Wired: Week 8's Top Pickups

Games Played Week 8

4 Games: BOS, BRK, CHA, CLE, DET, IND, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOP, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHX, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA

3 Games: ATL, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, LAL, MIN, PHI, SAC, WAS

2 Games: GSW

I have a lot going on this Sunday so I had to write Waiver Wired on Saturday. Therefore, the numbers you’ll see for each player don’t include Saturday’s games, except in the case of Marreese Speights, who played early on Saturday. Mike Gallagher will be writing a Sunday version of Pickups of the Day for Season Pass subscribers, so be sure to peruse his list of players on Sunday when you’re looking for players to pick up. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Point Guards

Zach LaVine Wolves 16% - Mo Williams is still out, but practiced some on Saturday, and Ricky Rubio is still a ways away. LaVine is playing well, averaging 13.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 3-pointers over his last five games. The run will eventually come to an end some time in January, but he looks like a solid add until Rubio is back. He could take a bit of a hit with Mo-Will on his way back, but I think LaVine has wrapped up the starting job until Rubio is back in action.

Lou Williams Raptors 50% – Williams isn’t the most consistent guy around, as one look at his game log will tell you, but when he’s on, he’s on. He’s scored 26, 6, 26, 5 and 17 points in his last five games, and while the inconsistency is annoying, that comes out to averages of 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 3-pointers in 25 minutes a game.

Tony Wroten Sixers 49% - Wroten finally returned to action on Friday night and had 12 points, three boards, three assists and a 3-pointer, but hit just 2-of-10 shots in 22 minutes. He’s shooting just 65 percent from the line on the season, 41 percent from the field and 27 percent from downtown, and is also averaging 4.2 turnovers a game. While there’s plenty to hate about Wroten’s game, he’s also averaging 17.5 points, 6.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 3-pointers. Having said all of that, Michael Carter-Williams is back and the Sixers have turned to Robert Covington and K.J. McDaniels as well, meaning Wroten’s role will not be featured in the offense like it was early in the season. Despite all of that, he’s a good player and could still start at shooting guard at any time. I held him in one league through his injury, and don’t regret doing so. At least, not yet.

C.J. Watson Pacers 4% - Watson started for the Pacers on Friday and had 13 points, four assists, a steal and two 3-pointers on 5-of-14 shooting in 30 minutes. He has really been struggling with his shot, but the move to the starting unit could give him a jump start. Of course, like many free agents, he’ll take a big hit once an injured player returns and that player is George Hill, who’s been out for most of the season with a knee injury. It sounds like he’s looking at January and if Watson ends up keeping the job until then, he’ll be worth having.

Norris Cole Heat 6% – Cole still isn’t doing much with just 7.3 points, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steals over his last four games. But he is starting for the Heat, and he’s also averaging 28.0 minutes per game. We’ve all seen him play better than he has thus far and I doubt he can play much worse. In other words, as long as the minutes don’t dry up, he should eventually get it turned around.

The rest: Mario Chalmers, Devin Harris, J.J. Barea, Marcus Smart, Cory Joseph, D.J. Augustin

Shooting Guards

Corey Brewer Wolves 42% – Brewer generally doesn’t score a ton of points or hit many 3-pointers. But he’s been hot with Kevin Martin out and should stay that way. He’s averaging 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, a whopping 3.4 steals and nearly a block a game over his last five. And he’s been a steals machine over his last three, swiping 14 of them.

Dion Waiters Cavaliers 34% - Waiters might be available after he suffered an abdominal injury on Friday and played just 10 minutes. Prior to going down, he was rolling, scoring 26, 18 and 14 points in his three previous games to go along with six 3-pointers. He’s actually been shooting it well and got good news on his injury, as he was released from the hospital and on his way back to Cleveland on Saturday. He could miss a game or two, but his injury doesn’t appear to be as serious as we first thought.

Evan Fournier Magic 28% – Fournier has broken out of his funk, sort of, scoring 18 and 15 points in two of his last three games. Unfortunately, he scored just 7, 8 and 9 points in three of his last five games, but Friday was a gem with 18 points, six boards, four assists and two 3-pointers on 8-of-14 shooting. The minutes are still there and he’s averaging 28 of them over his last five, so he could be ready to get hot again.

Ben McLemore Kings 29% – B-Mac has scored 21 and 15 points in each of his last two games and has drained five 3-pointers in them. He had just six and two points in his previous two games, but given his strong play over the last two, he could be ready to go on a roll.

Jodie Meeks Pistons 18% - Meeks made his season debut on Friday and hit 4-of-10 shots for 12 points and a steal on 4-of-10 shooting. That’s nothing to write home about, but not bad for his first game of the season, and he should see about 25 minutes a night, splitting minutes with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope going forward.

The rest: Nick Young (owned in 62%) O.J. Mayo, Manu Ginobili, Marco Belinelli, Marcus Thornton, Anthony Morrow

Small Forwards

Tim Hardaway Jr. Knicks 15% - J.R. Smith is gimpy with a heel injury and Carmelo Anthony may be day-to-day all season with his knee problem. Hardaway has stepped up over his last two games, scoring 16 and 23 points, and hitting six 3-pointers. He’s also grabbed eight rebounds in those two games and with Smith and Melo not at 100 percent, the Knicks may lean heavily on THJ going forward. He’s also seen 32 and 29 minutes in his last two games, and even when Smith is healthy, I think he’ll get close to 25 minutes a night. And if Melo’s knee continues to be a problem, Hardaway is going to be a nice player to own.

