Week 7 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Blocks Specialists

December 12, 2014

In his Week 7 NBA Category Specialist column, Trevor Crippen searches the fantasy basketball waiver wire for some sleepers that can help out in the blocks category.

The 2014-15 NBA Season is rolling right along, and with that it is time to dive back into the fantasy basketball waiver wire. Today, the focus is on sleeper options that can help your team out in the blocks department.

Blocks Category Specialists

Wesley Johnson (LAL, SG/SF) – 31% Owned

Guys who can average a block per game at a guard spot are few and far between in fantasy basketball, but that is exactly what Johnson was able to do last season, and he is once again off to a good start in that area this season. He has been particularly hot in recent games. In the first five games he has played in the month of December, Johnson has averaged 1.6 blocks per game. Even better, he has also averaged 1.4 threes in the same stretch.

While a scoring average in the single digits along with low assists and rebounds usually relegate a player into uselessness, Johnson’s outstanding contributions in blocks and threes make him worth owning in most leagues. He is particularly useful on teams that are punting assists, where you want to max out the secondary stats (such as blocks and threes) that you are getting out of your guard positions.

Tristan Thompson (CLE, PF/C) – 38% Owned

I did not expect myself to be bringing up Thompson – a player who has notoriously underperformed in blocks over the course of his career – in an article about blocks specialists. However, I am beginning to like what he is doing this year. After blocking only 35 shots in 82 games last season, Thompson already has 18 blocks this season. He has looked especially good in the Cavs current eight game-winning streak (up through December 9), where he is shooting 62.7 percent from the floor, scoring 10.4 points a game, bringing down 7.8 rebounds and averaging 1.0 block a game.

Maybe it is a small sample size. But maybe it is that playing with Kevin Love and LeBron James is helping his game in a lot of ways, and he has started to take seriously the team’s need for interior defense and rim protection outside of Anderson Varejao. I can only speculate on what is going on inside Thompson’s head or in the Cavs locker room, but right now I want whatever Cleveland is selling. If Thompson really is going to get a block a game to go with his usual good numbers in points, rebounds and field-goal percentage, he is worth owning universally.

Tiago Splitter (SA, C) – 6% Owned

In his first game back after a lengthy absence, Splitter only played eight minutes, but he managed to block two shots in his cameo. The Spurs will almost certainly keep limiting his minutes for the foreseeable future, keeping him around 10 in the near term, and likely around 20 or below for at least a month.

In standard leagues, you can afford to wait this out. In deeper leagues – those with 14 or more teams, for example – now is the time to take a chance on Splitter if he is still available. While Splitter has never been a blocks specialist – he only averaged 0.5 blocks in 22 minutes per game last season – he can provide some value there without seriously compromising you elsewhere. He is worth a flyer for a playoff run if your league goes quite deep.