Fantasy Basketball pickups: Waiver wire adds for Week 20

Sometime the impacts from the trade deadline are felt immediately, but for other players it can take a few games before the new normal becomes apparent. Most of this week’s waiver picks are players who took a few games to emerge after deadline shake-ups opened new opportunities.

Ownership and stats accurate as of the end of Thursday’s games.

By Alex Rikleen
Special to Yahoo Sports

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Cody Zeller, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets, 48% owned
Zeller has missed a lot of games over the past few months, mostly due to a quad injury. Before he missed 17 of 26 games in January and February, Zeller was the clear starting center for the Hornets. Frank Kaminsky’s performance with Zeller out was good enough for Kaminsky to remain the starter in Zeller’s first two games back, but then Kaminsky was forced to the sidelines with a shoulder injury of his own.

Kaminsky is still without an expected return date, and the Hornets’ other backup big men, Miles Plumlee (calf) and Johnny O’Bryant (ankle), are also banged up. All the injuries led to Zeller averaging 38.0 minutes per game over the last two games. Since Kaminsky was sidelined, Zeller is putting up 10.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals in 34.0 minutes per game. Zeller is worth owning in most leagues at least until Kaminsky returns, if not longer.

Next week’s schedule: Chi, at Ind, Was

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Terrance Ross, SG/SF, Orlando Magic, 49%
Ross was discussed last week, but he’s still widely available, so I’ll keep it brief. Yes, Ross is inconsistent, and he has been throughout his career. He will probably continue to have occasional games of single-digit scoring or when he makes no threes. But over the course of several games taken together, he’s better than most other options. He’s best suited to formats where he’s in the starting lineup every game, so that the bad nights can be counterbalanced by good ones. There just aren’t many waiver wire options capable of averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 threes per game, which is what he is averaging since joining the Magic.

Next week’s schedule: at Sac, at GS, at Pho

Tyler Ulis, PG, Phoenix Suns, 26%
Minutes are the ultimate waiver wire currency, and Ulis is now in a role where he is getting a lot of minutes. The Suns were already a young team, but they got younger at the trade deadline and removed Tyson Chandler (34-years-old) from the rotation. They did not immediately turn to Ulis after the deadline, but after a few games, they expanded his role. Ulis is now seeing 23.0 minutes per game over his last five games.

Owners may be scared by Ulis’ decreased role Thursday, but there is no need – TJ Warren was having a great game, and his extra court time seems to have come at the expense of Ulis’. Despite that setback, Ulis is still averaging 10.8 points on 8.2 field goal attempts while shooting 51.2 percent from the field over his past five games. He is also one of the best sources of assists available, offering 5.8 per game over the same span.

Marquese Chriss is another young Sun who has seen a significantly increased role and is worth waiver consideration, though he is a lower priority than Ulis.

Next week’s schedule: Sac, Orl, at Det

Cory Joseph, PG, Toronto Raptors, 32%
After Kyle Lowry (wrist) got hurt, fantasy managers flocked to the waiver wire to grab Joseph. Over the first few games, however, Joseph was barely better than he had been when playing only 22.6 minutes per game backing up Lowry. Joseph was, justifiably, dropped in most leagues. He has turned it around over his past three games, and once again warrants waiver wire attention. Over that span, he is averaging 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.0 threes in 33.7 minutes per game. Those numbers are pretty close to his per-36 numbers this season, much more so than his limited production as he was adjusting to his new starting role. Managers who considered Joseph after the Lowry injury, but were put off by the early results, should now reconsider.

Next week’s schedule: Dal, OKC, at Det, Ind

Yogi Ferrell, PG, Dallas Mavericks, 35%
Like Joseph, Ferrell’s ownership has dropped from its recent high. A four-game run of single-digit scoring at the end of February led to many managers dropping the undrafted rookie. During that stretch, he shot only 25.7 percent from the field, though his rebounding and assisting remained valuable. Since the calendar turned to March, he has rediscovered his stroke, shooting 51.3 percent on 9.8 field goal attempts over four games. With his shot recovered, he is averaging 12.8 points, 6.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 threes in 31.3 minutes. Since joining the Mavericks, Ferrell has attempted at least eight shots in every game, and has played at least 29 minutes in 14 out of 16 games. His role in this rotation is secure.

Next week’s schedule: at Tor, at Was, at Pho, at Bkn

Kosta Koufos, PF/C, Sacramento Kings, 19%
Koufos is emerging as perhaps the biggest winner from the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, and Langston Galloway. He did not emerge immediately. After two games of experimenting with other frontcourt combinations, the Kings expanded Koufos’ role in the rotation. Before the trade, Koufos was averaging 19.1 minutes per game, but that has increased to 27.0 minutes over his past five games. In those five games, he has had one terrible dud – a zero points, zero for seven from the field, five rebounds outing against Brook Lopez and the Nets. The other four games have all been double-doubles. In his last three games, facing the Spurs, Nuggets, and Jazz, he is averaging 12.7 points (11.3 FGA) and 10.0 rebounds.

Next week’s schedule: Orl, at Pho, at OKC, at SA