Will Barton (SG/SF, DEN) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED: 46% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues

Will Barton, a former second round pick in 2012 for Portland, has been way off the fantasy radar for most of his brief career. As part of a 5-player deal at last year’s trade deadline, Barton was sent to Denver for Arron Afflalo, where he found himself in a meaningful bench role on a talent-starved Nuggets team. In 28 games with Denver last season, Barton averaged career highs in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage, so it came as a surprise to nobody when the two sides agreed to a multi-year deal this summer.

Barton’s play during the first three weeks of the 2015-2016 campaign makes his contract look like a steal for the Nuggets. He is clearly determined to prove his strong second half last season wasn't a fluke, and that he is more than just a "high energy" bench guy. In his first 10 games this season, Barton has shown more skill and versatility on the floor, once again setting new career highs in minutes (26), points (14.3), rebounds (4.9), steals (1.3) and 3PM (1.3 3PM) to go along with his super-efficiency on the floor (47% FG, 90% FT).

With the news breaking this week that Wilson Chandler is out for the season, Denver will continue to rely on Barton for the foreseeable future. The swingman has been mentioned as a leading Sixth Man candidate in the early going, and has scored under 10 points just once this season. Barton made his presence felt this past Saturday night, his best game of the season, where he registered an impressive double-double against a good Phoenix team.

Bottom Line: At just 24 years old and in mostly limited roles to this point, Barton’s ceiling and potential is still untapped. Showing an improved all-around game coupled with the injury to Wilson Chandler all but locks Barton into a near 30-minute role. His ownership won’t stay below 50% for very long, so now is the time to grab him as a waiver wire pickup.