NBA Fantasy Basketball: Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 13)

January 17, 2014

Brad Leibfried's NBA analysis of the best waiver wire pickups for fantasy basketball and Week 13. Want some waiver wire advice for your fantasy basketball team? Look no further.

With the NBA season reaching the halfway point, a few players are getting a chance to shine in new roles. Let's take a look at some waiver wire options that could help your teams out:

NBA Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 13

Guards To Add

J.J. Redick: With just two games back from injury under his belt, Redick showed why he is such a valuable fantasy commodity.  In those two games he has 52 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 8 three pointers made.  Those numbers are solid, especially when you consider that he has played just 54 minutes in those two games combined as he works back into the lineup.  With Chris Paul out for an extended period, Redick will be counted on to be a primary scorer and playmaker.  He is known for his three point marksmanship, but it is worth noting that last year Redick also averaged 3.8 assists a game.  Combined with his stellar shooting Redick, needs to be picked up off the waiver wire and owned in 100% of leagues now.

Shaun Livingston: Livingston has been seeing big minutes for the Nets and has produced accordingly.  In the last two weeks he is getting 36.5 minutes a game and is putting up 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.  With Deron Williams being a continuous injury risk, Livingston is the only point guard option on the team.  The biggest advantage Livingston has over many guards is his size, which has allowed him to pull down 4+ rebounds in seven of his past eight games.  He also has at least 1 block in five of his last six games, which is outstanding production from a guard.  Even with Williams expected back soon, Livingston should find enough minutes to be a productive fantasy option and should be picked up off the waiver wire.

Randy Foye: A week after making our waiver wire watch list, Foye moves into must own status.  He has scored in double figures for 10 straight games, including 20+ in three of his past five games.  Foye has been doing a ton of his damage from deep as he has 25 three pointers made in the Nuggets last seven games.  With Andre Miller likely done in Denver, more minutes have opened up for Foye and it is unlikely that Brian Shaw will remove perhaps his hottest scoring option.  If Foye can keep up his 53% field goal shooting, as he has over the past two weeks, he will be a stud in fantasy in multiple categories. Pick him up.

Guards To Keep An Eye On

Marco Belinelli: News that Danny Green is out for a month with a broken finger means Belinelli needs to be on your watch list.  He has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games, while also putting up solid rebounding and assist totals.  If Manu Ginobili sits any games, Belinelli could easily move into must own status.

Courtney Lee: Lee has been a revelation since his trade from Boston.  The new Grizzlies guard has scored at least 8 points in all five games with his new team.  Lee’s production should go down when Tony Allen returns, however for a Memphis team that struggles to score, Lee may get an extra-long look.

Frontcourt Players To Add

Ersan Ilyasova: Much like last season, Ilyasova came into the season with high expectations only to struggle out of the gate.  Again like last season he has started to show flashes of brilliance at the halfway mark of the year.  On Monday he put up 29 points on with 3 three point makes and then was able to nab 13 rebounds Wednesday against the Grizzlies.  He has slowly been gaining the trust of new coach Larry Drew and has been getting close to 27 minutes a game over the last two weeks.  Assuming this trend continues and he stays healthy, Ilyasova should be able to again provide fantasy owners with good production in points, rebounds and three pointers made.  If he is available now is the time to pick him up.

Kris Humphries: After a disappointing season in Brooklyn last year, fantasy owners were hopeful that a change of scenery would rejuvenate Humphries.  Early in the season that was not the case, as he was getting very little playing time and not doing much while he was in the game.  However recently he has been moved into the starting lineup and once again has shown why he can be a fantasy force.  Over the last two weeks, he is just short of averaging a double-double at 9.8 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.  Humphries has also been much better on the defensive end as he has 10 blocks in the Celtics last four games.  If his playing time can stick around 28 minutes a game look for Humphries to be a double-double machine.

James Johnson: With Tony Allen on the injury list, Johnson has taken over the role of defensive stopper for the Grizzlies.  Johnson has posted 7 steals and 10 blocks in Memphis’ last three games.  Along with his defensive prowess, he has also produced solid all-around numbers as shown in his last game where he had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 blocks and 2 steals.  Along with doing a little bit of everything, he will also not hurt you in the shooting or turnover categories.  Johnson is a roto wizard and is also becoming a must own in any type of fantasy basketball league.

Frontcourt Players To Keep An Eye On

Greg Oden: The former number one overall pick was able to get back on the floor for the first time this season on Wednesday.  In just 8 minutes he went 2/2 from the floor and had 6 points and 2 rebounds. Oden is not likely to see big minutes in the near future, however the Heat have a glaring hole at the center position and if he can prove he is healthy, Oden could easily be the one to fill in a vast majority of that time.  He undoubtedly has the talent to be a fantasy monster if he gets the minutes.

Jason Thompson: Thompson has been all over the board during the last few weeks.  He has games with 16 rebounds and 8 points while also having games with just 2 points and 1 rebound.  Thompson sees plenty of playing time, currently at 28 minutes a game, however he can be the victim of DeMarcus Cousins' ability to do everything on the floor.  If you play in NBA  daily leagues, Thompson could be worth a flyer any day, however his inconsistency makes him a player to watch and not yet own in standard fantasy basketball formats.

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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 players to target off the waiver wire, and which players to continue scouting. RotoBaller covers the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups each week, so stay tuned!