issue staying healthy, when he's on the court, Lin has shown he can be a top-flight point guard. Prior to his injury, Lin was averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 three pointers a game. Despite a deep team with options such as James Harden, Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons, Lin has been able to carve out a solid niche and he seems to have earned the trust of head coach Kevin McHale. It may take him a few games to knock off the rust, but if he was dropped in your league consider him the top pickup option.
Alec Burks: With young stars littered across the Jazz roster, Alec Burks's solid play has flown under the radar. Burks has played great basketball over the past two weeks, and has earned averages of 16.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 threes made per game. Along with those great counting stats, Burks has also shot a blistering 52% from the floor and 82% from the free-throw line. He has seen his playing time increase slowly over the past month from 26 minutes to just short of 29 minutes. Burks should continue to see open looks with defenses focused on stopping Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. With no one to threaten his playing time, Burks should continue to show why he was a first-round pick just a few seasons ago.
Waiver Wire Guards to Keep an Eye On
Alan Anderson: Even after a rough outing Thursday, Anderson is still a player to keep your eye on. With Paul Pierce likely to come off the bench, Anderson has taken over Pierce's starting role. Over the past two weeks, Anderson has been playing nearly 32 minutes a game while averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds. He will not provide a ton of fantasy productivity while the rest of the team is healthy, but Paul Pierce has not been far from the model of health. If any of the Nets' guards go down with injury, Anderson would be a solid pickup.
Jeff Taylor: Taylor will assume the starting role in the wake of the Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s hand injury in Charlotte. Taylor has had his own issues staying healthy, but he appears to be good to go after a missed game last week. He may not be a high-end scorer, but he does have the ability to score in multiple ways and is also a solid rebounder from the guard spot. He posted a 20-point and 8-rebound performance last week; continue to monitor his numbers to see if his solid play can keep going.
Check out Brad's Week 8 Forwards & Centers Pickups, and be sure to come back next week as RotoBaller will continue to look at the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for you to own and scout.
