Top NBA Pickups - Week 1

Since it’s the first Waiver Wired of the season and there are so many options available on waiver wires, I’ve decided to go really deep. Most weeks will feature five players at each position, but this week we’re looking at more like 10. If you’re in an 8- or 20-team league, chances are you’ll still find some guys available on the wire in yours. Having said that, I'm sure there is a player or two you won't see here that is available in your league. If the numbers make sense, go get him.

Follow me on Twitter by clicking here!

Point Guards

Brandon Knight MIL 81% - I put Knight on this list because he was dropped in one of my points leagues just as the season was starting. I picked him up and voila! He’s my team’s leading scorer thus far. And any talk we previously heard about him losing his job to Kendall Marshall, has hopefully been killed. However, teammate Jerryd Bayless has been playing very well off the bench and scored 20 points on Saturday night.

Norris Cole MIA 40% - Cole is another guy I’ve been scooping up regularly, and while he’s not exactly setting any records, he’s hitting threes and playing a ton of minutes. I don’t see him giving up the starting PG job all season and looks like a good guy to grab in all formats.

D.J. Augustin DET 24% - Augustin was looking like a can’t-miss player after his first two games, but then played just 19 minutes on Saturday. Brandon Jennings actually looked good in that one, and now I’m more confused about the situation in Detroit, than anything else. Don’t cut Jennings, and pick up DJA if you’ve got a spot for him. But the bottom line is we might have to wait another week to figure out what Stan Van Gundy’s master plan is at point guard.

Tony Wroten PHI 42%

Sebastian Telfair OKC 5%

Donald Sloan IND 25% - These three are filling in for injured stars right now, if you want to consider George Hill a star. Wroten’s long-term value is a mystery, but when Michael Carter-Williams returns from his shoulder injury, Wroten should still see plenty of action at SG. He’s playing crazy minutes right now, has been a FanDuel beast and I think he’s worth owning in most leagues. Just beware of his terrible free throw shooting. Sloan is effectively holding things down in Indy, but two weeks from now, when Hill is back, you will probably be back on the wire looking for someone to replace him with. Russell Westbrook is going to miss at least a month, and probably more time than that, and while Telfair isn’t exactly a beast, he could be worth using for the next six weeks, although the return of Reggie Jackson is going to cloud things a bit. But if they choose to, the Thunder can use RJax at SG and Telfair at PG. Either way, Telfair should get decent minutes, assuming OKC doesn’t find a better option off the real waiver wire. All three of these guys should be on rosters, in my opinion.

Mo Williams MIN 13%

Jerryd Bayless MIL 1%

Devin Harris DAL 16%

Jameer Nelson DAL 54%

Ronnie Price LAL 1%

Shane Larkin NYK 5% - These guys are a little shaky, but are capable of a big game at any time. Williams has been pretty consistent off the Wolves bench, and as I mentioned, Bayless has played well for the Bucks. I like Harris more than Nelson in Dallas, but their value will take a hit once Raymond Felton is thrown into the mix. Price may end up starting at some point for the Lakers, but Jeremy Lin is still the guy you want to own if possible. Larkin is filling in for Jose Calderon and will be inconsistent, but he’s worth a flier in deeper leagues if you’re desperate for a point guard.

Shooting Guards

Alec Burks UTA 64% - Burks is averaging 14.3 points for Utah and playing well, and should simply be owned in more leagues.

O.J. Mayo MIL 63% - Mayo got off to a very hot start, but ran into foul trouble on Saturday and never recovered. He hit just 1-of-7 shots for three points, but played well enough prior to that dud to be picked up in all leagues. You’ll just have to weight options carefully before starting him in a weekly league.

C.J. Miles IND 20% - Miles has been playing well in Indy and will continue to start for the depleted Pacers. He filled the stat sheet on Friday and while his shooting leaves something to be desired, he will help you in several other categories.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope DET 16% - Pope has hit just 11-of-42 shots through three games, but he’s getting big minutes and isn’t afraid to shoot it. Once his shot starts falling, he’s going to be fun to own. He should be owned in more than 16 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Terrence Ross TOR 62% - He’s a bit inconsistent, but is doing the dirty work he needs to for the Raptors. He shouldn’t hurt you anywhere.

Mario Chalmers MIA 57%

Evan Turner BOS 35%

Gerald Green PHX 59%

Evan Fournier ORL 10%

Marco Belinelli SAS 42%

Andre Roberson OKC 3%

Courtney Lee MEM 10%

Garrett Temple WAS 1% - Chalmers is now a back up shooting guard and I’m guessing he’s going to be dropped more than he’s added. However, he’s still going to see decent minutes and hit some 3-pointers. Turner has been a nice surprise in Boston, Green had a big game on Saturday, but will take a hit now that P.J. Tucker’s suspension is over. Fournier has been hit-or-miss thus far, and inconsistency will be an issue for him going forward. Belinelli should be consistent off the Spurs bench, Roberson is being forced into heavy minutes with all the injuries in OKC and is worth a deep-league look. Courtney Lee was ballin’ on Friday before suffering a concussion, or he’d be higher on this list, and Temple is starting with Bradley Beal out. If you’re in a very deep league, Temple might be able to help you in the short term.

Small Forwards

Perry Jones OKC 47% - PJ3 looks like the pickup of the week and has is averaging 19 points and 2.0 3-pointers per game. With Kevin Durant and Westbrook unlikely to play in November, and a four-game week coming up, Jones should be owned and started in almost all leagues.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist CHA 42% - MKG is averaging 14 points and 10 boards thus far, and looks like a much-improved player. I still don’t trust him, but he’s worth grabbing for now.

