It’s that time of the year where the waiver wire is a very busy and ever changing thing. Owners are constantly looking for that edge to keep them a top their league, or push them to the top down the stretch run. They are also looking to grab the hot players to keep them out of the hands of other owners if nothing else.
The talent on the waiver wire is fluctuating as well at this point in the season. The contenders are trying to get their best players healthy for the stretch run while other teams are in tank mode and shutting down their injured players and seeing what they have in some of the young guys on their bench. Minutes are changing and production is coming from all different kinds of sources at this point.
Your goal is to stay on top of the waiver wire as best you can and keep a close eye on who the best guys available are, while considering if they are the best bet for your team or not. Here are some of the top performers recently who are on a majority of waiver wire’s still.
Shannon Brown – Phoenix Suns: Apparently the only thing Shannon Brown needed was an opportunity. Brown has been starting for the Suns in the absence of Grant Hill who has been out with a knee injury. Brown has averaged 17.3 points and 4.4 rebounds with 2 three-pointers per game over the last nine games. With numbers like that it’s amazing that Brown is still available in well over 80% of leagues.
Grant Hill is set to come back to the Suns on Friday night, but I don’t think it should deter you too much if you are thinking about adding Brown. Hill had a pretty serious knee injury and he will be eased back into the rotation slowly. Brown has given the Suns a serious lift these last nine games and the team is 6 – 3 since Brown has been starting. I think we can expect Brown to keep playing 25 – 30 minutes per game and scoring close to 15 per game the rest of the way. Brown can provide a lot of help down the stretch these next couple weeks.
Lester Hudson – Cleveland Cavaliers: Chalk this one up to the big minutes on a bad team make for a good fantasy player. Hudson has come out of nowhere to play big minutes for the Cavs with Kyrie Irving’s shoulder banged up and the team not wanting to take any risks. In the last five games Hudson is averaging 19 points, 4.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 2.0 three’s per game. Hudson has also gone over 20 points in each of the last three games as well. With Hudson playing this way he should keep seeing big minutes the rest of the way and is worth adding in all leagues for help in multiple categories.
James Singleton – Washinton Wizards: Consider this one a deep league add with standard league potential. Singleton is one of the few waiver wire gems who has not been tapped into in pretty much any leagues yet, but it’s only a matter of time. The Wizards signed Singleton to a 10 day contract and he stepped right into a major role on the team as the frontcourt is ravaged by injuries to many key contributors including, Trevor Booker, Nene Hilario and Andray Blatche. The frontcourt is essentially being manned by only Singleton and Kevin Seraphim who is owned in a lot of leagues already. In the last three games Singleton has averaged 29 minutes with 14 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks. It’s hard to know when any of the Wizards big men will be back, but Singleton will have strong value until that time and maybe beyond if he keeps playing well.
Glen Davis – Orlando Magic: Another increase in fantasy value as a byproduct of injuries here. Glen Davis has excelled recently as Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard have been hobbled by various injuries and missed sporadic games here and there. Davis has turned in three straight double-double games and has five in his last six games. In six games in April Davis has averaged 35.5 minutes, 19.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. The fact that Big Baby is only owned in a quarter of leagues has to be a testament to the amount of people who have given up on their seasons because those numbers are eye popping. As Howard and Anderson get healthy his minutes will start to shrink somewhat, but he should continue playing big minutes and even in 30 minutes per game should average 14 and 8 per game. Davis is a must add in all formats.
Greivis Vasquez – Memphis Grizzlies: I mentioned Vasquez on Monday as a good play this week, but since that time we have learned that Jarrett Jack will miss the remainder of the season with an injury and Vasquez will be the team’s starting point guard the rest of the way. If you need help with assists Vasquez might be the best option available to you in any kind of league. Vasquez has three double-double’s in the last four games and is averaging 13 points and 8 assists per game over those four games. Vasquez has 17 starts this season and is averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals in those starts. And with the Grizzlies lack of talent he could and should outperform those totals the rest of the way this season.
