Jae Crowder (SF/PF, MIA): Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

Miami Heat forward Jae Crowder is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 18 of the NBA season.

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ANALYSIS: When the Memphis Grizzlies traded Andre Iguodala to the Miami Heat, the south beach team also took on Jae Crowder as salary relief for the Grizz. Well, that salary relief is turning in some solid performances for his new club as Jae Crowder tops the waiver wire pickups for Week 18. He struggled to be fantasy-relevant in Memphis behind the young talents of JA Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Dillon Brooks, but the 2012 first-round pick has settled in nicely with his new team and is stuffing box scores since he switched conferences.

Miami was not expecting a massive contribution from the former-Marquette player after he averaged 9.9 points on 36.8 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 45 games with the Grizzlies, but his three games in a Heat uniform have been an overwhelming success. Crowder is averaging 18.0 points on 58.6 percent shooting from the floor, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.0 steals. He's also turned into 2015 Steph Curry from behind the three-point line by making 4.0 threes per game on 60 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The eighth-year forward started his Miami career with an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Portland Trail Blazers before heading to San Francisco and helping the Heat capture their first road win over the Golden State Warriors since 2014 with 21 points and eight rebounds.

This kind of form is unsustainable for an entire season, but fortunately for fantasy managers, Crowder doesn't have to do that. He has to keep it up for a few weeks. There is maybe a month left in most head-to-head leagues, and if you are fighting for your playoff life, then you cannot afford to gloss over Crowder as he is precisely the type of player that could win you a category, a week, or even a playoff spot. Miami plays Atlanta and Cleveland, and those defenses allow 21.0 and 22.1 points per game to small forwards, respectively. Go and grab Crowder off the waiver wire now while everyone is busy watching the All-Star game and let him win you Week 18 and beyond as the regular season enters the home stretch.