Got a craving for some good old fashion punting? Some of your players haven't work out as well as you hoped, or you just figure you're better off with using a roster spot for streaming? Well, if you crave punting threes, free throws and/or assists, here are some suggestions.
Below are my Week 7 fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for punting small stats - free throw percentage (FT%), three pointers (3 PM) and assists (AST). Let's turn that punting craving into fantasy gloating.
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Waiver Wire Guards - Punting Small Stats
Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, GSW (24% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Andre Igoudala fits FT% and points punt teams the best. Most of his value lies in his 3.7 AST and 1.0 STL while committing just 0.7 TO in 25 MIN per game. He also adds a decent 3.2 REB and 0.3 BLK on 45.1% from the field. He scores just 5.8 PTS per game, but hits 0.8 3PM to contribute across the board. In addition to low scoring, he is currently on 50.0 FT% this season, although that is well bellow his career average of 71.4%. Given he only takes 0.8 free throws per game, it isn't too painful for his owners.
And his minutes in his three games last week have gone up to 31 a game. And that increase saw him score 9.0 points with 1.7 threes on 58.8% from the field, grab 5.0 rebounds and dish out 4.3 asists per game. That's more like it!
Andre's numbers aren't all that overwhelming so far this season. Furthermore he plays for the Golden State Warriors, who set the record for most regular season wins last season, and then added Kevin Durant in free agency, so there are not too many shots and minutes for Igoudala. But there haven't been any rest days either.
Last season, while setting the aforementioned record, Golden State coach Steve Kerr didn't rest his players when the regular season was nearing it's finale, despite having secured the number one spot in the West. That arguably cost him the championship. Stephen Curry got injured during the playoffs and the well rested Cavaliers came back from 3-1 down to take the long awaited championship ring.
If Kerr takes a different approach this year, and gives some rest days to his star players towards the end of the regular season, it might just mean minutes around the 30s. And if this past week is any indication, Igoudala can produce in that time, and maybe even more so if he gets more offensive responsibilities when some of the stars are rested.
And guess what? Those rest days might just happen in the middle of your fantasy playoffs. Moreover, for all you punters looking for a streamer, the Warriors play five games this week.
Other guard options: Tyler Johnson, PG/SG, MIA (45% owned), P.J. Tucker, SG/SF, PHO (12% owned), Thabo Sefolosha, SG/SF, ATL (15% owned)
Waiver Wire Forwards - Punting Small Stats
JaMychal Green, PF, MEM (40% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
The Memphis Grizzlies are pretty banged up at the moment. The injuries are piling up. Mike Conley is expected to miss another 5-8 weeks, Chandler Parsons will be reevaluated in about a week, James Ennis is still sidelined and now so is Vince Carter. Moreover, Zach Randolph has taken some time off due to the loss of his mother.
The Grizzlies needed the healthy players to raise their level of performances to compensate for all the absences and the did just that. Memphis is 3-3 in their last 6 without Randolph and 2-1 in their last three without both him and Conley.
JaMychal Green is one of the more consistent players on the Memphis' squad in the previous period. He hit double digits in scoring in seven of his last nine games. His averages in the last two weeks of action are more than deserving of a roster space in many fantasy leagues. He has 11.3 PTS, 7.8 REB, 1.0 STL, 0.9 BLK. He is shooting an efficient 57.9 FG% and 79.2 FT% and is turning the ball over just 0.6 times per game in 32 minutes on the court during those eight games. He is also adding 1.4 AST and 0.6 3PM, just to help you out in all categories.
Now, when the Grizzlies get back to full health it isn't very likely that Green will be getting as many looks, and maybe his playing time drops by a minute or two. But with the way he played when Memphis needed him the most, and the fact that he is averaging 29 minutes from the start of the season, Green will most probably get enough run to produce and a guy like that shouldn't be on your waiver wire, at least while the Grizzlies are injury plagued.
Other wing options: Dwight Powell, PF/C, DAL (6% owned), Luol Deng, SF/PF, LAL (41% owned), Larry Nance Jr., PF, LAL (27% owned)
Waiver Wire Centers - Punting Small Stats
John Henson, PF/C, MIL (46% owned in Yahoo! leagues)
The center situation in Milwaukee has been a real headache for coach Jason Kidd, and for all the fantasy owners who hoped for a resolution to the problem and picked John Henson, Greg Monroe or Miles Plumlee in their fantasy drafts. The three player time share has seen all of them loose at least some of their fantasy value and appeal. But it seems that Kidd has finally decided to use just two of his three bigs.
Miles Plumlee a total of eight minutes in the Bucks' last four games and if coach Kidd doesn't change his mind John Henson and Greg Monroe should be worth much more to their fantasy owners the rest of the way.
After playing just 16 minutes per game and averaging 4.8 PTS, 5.5 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.8 BLK and 0.5 STL on 52.4 FG% in his first 11 games, Henson has improved significantly since. In his five games he is rewarding his patient or intuitive owners with 12.2 PTS, 6.8 REB, 1.6 AST, 0.4 STL and an insane 3.0 BLK (tied for 2nd in the NBA in that period) on great percentages of 51.1 FG% and 83.3 FT%. He is also turning the ball over just 0.6 times in 25 minutes per outing in those last two weeks. Now while the FT%, turnovers and the incredible blocks might not remain on that lever, there is no apparent reason why Henson would have a drop off in the rest of his stats for the remainder of the season.
John Henson is playing very well of late, and is finally getting the minutes he needs to produce. As long as that is the case he should be owned in all deeper leagues, especially by the owners who don't mind his poor 55.9% career free throw shooting.
Other center options: Mike Muscala, PF/C, ATL (14% owned), Tyson Chandler, C, PHO (48% owned), Cody Zeller, PF/C CHA (42% owned)
By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.