X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Fantasy Basketball: Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 14)

fantasy-baseketball-nba-sleepers-waiver-wire

Brad Leibfried's NBA analysis of the best waiver wire pickups for fantasy basketball and Week 14. 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 14

 

Guards to add:

By Matthew Addie (Flickr: P1000163) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsTerrence Ross: Without a doubt, Ross jumped on a ton of fantasy radars with his 51-point game against the Clippers.  Ever since the Rudy Gay trade, Ross has been a solid contributor for the Raptors.  Over the last month, he has put in 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.  Along with that, he has made 2.4 three pointers a game and shot 81% from the free-throw line.  Ross’s downfall will always be his poor field goal percentage, as he is shooting just 39% from the field during this recent hot streak.  With DeMar DeRozan now dealing with an ankle injury, Ross should only continue to get more playing time, making him a must-own.

J.R. Smith: After being an absolute failure for most of the first half of the season, Smith has returned to being a solid fantasy player in the last two weeks, during which time he is averaging 16 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game.  The best news, however, is that he is again a main cog in the Knicks rotation, as he has received 33.4 minutes a game over the past two weeks and is back to making 2.4 three pointers per game.  With teams focused on stopping Carmelo Anthony, Smith has found more open looks and taken advantage of them.  With no clear second option after Anthony, Smith should be able to maintain his recent scoring binge, which puts him in the category of must-own fantasy players.

Mario Chalmers: With Dwyane Wade seemingly becoming a part-time player, Chalmers has stepped up his game since returning from injury on January 17th.  In seven games since, he has scored in double figures four times while putting up at least three assists in each contest.  Chalmers has always been a player who specializes in a roto league, as he has averaged 1.8 steals per game on the year along with 1.2 three pointers and 3 rebounds a game.  Since his return, Chalmers has been playing 31.3 minutes a game and has made Norris Cole a non-factor for Miami. With his ability to produce across the board, he should be owned in nearly all leagues.

 

Guards To Keep An Eye On:

Marcus Thornton: Thornton has always been one of the most inconsistent players in the NBA; this week was a great example, as he had a game of 42 points to start the week and a game of just 2 points to end it.  If the Kings are forced to play without Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins, they will become more reliant on the talented Thornton to be a top point producer.  If you are looking for a flier with a ton of upside, Thornton should be your guy.

Steve Blake:  In case Blake is available in your league, be sure to watch the next week to see if he returns.  Prior to his injury, Blake was playing spectacular basketball and had gotten up to 10 points and 7.7 assists per game on the year.  With the emergence of Kendall Marshall, Blake will see less playing time, but he could still carve out a valuable niche as a reserve point guard and shooting guard.

 

Frontcourt Players To Add

Tyson Chandler: A player who remains available in leagues who should be 100% owned, Chandler has had four double-doubles in his past seven games.  Since his return on January 14th, he has returned to his dominant low-post presence for the offensive-minded Knicks.  Chandler has not been as dominant of force in the blocks category as most would have hoped, but as a big who shoots well from the field and the free-throw line, he can bring a great combination of stats.  If Chandler is available in your league, hurry out to get him, and expect numbers near 10 points and 11 rebounds a game to continue for the remainder of the season.

P.J. Tucker: With a variety of players contributing for the Suns, Tucker has likely gone under the radar as a solid fantasy pickup.  However, in his last 15 days he has put up 10.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 three’s a game.  For a player getting nearly 31 minutes a game, those are numbers enough to warrant a roster spot.  Along with that, Tucker also shoots 46% from the floor and 82% from the free-throw line, which rounds out his complete game.  He will not wow you in any one category, but an all-around game makes him a valuable asset.

Boris Diaw: With nearly every player on the Spurs roster struggling with some sort on injury, Diaw has seen his playing time rise over the past weeks.  He has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games, while also putting in his normal assortment of other stats.  Diaw is the rare center who does a lot of damage from the outside, as he is making 1.4 threes a game over the past two weeks while also grabbing 3.8 rebounds a game.  He will not average a ton of blocks or steals on a nightly basis, but he does have the capability to put up solid numbers in a given night.  The return of Tiago Splitter will not help Diaw, but remember that Tim Duncan regularly gets days off, which provides a huge boost to Diaw’s value.

 

Frontcourt Players To Keep An Eye On

Anthony Bennett: Bennett has not looked anything like a number one pick this year, but he did put a nice 15-point and 8-rebound line on Tuesday against the Pelicans.  With Anderson Varejao currently injured, Bennett should continue to see an increased role and may finally find his rhythm.  Although it is unlikely that he will turn into a relevant fantasy player this year, he may have keeper value in long-term formats.

Ronny Turiaf: The injury to Nikola Pekovic has opened up a huge hole for Turiaf in Minnesota.  The veteran big man has had two straight productive games in Pekovic’s absence with a combined 18 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.  He is by no means an offensive threat, but if plays north of 30 minutes in a given night he is certainly a candidate to grab 10+ rebounds and block 2+ shots a night.

 

===================

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!

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Scottie Scheffler

The Untouchable Favorite At CJ Cup
Tom Kim

A Popular Name To Avoid At TPC Craig Ranch
Austin Eckroat

Looking To Find Success Again At TPC Craig Ranch
Ben Kohles

Finishes Tied For 59 At Corales Puntacana Championship
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For Second At Corales Puntacana Championship
Beau Hossler

Finishes Tied For 60 At Valero Texas Open
Doug Ghim

Finishes Tied For 18 At the Valero Texas Open
Jordan Spieth

Finishes Tied For 18 At RBC Heritage
Kurt Kitayama

Misses The Cut At Valero Texas Open
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For Eighth At RBC Heritage
George Kirby

"Feeling Great", Could Throw Again On Sunday
Tyler Fitzgerald

Returning To Starting Nine
Josh Lowe

Progressing Well, Could Play In Rehab Games On Saturday
Shane McClanahan

Begins "Throwing-Like" Activities
Patrik Laine

Remains Day-To-Day
Gabriel Vilardi

On Track To Return Wednesday
Brandon Hagel

Ruled Out For Game 5
Marcus Johansson

Returns To Action Tuesday
Cole Ragans

Won't Start On Wednesday
Dylan Moore

Placed On 10-Day Injured List With Hip Inflammation
Jonas Siegenthaler

Considered A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Brett Pesce

A Game-Time Call Tuesday
Yordan Alvarez

Back In Tuesday's Lineup
Frederik Andersen

Unavailable Tuesday
Aaron Nesmith

Upgraded To Available
Las Vegas Raiders

Jack Bech A Strong Candidate To Be An Immediate Starter
Las Vegas Raiders

Zamir White Competing For Depth Role
New York Jets

Mason Taylor To Immediately Be Atop Jets Tight End Depth Chart
Bennedict Mathurin

Cleared For Game 5
Buffalo Bills

Dalton Kincaid Setting Up As Post-Hype Sleeper In 2025?
Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Seattle Seahawks

Sam Darnold To Take Over 90% Of The Snaps
Tennessee Titans

Titans In No Rush To Trade Will Levis
Daulton Varsho

Reinstated From Injured List And Starting On Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings

J.J. McCarthy Says He Knows He's Ready To Start For Vikings
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Picking Up Fifth-Year Option On Dax Hill
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To J.K. Dobbins
Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City