Mason Plumlee (PF/C, DEN) - Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

Mason Plumlee is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup if he's still available as a free agent in your league, heading into Week 8 of the NBA season. Brady Grove recommends Plumlee for his recent big totals in the areas of rebounding, blocks, and assists.

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ANALYSIS: Now in his third season as a Denver Nugget, Mason Plumlee has seen his role in the front court reduced to the lowest level of  his career. In a career-low 17.0 minutes, Plumlee is averaging a rather uninspiring 6.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. The production-efficiency is solid, the volume of floor-time just hasn't been significant enough for Plumlee to accumulate adequate statistical totals as he is behind such players like Nikola Jokic, Paul Millsap, Juan Hernangomez, and Trey Lyles in total minutes across the Nuggets 22 games. However, there are several reasons to look with optimism at Mason Plumlee. For one thing, Plumlee has toyed with expanding his shooting range, as he has taken three shots from downtown this season and converted one of those attempts for the first time in his career. While he is ninth on the team in minutes played, he is still one of the team's sturdiest volume contributors when he sees the floor. He is fourth on the roster in total rebounds (112), sixth on the team in total assists (43, even more impressive on the team with several great passing big men), third on the team in total steals (26), and second on the team in total blocks (19).

While it can be difficult to trust in a player who consistently receives less than twenty minutes per game for a team stocked with skilled guys in the front court, Plumlee can offer a little bit of everything in the opportunities he is presented with. Over the last five games for Denver he has had three games of double-digit scoring (10, 11, 15), three games of more than five boards (7, 10, 11), two games with more than three assists (four and seven), while averaging 1.8 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game, all between 14:14 and 20:52 minutes played. For versatile defense, a healthy mix of scoring and rebounding, and above-average passing for a PF/C combo, look to Mason Plumlee in deeper leagues.