Week 20 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Forwards

In his week 20 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 20 of the campaign.

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

Waiver Wire Forwards for Right Now

Nikola Mirotic (CHI, SF/PF) – 49% Owned

Somebody was going to have to fill in for the injured Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.  Mirotic was a favorite of ours earlier in the season but he did not receive the playing time that was predicted.  The owners that stuck with him went through some tough times, but the dividends have paid off over the last ten days in the scoring department.  Since March 1, Mirotic is averaging 20.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, with a smattering of assists and steals.  There is no timetable for Gibson’s return, so feel free to keep Mirotic in that starter slot for as long as possible.

Andrea Bargnani (NY, PF/C) – 38% Owned

Bargnani made this list last week and Trevor Crippen’s list on Monday, but the point needs to be reiterated.  He has taken over as the main scoring threat in the triangle offense and it seems an article comes out in the paper every day about how the Knicks “could” or “want” to re-sign Bargnani.  Whether he remains a Knick next season or not, he should continue to put up scoring numbers for the rest of the season.

Waiver Wire Forward in Deep Leagues

Thomas Robinson (PHI, PF) – 3% Owned

It is hard to add a guy that does not see playing time yet receives praise from his head coach.  That is exactly what is happening in Philadelphia.  Coach Brett Brown has spoken highly of the former Kansas Jayhawk for the last two months but Robinson has played little.  Recently though Robinson has seen the court and has played rather productively.  His minutes have increased from the low teens to the high teens and even capped out at 25 minutes five games ago.

The month of March has been friendly to Robinson. His 9.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 1.0 APG are tops for a month for the young power forward during this season and his 101 Orating is his personal best in a month in over a year.  Despite the fact that the Sixers use multiple rotations and players on the court at any given time, Robinson should see more playing time as his increased minutes over the last two weeks are sufficient evidence.

Waiver Wire Forward To Keep An Eye On

Michael Beasley (MIA, SF/PF) – 4% Owned

The Heat appear to be fielding an entire unit just on their injury list. Luol Deng and Hassan Whiteside are among the many that are listed on said list, but will probably still play in Miami’s next game Wednesday.  That being said both Deng and Whiteside will ultimately have a minutes decrease as they work their way back so Beasley is still an option.  He really will not add anything on the fantasy end other than scoring and some rebounds, which is fine for the forward position if that is what owners need.  He is a good one-game option for Wednesday but it is smarter to not waste a roster spot on Beasley until he can prove that he will see buckets of minutes.