RADIO
This year, RotoBaller is separating its waiver wire recommendations by position a little differently. In our three position breakdowns, we'll be separating players into GUARDS, including point guards (PG), shooting guards (SG), and combo guards (PG/SG); WINGS, including small forwards (SF), swing men (SG/SF), and small ball fours (SF/PF); and BIGS, including power forwards (PF), centers (C), and bigs who play both front court spots (PF/C).
Today we’re going to look at some wings (SG/SF, SF, SF/PF) that may be available in your league and could be useful for your roto or balanced h2h team. These players typically won’t significantly hurt you in any category. Last week T.J. Warren would have been an ideal candidate for this article, but his phenomenal play has boosted his ownership above 50% in Yahoo! Leagues (69% owned), so he no longer qualifies. Go pick him up if he’s still available. Instead, we'll provide options who may be available in both standard leagues (less than 50% owned) and deeper leagues (less than 25% owned). All position eligibility and ownership rates based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.
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Standard League Waiver Wire Wing Adds
Courtney Lee, SG/SF, NYK (42% owned)
Courtney Lee is your prototypical “boring” fantasy player to own. Nothing he does is exciting, but he’s a glue guy who can help round out your team. Signing with the New York Knicks over the summer after two seasons in Memphis, this seemed like a lateral move in terms of fantasy value. He’s still the third or fourth option on offense, and can give you about 2.5 threes + steals + blocks while offering decent percentages. So far this season he’s been inconsistent with his production each game, which is to be expected. In rotisserie formats, inconsistent players can be undervalued, though, as all that matters are the stats at the end of the season.
There are two factors at play when you look at Lee’s move from Memphis to New York and how it will affect his fantasy value. The first is pace. Last season, Memphis played at the fourth lowest pace in the league with 95.7 possessions per game. New York was also a slower paced team, ranking 24th in the league last year. However, with the additional signings of Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, and Joakim Noah, the Knicks have upped their speed of play this season to 101.4 possessions per game, good for 11th in the league. This should garner Courtney Lee a few additional shots per game, hopefully helping him surpass his 10.1 points and 1.2 threes he gave us last season.
The second factor is the durability of his fellow guards. Rose and Jennings are not known for the health, and odds are they will miss games. While Courtney Lee likely won’t handle the ball more, Rose and Jennings are higher usage players, and any time missed this season will allow Lee some bonus production.
Evan Turner, SG/SF, POR (41% owned)
Evan Turner is usually overrated in fantasy basketball circles because of his name value, having been drafted second overall in 2010, sandwiched between John Wall and Derrick Favors. This year, however, his ownership has dipped enough due to being in a crowded Portland Trail Blazers backcourt, so he’s readily available in the majority of leagues. Like Courtney Lee, Turner can be inconsistent at times, though last year on the Celtics he was able to give you a healthy amount of rebounds and assists each night while regularly chipping in steals and blocks with the occasional three-pointer. His shooting percentages won’t impress you, but he’ll give you enough counting stats that he should be owned in standard 12 team leagues.
A move to Portland will be a minor hit to Turner’s value, particularly in the appealing out-of-position assists he can provide. It should still hover around four assists per game, and coming off the bench should actually help his stats as he won’t share the court with Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum as often. He’s shot pretty poorly from the field so far this season, but owners should expect it to climb back up to around his career 43%. Don’t hesitate to drop Turner for a hotter waiver pick up, but in the meantime he should be a viable end of bench player without hurting you too much in any category.
Other options: Josh Richardson, SG/SF, MIA (30% owned) and Solomon Hill, SG/SF, NOP (25% owned)
Deep League Waiver Wire Wing Adds
James Ennis, SG/SF, MEM (14% owned)
James Ennis has started the season off hot, averaging 13 points with 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 threes on an impressive 52% shooting in 30 minutes per game. He’s filling in admirably for Chandler Parsons, who will likely still miss the next couple of weeks. Until Parsons returns, Ennis is a nice target if you need a boost in points and threes, with neutral contributions in the other categories. At the end of last season, Ennis proved more than capable with increased usage, averaging 16 points and 2.7 threes on 50% shooting.
The Memphis Grizzlies have an abundance of older players, including Vince Carter, Tony Allen, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol. Coach David Fizdale has repeatedly suggested their minutes will be limited on back-to-back, so youngsters like Ennis will benefit from increased usage. The Grizzlies play five times in the next eight days, meaning Ennis should be a viable fantasy contributor for the short-term. Once Parsons returns, Ennis’ minutes will settle into the low 20’s, but he’s well worth holding onto in deeper leagues due to his proven upside and opportunity behind an injury-prone Parsons and oft-rested veterans.
Other options: Andre Roberson, SG/SF, OKC (11% owned) and Maurice Harkless, SF, POR (11% 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.
