In our look at the fantasy basketball waiver wire for Week 6, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried gives us some in-depth analysis about which guards to target off the waiver wire and which guards to continue scouting. Stay tuned as Brad brings will soon be bringing you his waiver wire pickups and watchlists for forwards and centers.
Waiver Wire Pickups at the Guard Position
Waiver Wire Must Add Guards:
Martell Webster: Already playing at a high level, Webster got an even bigger boost with the news that Bradley Beal is out with the same injury that ended his season last year. The Wizards guard has been averaging 16.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the past two weeks. He has done this mainly on the strength of his great shooting, as he is shooting 46% over that time and making 3.3 three pointers a game. With Beal out, the Wizards are in desperate for a perimeter scorer to compliment John Wall, and Webster needs to be that guy. Almost any player getting over 40 minutes a game and playing with a red hot Wall should provide value, expect Webster to be worthy of a roster spot for the foreseeable future.
Rodney Stuckey: With veteran guards Chauncey Billups and Will Bynum dealing with injuries and rookie Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggling with inconsistency, Stuckey has taken over the shooting guard position. Stuckey has scored over 16 points a game in eight straight contests in just under 30 minutes a game. With players like Brandon Jennings, Andre Drummond, Josh Smith and Greg Monroe for opposing defenses to worry about, Stuckey has been able to average a career high 16.6 points a game this year. A career 42% shooter, he is currently hitting 49% of his shots this year which has been a big reason for the spike in scoring. Even though he does not contribute in a ton of categories, the solid scoring and shooting make him a viable play in all league types.
Victor Oladipo: Coming into the draft, teams knew that Oladipo would be a solid all-around player capable of contributing on both sides of the ball. After working through some inconsistencies, and a lack of big minutes, he seems to finally be on the verge of a breakout. His last two games have seen him combine for 36 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks. Add to that the fact that he is making almost 1 three point shot a game and you can see why he is a future stud in roto leagues. The downside to his game has been his shooting (currently 41.9% on the season) and his turnovers (4.1 a game), but as a rookie guard that is to be expected. With Oladipo now in the starting lineup, he should soon be a must own in all formats.
Waiver Wire Guards to Keep an Eye on:
Tony Snell: Looking for a boost to their starting lineup, Snell was inserted into the starting five the last two games. Although he was only able to produce 9 points and 1 rebound in his first start, his second start produced 13 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. If he continues to put up solid numbers there is no reason to think he cannot be at least a decent fill in for Derrick Rose.
Aaron Brooks: Brooks has had an up and down career, going from 19.6 points per game in 2009-2010 to playing overseas just a few years later. Now back with the Rockets, Brooks' inconsistency continues. At one point this season he went seven straight games without scoring, followed by games of 26 and 21 points. With James Harden, Patrick Beverly and Jeremy Lin all injury prone, keep an eye out for Brooks who could provide short term boost at guard.
Keep an eye out tomorrow as Brad Leibfried continues his look at the fantasy basketball waiver wire for forwards and centers.