RADIO
Week 6 of the NBA season is wrapping up, and H2H league managers should be fighting for every category win possible to ensure a good position in the playoffs. A smaller than usual number of Friday games makes for a stacked slate on Saturday. You may already have enough players to fill your lineup on Saturday, so be sure to pay special attention to good streamers for Sunday's games.
Remember, these streamers are solely for short term gains in specific categories. For recommendations on guys to add for the long-term, be sure to check out our Waiver Wire Pickups List.
NBA Waiver Wire : Category Streamers – Weekend Edition (Week 6)
Weekend of 12/5 & 12/6
Teams with 2 games: GSW, SAC
Teams with 0 games: ATL, NOP
Points
Hollis Thompson (SG/SF, PHI)
Owned in 7% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. Denver
Arron Afflalo (SG/SF, NYK)
Owned in 46% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 @ Milwaukee
ANALYSIS: Thompson has never been known as a scorer during his short career, but his 9.7 ppg are currently a career high, and he has found a knack for scoring in his past five contests, cracking double-digits in all 5 and averaging just under 13 ppg. Several of those points have come via the three-ball, as the 76ers appear to be content with hoisting as many threes per game as they can get up, jacking up 30 three-point attempts in Wednesday night’s loss to the Knicks. Look for this trend to continue this weekend, particularly while rookie center Jahlil Okafor serves another game of his two-game suspension on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Afflalo has really come on for the Knicks since returning to the lineup in early November, and has been particularly efficient scoring the basketball in his last two games (22 ppg on over 60% shooting). He has shown a diversity in his scoring as well, knocking down threes and also posting up smaller guards.
Rebounds
Festus Ezeli (C, GSW)
Owned in 16% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 @ Toronto & Sunday, Dec. 6 @ Brooklyn
ANALYSIS: With two games on this weekend’s schedule, the efforts from Ezeli on the boards could single-handedly tip the rebounding category in your favor. Yes, Andrew Bogut is the Warriors starting center, which cuts into Ezeli’s time on the floor and production, but he has been out-rebounding Bogut for some time now (41-28 over their previous 5 games) and has solidified his role in the NBA’s best rotation. Don’t be concerned with his unimpressive minutes; Ezeli’s per 36 rebounding rates are among the tops in the league. The bottom line: Ezeli rebounds the basketball when he is on the court, and his two games this weekend should produce enough minutes and boards to take home the rebounding category.
Assists
Evan Turner (SG/SF, BOS)
Owned in 22% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 @ San Antonio
ANALYSIS: As mentioned last weekend, assists are becoming one of the hardest stats to find on the waiver wire. Turner, the former 2nd overall pick turned versatile swingman for the Celtics has picked up some playmaking duties while Marcus Smart misses time due to a leg injury. In six games without Smart in the lineup, Turner has averaged over 4 assists per game including two games where he reached 6 and 7 dimes. With Smart not expected back for several more weeks, the C’s will continue to rely on Turner and point guard Isaiah Thomas to create offense for themselves and their teammates.
Steals
Patrick Beverley (PG/SG, HOU)
Owned in 36% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. Sacramento
ANALYSIS: Like his team, the hard-nosed veteran had gotten off to a disappointing start in 2015-2016. Between a coaching change, injuries, the addition of point guard Ty Lawson, and off the court issues, Beverley wasn’t able to find consistency or a role that suited him. Since being inserted into the starting lineup on 11/27, Beverley is starting to round into shape as the tough, gritty, guard we have come to appreciate in fantasy circles, particularly in the steals department. Since his promotion to the starting lineup, Beverley has collected 9 steals in 4 starts, good for 2+ spg. Look for that to continue Saturday night against a Sacramento team that ranks 24th in the league in turnovers.
Blocks
Jerami Grant (SF/PF, PHI)
Owned in 32% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 5 vs. Denver
ANALYSIS: I have been touting Grant for weeks in this spot, and this is the final time I will do so. His ownership level has rose significantly over the past few days and many fantasy basketball owners are seeing the multi-dimensional skills of the former Syracuse forward. His blocks continue to be his most valuable asset, averaging 1.9 bpg on the season, but it’s the ability to have several multi-block games in a week that really have owners salivating. In his last 3 games, Grant has 10 blocks. Want a bigger sample size? Over his previous 10 contests, Grant has 7 multi-block games. The way his ownership level has risen this week, this might be your last chance to acquire a block party specialist for cheap.
Three Pointers
Mirza Teletovic (SF/PF, PHX)
Owned in 14% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Sunday, Dec. 6 @ Memphis
ANALYSIS: Teletovic has displayed a nice stroke from downtown throughout his career in Brooklyn and Phoenix. This week, however, he has been on a tear from three-point land, connecting on 14 over his last three games. Perhaps most impressive during this stretch is the fact that his minutes have ranged from 18-39, proving that even in limited floor time, Teletovic is locked in from long-range. The minutes concern appears to be improving, though, as he is coming off a season-high 39 minutes Wednesday night, and Tyson Chandler is still battling a hamstring injury. The arrow is only pointing up for the Bosnian combo forward, and he should continue to light it up from downtown Sunday afternoon.
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