Waiver Wire Watch (2/26/09): Stat Specific Edition

With fantasy basketball playoffs getting closer and closer, this edition of WWW will be slightly different than normal. Recent injuries to big stars have left teams handicapped during the most crucial period of the fantasy basketball season.

If your team is one of these teams, I suggest scourging the waiver wire and streaming some players. Examine your match-up each week, and determine the categories that are going to be close. Look at your opponents history, and figure out their weaknesses. To help, here are some players that can help in specific categories.

Blocks

Ronny Turiaf (owned in 47% of leagues): Turiaf is ridiculous rate shot blocker: 2.2blks per 20 mins. He had a pretty nice run while Biedrins was out, but Andris has returned. While I expect a slight decrease in minutes and points, you can still expect him to get you two blocks a night. Turiaf also shoots great %s from the field and the line (.50 and .81 respectively). However, keep an eye on his ankle situation; he's currently listed as a day-to-day.

Chris Andersen (owned in 23% of leagues): Nene is out with a knee injury and Kenyon Martin is dealing with back issues. This means more minutes for the Birdman. Andersen currently averages 2.2 blks in a little over 19 minutes; per 48 mins, that's 5.5 blocks a game. Realistically, we can expect Chris to see his minutes increase to around 25 minutes a game, which works out to about 4.2 blocks a night. In his last three games, he's had 4,3, and 5 blocks. Anderson is also a decent source of rebounds, occasionally scores, and his %'s won't kill your team (.57 from the field, .73 from the line). For a deeper analysis of Birdman (from Fantasy Basketball Jedi)

Joel Przybilla (owned in 30% of leagues): Przybilla hasn't been shot blocking at the same rate as the two centers previously mentioned, but he is still a solid source. Currently capitalizing off of Oden's knee injury, Joel has been quietly blocking about a shot a game while collecting 8 rebounds a night. Przybilla is a huge 7 footer so he could go off for 3 of 4 blocks any night. While he's averaging .655 from the field, his .639 FT% is a bit of a turn off. However, he only shoots about two of those a game. If you're team is weak at the center position, Przybilla is a decent fill-in.

Steals

Luke Ridnour (owned in 32% of leagues): Steals is one of those tricky categories to work with; under normal circumstances, I'd suggest to target this category in trades rather than trying to find them on the wire. If you can't seem to work a trade out, Ridnour isn't a horrible option to pick up. Ramon Sessions has been receiving all the attention since Michael Redd went down, and he's living up to that hype for the most part. Ridnour however, I wouldn't suggest adding unless you're in a deeper league. He's averages a steal a game, and actually averages around 30 minutes a game (recently 25). He's good for 4-5 assists a night and close to 10 points.

Kirk Hinrich (owned in 37% of leagues): Again, not a player I'd recommend for every team to pick up. Like everyone on the Bulls not named Derrick Rose, Hinrich's production will be very inconsistent. Recent trends show he gets between 25-3o minuntes a night, and averages 1.3 steals a game. Remember that not too long ago, Kirk was a 2nd/3rd tier point guard. Who knows? Maybe he can bring back his glory days...just kidding, not a chance. However, Kirk will also be a decent source of assists and threes.

Sebastian Telfair (owned in 17% of leagues): Surprisingly Telfair is probably your best bet out of the guards in this category. The T-Wolves have shifted Foye to SG, and gave Telfair the chance to start at PG. He's collected 7 steals in his last three games, and is averaging well over 30 minutes a game in his last 10 games. Aside of steals, Telfair is also good source of assists (about 6 a game) and threes (10/29 from 3pt range in his last 5 games). Be aware of his FG% (.358).If he's a free agent, and you have a spot, he's worth the risk.

Three Pointers

Daequan Cook (owned in 15% of leagues): The reigning NBA 3pt champ is one of those wildly inconsistent guys that could explode any given night. In Miami's latest game, Cook flourished when Spoelstra shifted Wade to PG and inserted Cook as SG (instead of inserting Quinn as PG). Cook is currently averaging a very good 2.3 threes a game. Some night's he'll make 5, others zero. Again, if you have an extra spot, or need threes for a match-up, pick him up. He doesn't turn the ball over much, and shoots a good FT% too.

