Waiver Wire Tips

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

Sometimes fantasy titles are decided not at the draft but during the season, on the waiver wire. The start that Brandon Jennings(notes) is off to makes me think this is one of those years. Jennings, undrafted in many shallow leagues, was recommended in my Oct. 30 column before he played a game. Anyone lucky enough to get to him first is probably enjoying first place or is at least within sniffing distance.

Not all of my calls are going to be that easy, or helpful. But the good thing about fantasy basketball is that it really does get lost in the shuffle compared to football and baseball. Use this to your advantage. In the NBA, injuries and drama (i.e., the Golden State Warriors) cause news to break at lightning speed. Yet someone like Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) is owned in just 53 percent of Yahoo! leagues as of this writing despite averaging 29.0 points and 11.0 boards in his last two games, and Corey Maggette(notes), he of five straight games of 19 points or more, is owned in just 70 percent.

Let’s face it: while news travels fast in the NBA, it sometimes doesn’t trickle down to the casual fantasy players populating many leagues. If you missed out on Jennings three weeks ago, you know that “casual” isn’t good enough. This week’s Team Building Exercise: While your league-mates sleep, watch football, etc., you pounce. Like a cat.

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

UNIVERSAL PICKUPS
Dahntay Jones(notes) (SG/SF, IND) – 32% – I have to admit even I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Jones keeps balling. Every night. He’s averaging 17.4 points this season, and it doesn’t appear to be a mirage. With teams focusing on Danny Granger(notes), Jones is seeing a lot of looks and making the most of them, shooting 47.8 percent from the field. He even hit two threes vs. the Knicks the other night as part of his finest stat line to date: 25 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk, 2 3s, 9-15 FG, 5-6 FT. The Pacers lineup will see some ripple effect when Troy Murphy(notes) returns someday, but the way Jones is playing it won’t affect him.

Anthony Morrow(notes) (SG/SF, GSW) – 39% – Morrow’s game log isn’t much to look at recently – just one double-figure scoring game in the last five – but he’s a must-own right now. With Stephen Jackson(notes) shipped off to Charlotte, Kelenna Azubuike(notes) done for the season and Monta Ellis’(notes) future in Golden State up in the air, Morrow should get a ton of run and shots the rest of the year unless the Warriors bring in a significant player or two. Now’s the time to make sure he isn’t available on your waiver wire, because some big shooting nights are coming. Morrow is a three-point specialist, so asking for much more than points and threes is asking a lot. (P.S. – While you are looking for Morrow, check on Stephen Curry(notes) as well. His 64 percent ownership level is also too low.)

Will Bynum(notes) (PG/SG, DET) – 38% – Quite simply, he has been one of my favorite players in the league. But my infatuation grew mainly for his defense. Who knew he could light it up like this? I did sort of suspect it after he went for 20 or more points off the bench several times late last year. I wasn’t thrilled with Detroit’s crowded backcourt entering the season, but now that Richard Hamilton(notes) is banged up Bynum is serving notice that he’s a rotation player. Hamilton’s ankle is in rough shape and him playing before Thanksgiving is iffy at this point. Bynum is a great fill-in until then, and probably beyond.

Ersan Ilyasova(notes) (SF/PF, MIL) – 9% – I liked Ilyasova as a deep sleeper heading into the season, but more because of the Bucks’ weak frontcourt than the Turk himself. But he’s now in the Milwaukee starting lineup on his own merits, and that is worth a waiver claim. He’ll get some looks with Jennings and Michael Redd(notes) getting most of the defensive attention, and now Andrew Bogut(notes) is out two-to-four weeks with a leg injury. Ilyasova is going to be a nice option, and he offered up 13 three-point attempts in his last two games. A deep-shooting big man who could get a double-double at any moment? Sign me up.

J.J. Hickson(notes) (SF/PF/C, CLE) – 14% – It may seem obvious to grab Hickson because of injuries to Shaquille O’Neal(notes) and Anderson Varejao(notes), but Hickson was actually named the starter back on Nov. 6 and his teammates being hurt wasn’t a factor in that decision. This is your starting power forward in Cleveland for the time being, and while there’s a good chance this won’t last, there’s a better chance that Hickson’s energy will continue to spark the Cavs and he’ll remain a rotation player. Now’s the time to get him, quickly, after a 6-point, 2-rebound stinker at Washington on Wednesday.

STOPGAPS (Short-term value)

Darren Collison(notes) (PG/SG, NO) – 8%; Marcus Thornton(notes) (PG/SG, NO) – 1% – Chris Paul(notes) is out for a few more weeks with a sprained ankle, and these two rooks have impressed thus far. Collison is going to get better and better with experience and confidence, and his game on Thursday against Phoenix was nice to see (15 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 1 three, 6-6 FT). You could do a lot worse at point guard. Thornton has four straight double-figure scoring games, even though he’s been coming off the bench, averaging 15.8 points in that span. He’ll hit a few threes and bring some energy. Both guys could earn larger roles once Paul returns if they keep this up.

Jason Williams(notes) (PG, ORL) – 17% – Jameer Nelson(notes) will miss over a month following arthroscopic knee surgery, so Williams and Anthony Johnson(notes) will split point guard duties. In his first start Wednesday, Williams played 29 minutes in a blowout win over Oklahoma City and finished with the underwhelming line of four points, four rebounds and five assists on 1-of-4 shooting. He won’t play 40 minutes, that’s for sure, nor will he be much more than a facilitator, but if he does his job he’ll be a serviceable fantasy option in deep leagues.

DEEP CUTS (Pickups for larger leagues)
Marco Belinelli(notes) (SG, TOR) – 8% – Heating up off the Toronto bench lately. Four straight double-figure scoring games, five in his last six. 15.3 points and 2.7 threes in last four. Streaky, but carving out a role.

Luke Ridnour(notes) (PG, MIL) – 6% – Has played 28 or more minutes in each of his last three, averaging 15.0 points, 4.3 assists, 2.3 threes. The Bucks aren’t afraid to play him with Jennings in the backcourt. Can be solid third guard there once Redd returns.

Drew Gooden(notes) (PF/C, DAL) – 19% – Dallas is nicked up along the frontline, as Erick Dampier(notes), Shawn Marion(notes) and Josh Howard(notes) are all battling various ailments. Gooden has thrived in last three: 16.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 62.0 FG%.

Rodrigue Beaubois(notes) (PG/SG, DAL) – 1% – Benefitting from the Josh Howard injury, in the sense that he is now starting in Dallas, but minutes are going to be inconsistent. Still, they like him a lot and he’s worth keeping an eye on.

Thabo Sefolosha(notes) (SG/SF, OKC) – 12% – Way better in real life than fantasy, nevertheless a nice source of steals, solid other numbers when shooting well, and 25-30 minutes per game as a starter in Oklahoma City.

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.