Waiver Wire Tips

• For more from Jeff Andriesse, go to RotoExperts.com

I spend countless hours trying to sell the merits of fantasy basketball to my friends, families, readers, colleagues, complete strangers on the street, police officers, and eventually the judge. It’s tough being an ambassador for a game that feels like a little secret between the enlightened in a world dominated by football and baseball. I’m a true believer, selling a product with the enthusiasm of Billy Mays, that is until the season actually starts and I’m reminded of the game’s imperfections. Specifically, I’m referring to the inevitable wave of injuries that strike each season and kill my fervor for our favorite fantasy endeavor.

We’re already seeing it this year, a little over a week in. The news that Kevin Martin(notes) could miss significant time has cast a pall over not only a few of my teams, but the entire fantasy landscape. He joins Pau Gasol(notes), Devin Harris(notes), Blake Griffin(notes) and several other stars who can’t stay on the court. And the less stars we have – not to mention the fact that we have no choice but to stash them on our thin benches and wait out their injuries – the less fun we have.

So no, this isn’t perfect. It can be pretty infuriating, in fact. But instead of crying about it any more, let’s dive in to the muck of the waiver wire and see if we can’t stop the bleeding just a little.

As we’ll do every week, we’ll break down potential pickups into different formats. Ownership percentages are based on the Yahoo! fantasy game.

UNIVERSAL PICKUPS
Corey Brewer(notes) (SG/SF, MIN) – 27% – I had Brewer in the “Deep Cuts” section last week, but it has become clear he is going to play, and play a lot, this season. With five starts and an average of over 35 minutes per game so far, Brewer is going to be a boon to any team in need of steals. He’ll score enough not to kill you and add key blocks and rebounds from a guard. Brewer’s 36.4 percent shooting from the field makes us wince, but we’re talking about the waiver wire here. Nobody’s perfect. Adjust according to your team needs.

Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) (PG/SG/SF, NJN) – 40% – Douglas-Roberts has been going off recently, so he appears here on merit. While Devin Harris is out he makes sense as a scorer on the Nets and he has delivered to the tune of 21.3 points in his last three games. He’s also added a few rebounds, steals and threes. While we could see Douglas-Roberts getting a little trigger happy in the coming weeks as his team is getting blown out, you have to take a flier on him if you are hurting right now. Just don’t expect anything out of him on Friday night as he’s doubtful with the flu. (Did I mention the flu? It’s going around and causing more unnecessary havoc. No fun.)

Roy Hibbert(notes) (C, IND) – 50% – I know anyone who plays in a real league is laughing at this suggestion, but Hibbert is at just 50 percent ownership in Yahoo! leagues. After two lukewarm games to start the season, a few folks might have given up on him. It’s time to rush to your waiver wire to see if he’s available. Hibbert is the only real low post option for Indiana and they’ll feed him the ball often. The return of Danny Granger(notes) only helps Hibbert, who by the way can also swat shots – nine in four games so far to be exact.

Andres Nocioni(notes) (SF/PF, SAC) – 11% – It’s always fun writing about someone who was just arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. The punchline is that Nocioni was just handed the starting small forward spot in Sacramento on a silver platter. Desmond Mason(notes) was released, Kevin Martin is hurt and Francisco Garcia(notes) is out for four months. Someone with Nocioni’s skills should shine in fantasy, just be sure you know the outcomes of his legal entanglements before running him out there.

Hakim Warrick(notes) (SF/PF, MIL) – 24% – Warrick finally got a start for the Bucks and has a chance to solidify himself in the Milwaukee’s lineup going forward. He played 34 minutes on Tuesday and had a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards with a steal and a block. He can score more than that on an anemic Milwaukee team, but his peripheral stats won’t be anything to write home about. Warning: Warrick has disappointed in the past. Don’t expect too much.

STOPGAPS (Short-term value)

Rafer Alston(notes) (PG, NJN) – 17% – Now’s the chance to make a run at Alston after his last two horrific games – 4.5 PTS, 4.5 AST, 3-for-16 FG – as there won’t be a stampede to pick him up. With Devin Harris sidelined for up to a month, Alston is going to run the Nets, probably into the ground. But he’ll get enough minutes to be worth a temp job.

