Week 19 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Forwards

In his week 19 NBA Waiver Wire column, Sam Nedimyer focuses on a few forwards that could deserve some attention in your Fantasy Basketball league.

We are beginning to enter the final stage of separating the contenders from the pretenders, both in The Association and fantasy leagues.  The following forwards, whether of the “sleeper” variety or just cashing in temporarily on an unforeseen opportunity, almost certainly deserve attention across the various formats during Week 19 of the campaign.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List

Waiver Wire Forwards for Right Now

Alexis Anjica (NOP, PF/C) – 14% Owned

You knew someone was going to see their maximum level of production when Anthony Davis went down.  It just so happened that it took another injury to Ryan Anderson for someone to solidify that role.  And that someone is Anjica.

Ajinca has provided sneaky top-50 value over the last two weeks as he has averaged 14.6 points and 7.8 boards over his last five games while hitting at least 50% of his field goals.  It will be interesting to see how Anjica is played when Davis returns soon, however he is worth a stash- provided you have space for a stash- considering how the Pelicans’ durability issues.

Andrea Bargnani (NYK, PF/C) – 24% Owned

Il Mago has solidified his role as the primary scorer for the Knicks when he is on the court, but owners should not expect any help in the other categories.  He will provide his owners with high shooting percentages and lots of points for a terrible Knicks team.  Every now and then he will add double-digit rebounds outings like he did in the February 27 game against Detroit, however those games are few and far between.  If you need points and percentages, scoop Bargnani up immediately.

Waiver Wire Forward in Deep Leagues

Jonas Jerebko (BOS, PF/C) – 5% Owned

Jerebko saw limited playing time in Sunday’s loss to Golden State, but has otherwise been a solid producer off the bench for the Celtics.  His style of play should fit in well with coach Brad Stevens’s quick pace spread attack and his advanced numbers speak volumes to how he has performed since being traded to the Celtics.  His .382 WS/48 and 32.6 PER are both more than double the league average.  Of course that is over a limited span of 62 total minutes played and is an incredible pace to keep up.  Those numbers will drop as he sees more playing time, but he should give his owners production in several categories including field goal percentage, points, rebounds and a dash of assists.

Waiver Wire Forward To Keep An Eye On

Ersan Ilyasova (MIL, SF/PF) – 43% Owned

Is he back or is this just a blip?  We at Rotoballer have written about Ilyasova so much this year that we have basically saturated the Turkish-born NBA players market.  Over his last four games, Ilyasova has scored 55 points and grabbed 34 rebounds in 121 minutes of play.  These are not terrible numbers but they do signify the most production he has produced on the year.  Considering Ilyasova’s history, it is best to not pick him up until he can prove that his recent numbers are no fluke.