March 29, 2017

Trevor Crippen recommends Week 23 fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for NBA guards (PG, SG, PG/SG). Add these potential waiver sleepers to your lineups.

In this post, we are looking into some potential Week 23 waiver wire pickups for guards.  It's the playoffs in many leagues.  That means it's time to stop messing around and take whatever value you can get in the short term, so I'll be focused on guards with good matchups and games on off-days where you're more likely to use them.

We'll provide options for guards, eligible at PG, SG, or PG/SG who may be available in both standard leagues (less than 50% owned) and deeper leagues (less than 25% owned), and will typically provide a boost in points, assists, threes, and steals.  All position eligibility and ownership rates based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

This year, RotoBaller is separating its waiver wire recommendations by position a little differently.  In our three position breakdowns, we'll be separating players into GUARDS, including point guards (PG), shooting guards (SG), and combo guards (PG/SG); WINGS, including small forwards (SF), swing men (SG/SF), and small ball fours (SF/PF); and BIGS, including power forwards (PF), centers (C), and bigs who play both front court spots (PF/C).

Standard League Waiver Wire Guard Adds

Kris Dunn, PG/SG, MIN (34% owned)

Now that the Timberwolves are out of the playoff hunt, they have nothing better to do with their vacancy at SG than throw rookie PG Kris Dunn into the fire. Dunn has been shooting north of 50% over the last four games, as he's averaged about 29 minutes a game, playing mostly off ball alongside point guards Ricky Rubio and Tyus Jones. While his history indicates that won't keep up, the 2.3 steals per game in that stretch has not been unrealistic, as he's averaged 1.8 steals per 36 on the season. If you're looking for someone -- anyone -- getting some run at PG who can shore up your steals with a little scoring, Dunn is your add, especially if you're not looking for assists out of your PG in your current playoff matchup or down the stretch fighting out the close categories in your roto league.

If you care about assists, Jameer Nelson remains your best add among <50% owned PGs (he is owned in 22% of leagues).

Ish Smith, PG, DET (31% owned)

If Nelson is gone, or you're in a situation where you're not fighting a close battle over either of the percentages, Ish Smith is looking like a nice source of dimes down the stretch. With Reggie Jackson possibly out for the remainder of the Pistons season, it looks like it's time for an Ish show at the point for Detroit. Smith could be a regular source of 6+ assists per game with regular starter's minutes, plus a few steals. He won't light things up scoring, and could be poor in both percentages. However, at this point in the season it's essentially coming down to matchups in your fantasy playoffs, or close categories in roto. For that reason, guys who have their value concentrated in a few categories can really shine. Depending on your circumstances, Smith is either a perfect fit or someone you can completely ignore without a second thought. It's nice when a guy doesn't make you have to think like that.

Honorable Mentions: Patty Mills, PG, SA (33% owned); E'Twaun Moore, PG/SG, NO (6% owned)

Deep League Waiver Wire Guard Adds

Isaiah Whitehead, PG/SG, BKN (2% owned)

Last week, I featured fellow Nets guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Randy Foye, but it's ended up being Whitehead that's started to shine of late, even playing alongside Jeremy Lin, who at this point last week was no sure thing to return to the court. Whitehead's been hitting about half his shots over the last five games, and getting to play about 25 minutes per game in the process. He doesn't hit from deep, but he's creating some well-rounded value elsewhere with 9.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks alongside nice percentages in his last five games.

Best of all, the Nets once again have a favorable schedule for streaming in playoff matchups -- they're one of the few teams playing Thursday and Saturday, when most other teams (and therefore most of your current roster) are playing Friday and Sunday. As a result any of the Nets guards make a reasonable add for the remainder of the week.

Deep League Honorable Mentions: Garrett Temple, PG/SG, SAC (5% owned)