Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Category Specialists (1/4/15)

In his NBA Category Specialist column for 1/4, Trevor Crippen searches the fantasy basketball waiver wire for some sleepers that can help out in specific statistics.

The 2014-15 NBA Season is rolling right along, and with that it is time to dive back into the fantasy basketball waiver wire. Today, 1/4, the focus is on sleepers of the “Category Specialist” variety that can each help out in different areas.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List

Field-Goal Percentage Specialist

Ed Davis (LAL, PF/C) – 28% Owned

Davis started off 2015 in style with a 20 point game against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis has been putting up some excellent numbers for the Lakers since he replaced Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup just before Christmas. He is shooting an outstanding .638 on field goals, and he is good for about 7 rebounds and a block per game to go with that, as well as very minimal turnovers.

The catch with him is that 20 point games will not at all often – even if you just look at the games he has started on the season, he is only averaging 9.9 points a game. There are only so many shots per game that he will get on average, given all the shots that Kobe Bryant and Nick Young take when they are on the floor. And sapping much of the value that he does provide is an atrocious free throw percentage (.517) that will only hurt you more as he gets more minutes and draws more fouls.

Because of that, Davis remains more of an elite FG%/rebounds/blocks specialist in category leagues, instead of a must-own player.

Blocks Specialist

Cole Aldrich (NYK, C) – 21% Owned

Maybe more intriguing than Davis, though much less of a known commodity, Aldrich is the Knicks newest starter at center. Aldrich has always shown some talent, but he has had injury problems through his career that have limited his opportunities. When you are spending an early round draft pick is when you worry about a guy being injury prone. When you want to grab a guy off waivers it does not matter – you are only losing out on the opportunity cost of picking up someone else if he gets hurt.

Aldrich is definitely worth a flyer in the short term, given that he has averaged 10.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks in 8 games since emerging as the Knicks starter. The Knicks are in free-fall with the news that Carmelo Anthony may sit out the rest of the season. They do not have anything to lose by letting Aldrich play, to see if he can keep up this performance and stay healthy. You do not have anything to lose, either.

Steals Specialist

Ronnie Price, (LAL, PG/SG) – 7% Owned

Price began to find some time in the starting lineup at point guard a little bit before Davis entered the lineup, about a week into December. Unlike Davis, Price has not been as consistently good, and the old starter – Jeremy Lin – will put up a bigger fight to get his job back than Boozer will. In his run as starter, the 9-year vet only average 7.3 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 rebounds – a terrible showing in the main categories. However, he has provided excellent numbers in threes (1.5 per game) and especially steals (an outstanding 1.8).

While I would never suggest a guy like Price as a long term option, he is exactly the sort of guy you should keep in mind as a pick up for a Sunday game in a head-to-head category matchup where you find yourself in a close contest for steals. He will almost always get you at least one, and has as much upside as anyone outside of Chris Paul or Ricky Rubio to steal two or three.

Three-Point Specialist

C.J. Miles (IND, SG/SF) – 20% Owned

Miles has been on fire since missing time in mid-November with an injury. Between the start of December and January 2, Miles is averaging a ridiculous 2.7 threes per game. He has been given free reign by the Pacers to chuck it up whenever he is on the court as their second string offense works through him.

He has a lot of holes – he is injury prone (he has been sitting the second game of back-to-backs to help avoid aggravation), and he does not bring much in rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. While these holes would sink your team if you tried to rely on him as a full-season option, he makes an excellent spot start as a three-point specialist.