Week 2 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Sleepers: NBA Forwards

In his week 2 NBA Waiver Wire column, Sam Nedimyer focuses on a few sleeper forwards that could deserve some attention in your fantasy basketball leagues.

With the first week of the 2014-15 NBA Season in the books, it is time to take a look at some fantasy basketball waiver wire sleeper options. Today’s focus is at the forward position.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues

Waiver Wire Forward for Right Now

Chris Copeland (IND, SF/PF)

Is Copeland producing more because of his increased minutes or are his minutes increasing because his numbers are climbing? Regardless of whichever chicken-or-the-egg answer is the correct rationale behind that riddle, there is no denying that the Indiana sub is on some sort of hot streak while only being owned in 34 percent of leagues.

Copeland is averaging 16.0 points, 4.7 boards, 2.7 assists and 0.7 blocks through the first three games of 2014-15. Considering that Indiana will need to get offensive production from several different guys during the regular season, the 30-year-old forward should see increased playing time as well as a lot more looks. At the very least, he will be a solid plug-in and good for any fantasy squad that needs scoring. Other than the recent unconfirmed trade rumors, the only downside to Copeland is his turnover issues (2.3 per game).

Waiver Wire Forward for Deeper Leagues

Tony Allen (MEM, SG/SF)

With an ownership rate at 13 percent, it should not be too hard to find Allen on the waiver wire. However, it is difficult to find Allen’s name on any offensive box score, as the 10-year-veteran has not exactly been lighting it up in that department. Through the first four games of the season, he has scored just 31 total points.

Allen’s true value comes on the defensive end of the court. The "Grindfather" is a big reason why Memphis is so tough defensively, as he is averaging an outstanding 3.0 steals per game thus far. There is literally zero percent chance he can maintain that high number, but Allen has consistently been a top defender in the league for several seasons. He can add immediate and long term improvement in steals for those in deeper formats.

Waiver Wire Forward to Keep an Eye On

Ed Davis (LAL, PF/C)

As soon as Julius Randle broke his leg, Davis’ stock went up. He has had three solid outings in place of Randle despite the already now-known futility in the Lakers’ season. Unfortunately, Lakers’ coach Byron Scott has announced that the starting lineup will not be altered for the first 15 games or so, meaning that the former North Carolina Tarheel will continue to come off the bench.

At nearly  seven feet tall and weighing 240 pounds, Davis has the body to wreak havoc in and around the paint. His .700 field-goal percentage and 6.8 boards per game back up that claim.

Davis is currently owned in just 32 percent of leagues and plays in a giant market, so it may be hard to just keep an eye on him. His minutes should stay around 22-24 per game in the short term, so fantasy managers can afford to sit on Davis until he is inevitably placed in the starting lineup at some point down the road.