Steve Blake (owned in 41% of leagues): Blake has played surprisingly well for the rapidly maturing Blazers. He makes about two 3pters a game, and is also averages 10pts and 5 assists a game while shooting 83% from the line. Another perk for this point guard is his low TO rate. Blake is definitely worth a final roster spot in standard leagues.

Rasual Butler (owned in 30% of leagues): Butler is purely a source of points and threes. He's put together a decent string of games as of late. He's 20/43 from long range in his last ten games, and has averaged 13.6 ppg over that period. Bulter will also get you an occasional steal and block. Additionally neither of his %s (.450 from the field, .754 from the line) will hurt your team too much. I don't know if I would make him a permanent fixture of my team, but he's definitely a guy I'd stream in and out depending on needs.

Waiver Wire Watch (12/18/08)

Waiver-wire watch will be a series of posts keeping you updated with a collection of players close to being fantasy relevant, not must-pick-ups. Acquisition of the listed players will depend on your own team needs. However, make sure to keep an eye out for these guys.

Mike Conley has been somewhat of a disappointment this season. While many expected the second year player to improve, Conley has experienced a drop across most stat categories. Despite his underwhelming performances thus far, his only real competition for the point position is Kyle Lowry, who hasn't done much to impress anyone either. Conley is currently averaging 8pts, 4assists, and 3 rebounds in 25 mins. You'd think with Mayo and Gay at 2 and 3, Conley would be able to dish out a few more assists. He has the potential to bust out given some more minutes, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Kyle Korver has been relatively quiet this year. However, Jerry Sloan has recently expressed his unsatisfaction with his current starting lineup, and has proposed to shake things up a bit. Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles are on their way out of the starting five, and Korver is looking to take one of those spots. If he starts, look for 25-30 minutes a game. "Ashton" Korver won't provide much else besides 3 pters, but he shoots good percentages and keeps his turnovers low, so he won't harm your team either. Look for him to be Jason Kapono of the West. Speaking of Kapono...

Jason Kapono has seen enough minutes to be fantasy relevant, but has not produced with the minutes granted. Though he has shown flashes of brilliance, he is wildly inconsistent. In his last five games, he's scored 5, 17, 7, 16, and 25 points while shooting 28%, 46%, 21%, 40%, and 68% respectively. He's getting his shots, but isn't making them on a consistent enough basis to warrant a roster spot. However, if you're up for a risk, Kapono could pay off huge.

Nick Young started off the season on fire. In fact, I even had him on my own team for a good 3 weeks. However, since mid-November, the 2nd year player that was supposed to step up in place of injured Gilbert Arenas fell off the map. Like Eddie Jordan, Ed Tapscott is keeping a short leash on all his bench players. Recently, the Washington Post reported:

"I'm going to take a little blame for Nick's troubles," Tapscott said. "I've had him thinking a little too much... Some guys are better just playing in the flow, so I gave him the release today. I said, 'Look, I'm going to play you the full segment and leave you alone and let you play.' "

In other words, Young is in line for more minutes once again. And it's not like the Wizards are going anywhere at the moment. Optimistically, Young will be a good source of points with an occasional three. Other than that, don't expect much else in peripherial stats.

Marreese Speights is the guy I'm actually most excited about on this list. Elton Brand just went down yesterday with a dislocated shoulder, and is expected to be out at least a month. In his abscence, look for Speights to get more minutes and produce. This Florida product has an NBA ready body, and can bang with the bigs of the East. The 76ers are in desperate need of some reliable post production, and while Thaddeus Young will get some of Brand's minutes, he's not a traditional PF. In his last game, Speights put up 12pts, 7 rebs, and a steal while going 6-7 from the free throw line in 18 minutes. With Brand out of the picture, look for him to get at least 25 minutes a game.