In our weekly look at the waiver wire in fantasy basketball, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried gives us some in-depth NBA analysis about which forwards and centers to target off the waiver wire, and which forwards and centers to continue scouting. Fantasy owners would do well to check out Brad's Week 7 Guards Pickups, as well. RotoBaller covers the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups each week, so stay tuned!
Waiver Wire Pickups at the Forward and Center Positions
Waiver Wire Must-Add Forwards and Centers
Kosta Koufos: With the injury to Marc Gasol, Memphis badly needed Koufos to step up. He has done just that in his five games as a starter. In those games he has 56 points, 58 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He has only shot 43% in those games, which isn't great, but if he can get close to the 58% he shot last season, the scoring numbers should only go up. Playing over 31 minutes a game means he will have a ton of opportunities to provide value. If he has not been picked up in your league, you need to grab him immediately.
Trevor Ariza: Earlier this month, Ariza was forced to miss five games with a sore hamstring; since his return he has been a tremendous all-around player. He has scored over 13 points in all of those games, had at least 1 steal in all of them and thrown in games of six and seven rebounds. On the season, Ariza is getting 35 minutes a game and is averaging a gaudy 2.6 three-pointers per game. If he can keep up his season-long 48% shooting, Ariza is one of the underrated players who can contribute in nearly every category. If he was dropped while injured, you need to take advantage of all of his fantasy goodness.
Glen Davis: Another player who can look like a great fantasy player one night and a dud the next, Davis should be owned in all deep leagues. Davis posted a dreadful 2-point and 2-rebound performance Monday, only to follow that up with a 33-point game against Philadelphia the next night. With Tobias Harris still unlikely to return in the next week or two, Davis should continue to see big minutes. If you can accept the rotten game here and there, his upside will be well worth the roster spot for the near future.
Waiver Wire Forwards and Centers to Keep an Eye On
Timofey Mozgov: Although he may not be consistent enough to own yet in a weekly league, if you play with daily lineups Mozgov would be a solid add. Earlier this week, Mozgov posted back-to-back solid games, putting up 16 points and 15 rebounds one night, followed by 17 points and 20 rebounds in his next game. The worry with Mozgov is that Kenneth Faried and J.J. Hickson will take most of the big-man minutes, leaving Mozgov without a ton of time. If he can manage to get into the 25-minute-per-game range, he will move into the must-own territory.
Michael Beasley: The former number two overall pick has been turning heads in his second stint with Miami. In the past 10 days, he has games of 23, 17 and 15 points as well as three games over 7 rebounds. If he can gain the trust of Eric Spoelstra (and LeBron James), Beasley could start to reach some of his immense talent.
Check out Brad's Week 7 Guards Pickups, and be sure to come back next week as RotoBaller will continue to look at the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for you to own and scout.