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In our weekly look at the waiver wire in fantasy basketball, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried gives us some in-depth NBA analysis about which guards to target off the waiver wire, and which guards to continue scouting. Fantasy owners would do well to check out Brad's Week 10 Forwards & Centers Pickups, as well. RotoBaller covers the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups each week, so stay tuned!
Waiver Wire Pickups at the Guard Position
Waiver Wire Must-Add Guards:
Nick Young: With Kobe Bryant out, Young is likely to be the top playmaker in the Lakers backcourt. The former USC guard is averaging 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 three pointers made per game. He has scored over 13 points in every game in December thus far, and gone over 20 in four of his past six. Young has done most of his damage from deep, as he is making over 3 three-point shots per game over the past two weeks. If you are playing in leagues that count percentages or turnovers, Young will be a bit of a burden, as he shoots just over 40% from the floor while turning the ball over 2 times per game. If you can sustain those blemishes, Young should be a great source of points and threes going forward.
D.J. Augustin: Since joining the Bulls on December 13, Augustin has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. With Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich hampered by injuries, Augustin has played nearly 31 minutes a game over the past two weeks. He has scored in double digits in four of the past five games while dishing out 37 assists over that span. Augustin has also thrown in 2 three-pointers per game, while notching a steal in six of seven games with Chicago. As Hinrich is always an injury concern, Augustin could be in line for huge minutes and should be a solid short term pick up.
Lou Williams: A year after a torn ACL, Williams has returned to the Hawks lineup and resumed his role as super sub. Even though he has been inconsistent, Williams has posted games of 25 and 27 points in the past two weeks. He has seen his minutes creep up as he works himself back into the lineup, and is now seeing north of 25 minutes a contest. Williams is a classic tweener guard whose primary talent is scoring, but he also contributes a respectable 3.5 assists per game. With no other scoring options on the Hawks bench, Williams should be able to assert himself and return to his role as one of the top sixth men in the NBA.
Waiver Wire Guards to Watch
Tim Hardaway, Jr.: The rookie from Michigan has shown flashes of why he was a first round pick in last summer’s draft. In December, Hardaway has seven games of double figure scoring while averaging 10.5 points a game in that time. Keep an eye on Hardaway; if the Knicks continue to struggle, they may look to the young wing player for longer stretches.
Aaron Brooks: Brooks's fantasy value is directly tied to his playing time, more so than almost any other player in the league. With Jeremy Lin, James Harden and Patrick Beverley out last week, Brooks posted a 10-point and 7-assist game, followed by an 18-point and 5-assist game. Those numbers dropped to 6 points and 0 assists on Christmas when Lin and Harden returned. If Lin or Harden should miss any more time, Brooks would be a solid short term fill in.
Check out Brad's Week 10 Forwards & Centers 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.