Harrison Barnes GSW 24% - Barnes is starting over Andre Iguodala and finally had a good game on Saturday with 15 points and a full stat line in 30 minutes against the hapless Lakers. He’s still not a must-own player, but he might be soon if he continues to play well.

Khris Middleton MIL 12% - Middleton is starting for the Bucks, but has cooled off since his big first game. As long as he’s starting, he’s worth a look, but the Bucks’ rotation is going to be messy, making Middleton a hit-or-miss player.

Mike Dunleavy CHI 34%

Otto Porter WAS 16%

Wes Johnson LAL 32%

Marcus Morris PHX 18%

DeMarre Carroll ATL 52%

Tony Allen MEM 10% - Dunleavy has played well for the Bulls thus far and is worth using in deeper leagues, Porter is getting nice run, but will lose a lot of value when Beal is back from his injury. He’s also stuck behind Paul Pierce, who has played well early in the season. Johnson is having trouble scoring, but is assured heavy minutes for the Lakers, while Marcus Morris is off to a nice start for the Suns. We’ll have to see what the return of P.J. Tucker does to his value, but it’s possible that Morris could beat him out for a starting job. Watch that position battle closely. Carroll is struggling a bit with Al Horford, Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver dominating the ball for the Hawks, and isn’t quite the feel-good story he was a year ago. Allen is an effective source of steals and other stats, but isn’t much of a scorer. He’ll be a little more effective as long as Lee’s out with his concussion.

Power Forwards

Terrence Jones HOU 83% - I was really worried about Jones after his awful preseason, but he’s averaging almost 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. He should be owned in 100 percent of fantasy leagues, not 83 percent.

Nene WAS 64% - Nene will be worth using as long as he’s healthy and his one-game suspension is behind him.

Chris Copeland IND 14% - Copeland has scored in double figures in all three games, has hit 10 3-pointers, and is averaging 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. With the Pacers’ lineup depleted right now, he’s an excellent add, especially with his 3-point prowess.

Ed Davis LAL 29% - Davis has been effective for the Lakers thus far, averaging 12 points, seven boards, a steal and a block. He’s not a must-start player, but with Julius Randle done for the season, Davis should get some nice run and I’m a fan of picking him up if you need a big man.

Amir Johnson TOR 74% - Johnson is off to a bit of a surprising start, averaging 15 points, 7.5 rebounds and two blocks after two games. He should be added, but I’d rather see you drop a guy like Samuel Dalembert or Matt Barnes to get him, as opposed to Draymond Green or Tristan Thompson.

Draymond Green GSW 59% - Green has benefitted from David Lee’s injury, but will take a hit once Lee’s back in action (which will be soon). Even when it happens, Green can do enough in multiple categories to make him worth hanging onto.

Tristan Thompson CLE 41% - Thompson’s been effective off the bench and is an Anderson Varejao injury away from becoming a must-own player. As is, he’s averaging 11 points, 7.5 rebounds and a block. .

Mirza Teletovic BRK 47% - Teletovic has only played in two games, but is averaging 16 points, 6.5 rebounds and three 3-pointers in them. If you need threes, he’s your man.

Marvin Williams CHA 18% - Williams had 19 points and three 3-pointers in the opener, but got into foul trouble and was terrible in Game 2. I don’t trust him, but if you need a PF who can hit some threes, he’s at least worth a look.

Channing Frye ORL 50%

Quincy Acy NYK 2%

Kevin Garnett BRK 15%

Mike Scott ATL 4%

Kyle O’Quinn ORL 4%

Trevor Booker UTA 2%

Lavoy Allen IND 1% - Frye is off to a really slow start this season, but should improve as he recovers from his knee injury. None of these players are must-owns, but Acy has been sneaky for the Knicks, KG can still play, and Mike Scott had one big game off the Hawks bench. O’Quinn’s potential takes a hit with the return of Frye, while Booker has played surprisingly well for the Jazz, as Enes Kanter barely treads water. Allen is rebounding and blocking shots off the Pacers bench, and is another guy deep-leaguers should take a look at.

Centers

Timofey Mozgov DEN 59% - Mozzy has been nice so far, even with JaVale McGee seeing limited minutes off the bench. He’s averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 boards and 2.75 blocks, and has two double-doubles in three games.

Jordan Hill LAL 71% - Hill went off for 23 points, five boards and a block on Friday, and then had the same line with three blocks on Saturday.

Kelly Olynyk BOS 64% - Olynyk is averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and two 3-pointers in his two games. He didn’t start the second half of Saturday’s game against Houston, and played just 16 minutes. It’s a little concerning, but he should still be owned in all leagues, as he might have had a case of Dwight-itis.

JaVale McGee DEN 24%

Steven Adams OKC 22%

Brandan Wright DAL 10%

Chris Kaman POR 6% - McGee had four blocks in one game and while he’s still not at 100 percent, his playing time should keep creeping up and he could eventually hurt Mozgov’s minutes. If you need blocks, stashing him is a good idea. Adams has been disappointing, but is going to play heavy minutes. I still think he’s worth a stash. Wright is averaging 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, making him worth a look in two-center leagues. And Kaman is averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks off the Portland bench. If anything goes wrong with LaMarcus Aldridge or Robin Lopez, he’ll be a nice add.