Larry Hughes(notes) (SG/SF, MIL) – 56% – Hughes is seeing major court time with Nate Robinson(notes) sidelined. Robinson could be back soon, but I still think Hughes will man the shooting guard spot enough to return intermittent fantasy value. Think two good games followed by a stinker, and a field goal percentage that will make you hold your nose. These days, you might have to take that.

Quentin Richardson(notes) (SG/SF, MIA) – 19% – Richardson’s two straight monster games (averaged 18.5 PTS, 9.5 REB, 4.5 3FG) would normally have fantasy geeks lining up around the block for him, but this is Q-Rich we’re talking about. We are very leery of someone who has such poor shot selection and has disappointed so often in his career. Keep in mind, however, that he’s an above-average rebounding guard, so those stats aren’t necessarily an anomaly. The threes will be there, and his main competition, Daequan Cook(notes), has had shoulder problems that could catapult Richardson to major minutes. He’s in the short term section because the Heat are still tinkering a bit with Michael Beasley(notes) as a potential small forward with Udonis Haslem(notes) at the ‘4’. He’s not universal because nothing is set in stone in Miami.

Beno Udrih(notes) (PG, SAC) – 6% – Martin’s injury could keep him out for a while, probably pushing Tyreke Evans(notes) to shooting guard and giving Beno the reins of the team once again. Udrih has played well in flashes this season but really isn’t a high-end point guard. As a starter last year he averaged 11.0 points and 4.7 assists with a smattering of steals and threes. The Kings are decimated right now, and Udrih could have some nice value for a while.

DEEP CUTS (Pickups for larger leagues)
Josh Boone(notes) (PF/C, NJN) – 1% – Yi Jianlian(notes) is hurt right now, and Boone could take advantage of the minutes. He’s a quality rebounder and could play alongside Brook Lopez(notes) for 25-30 minutes per game in the short term. His 11 points, eight boards, two steals and a block Wednesday vs. Denver gives you an idea of what he is capable of.

Erick Dampier(notes) (C, DAL) – 32% – Dampier teases us like this every year. Every. Year. I’m not biting, but in deep leagues he should be on rosters that need a center. Double-digit boards in his last four games and 12 blocks in last three.

Udonis Haslem (PF/C, MIA) – 44% – Haslem’s just a flat-out producer, albeit one who isn’t good enough in standard shallow leagues because he doesn’t block or steal. Expect an unimpressive yet effective chance at a double-double every night with decent percentages.

Chuck Hayes(notes) (PF/C, HOU) – 15% – Hayes is becoming a key strongman underneath on a tough Houston team. They’ll play him 25-30 minutes, and he’ll approach 10 boards per game and 50-plus percent shooting with this playing time. He’s never been known to do much else, though.

Anthony Morrow(notes) (SG/SF, GSW) – 22% – We’re only three games into the season for the Warriors, but Morrow was on fire the other night, finishing with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Don Nelson is his coach, but Nellie likes Morrow a lot and his instant offense off the bench. Expect the unexpected with any Warrior.

Dahntay Jones(notes) (SG, IND) – 5% – Averaging 15.5 points so far and out-playing Brandon Rush(notes). Jones is not a long-term bet you want to make, but while he’s rolling and the Pacers around him are dinged up, he’ll put up some nice stats.

Oleksiy Pecherov(notes) (PF/C, MIN) – 5% – Three straight starts, improved points in his last three games from eight to 13 to 24, confidence rising on a team that is looking for someone on the front line to help out Al Jefferson(notes). You could really do worse.

THIS WEEK’S TEAM BUILDING EXERCISE
Impatient owners can be taken advantage of in November as the guys they drafted early continue to struggle. Some players who should be worth more than you’ll have to give up if you move quickly: Derrick Rose(notes), Andrew Bogut(notes), T.J. Ford(notes), Jose Calderon(notes), Leandro Barbosa(notes), LaMarcus Aldridge(notes). Now’s the time to strike.

Jeff Andriesse can’t refresh his web browser without news of another one of his fantasy players contracting H1N1 or something. Commisserate with him at jeff@rotoexperts.com and follow him on Twitter.