K.J. McDaniels Sixers 46% – Robert Covington moved into the starting lineup on Friday and it may not be coincidence that KJM failed to score a point and played just 19 minutes in that game. I’m not throwing in the towel on him and want to see what he does in his next two games before panicking. Prior to Friday McDaniels was scoring about 10 a game and racking up rebounds, blocks and steals, and was also handing out some dimes and hitting some treys. There’s still a lot of season left and while things aren’t going his way right now with the return of Tony Wroten and the emergence of Covington, McDaniels is still a player I would like to keep stashed. He could receive a promotion into the starting unit at any time.

Shabazz Muhammad Wolves 5% – Muhammad is rolling, scoring in double figures in five straight games and is averaging 16.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals over that stretch. The problem is he doesn’t do much outside of scoring, although he did have 11 points, six boards and three steals last Wednesday. If you need a scorer, give him a close look.

C.J. Miles Pacers 8% – Miles left Friday’s game after just 13 minutes with a knee injury but it’s only a bruise and he’s expected to play on Saturday. He had 30 points and seven 3-pointers on Wednesday and had 15 points and four 3-pointers in the game prior to that one. He was really heating up and was promoted into the starting lineup. Since his knee injury isn’t bad, he should continue to start and I think he’s a nice player to own going forward, as long as he can stay healthy. His shooting percentage will always be a concern, but he should hit a lot of threes and be a solid scorer for a Pacers team in need of those two things.

Sergey Karasev Nets 0% - Karasev has started in two straight games and has scored 11, 6 and 11 points in his last three games. He’s going to get some steals and hit some 3-pointers, and looks like a decent player to add in deeper leagues. I hear from guys saying most of the players in this column are owned in their league, so here’s one that is owned in zero percent of Yahoo! leagues, and is now starting for the Nets.

The rest: Harrison Barnes (should be owned), Mike Dunleavy, James Johnson, Gerald Green, Caron Butler, Rasual Butler

Power Forwards

Robert Covington Sixers 29% (and rising) – Covington was already putting up tasty numbers before being placed in the starting lineup on Friday night, when he went off for 20 points, six boards, two assists, three steals, a block and six (yes six) 3-pointers against the Nets. Prior to that game Covington scored 9, 25, 21 and 17 points in his previous four games, good for averages of 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 3.4 3-pointers over his last five games. He should be the hottest pick up in fantasy hoops right now and the sky’s the limit as long as he sticks in the starting five.

Taj Gibson Bulls 76% – Gibson is averaging 11.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in his three games since returning from his ankle injury. Joakim Noah’s always an injury risk and is currently out, and Gibson should continue to get quality minutes even when Noah is healthy. I wasn’t even going to put him in the column until I noticed that he was available in a couple of my own leagues, despite being owned in 76 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Amare Stoudemire Knicks 66% - Stoudemire had just eight points in 17 minutes against the Spurs on Wednesday, but it was the second night of a back-to-back and he’d been playing heavy minutes. He bounced back for 20 points, seven boards, a steal and a block on Friday and is in must-own territory playing for the woeful Knicks. He’s averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over his last five games, and while I have no idea how long his legs will hold up, he should be a solid option any time he’s in the lineup for the Knicks.

Kris Humphries Wizards 19% – Nene is back in action for the Wizards, but Humps is still playing well. He’s averaging 13.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks over his last five games. He won’t be as dominant with Nene around, but has carved out a spot in the rotation that should yield at least 25 minutes per game.

Tristan Thompson Cavaliers 38% - Thompson has been inconsistent, but has posted several quality lines over his last five. He’s averaging 12.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over that stretch and is an Anderson Varejao injury away from being a starter. But even though he’s coming off the bench, he’s averaging 31.2 minutes over his last five and is another player I think should be picked up across the board right now.

Marreese Speights Warriors 27% – Speights is only getting 19 minutes a game but is still averaging 10.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game. If Andrew Bogut ever gets hurt, Speights could become a beast. But despite the low minutes, he’s still worth a deep-league look if you need a big man.

The rest: Carlos Boozer, Ed Davis, Josh McRoberts, Channing Frye, Reggie Evans, Marcus Morris, Nikola Mirotic

Centers

Omer Asik Pelicans 67% - Asik is a rebounding beast right now, averaging 12.8 rebounds to go along with 9.8 points over his last five games. He had 16 points and 14 rebounds on Tuesday, and while it came against the Knicks, it was still an impressive performance. He’s not going to be a big scorer or shot blocker, but is capable of both. If you need rebounds or a center, and he’s available in your league, pick him up.

Tyler Zeller Celtics 20% – Zeller has been cooking since a promotion into the starting lineup and is averaging 14.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks over his last five games. He’s shooting 66 percent from the floor and 92 percent from the line over that stretch, and simply put, he should be owned in a lot more leagues, especially since Brad Stevens has said he has no plans of taking him out of the starting lineup.

Mason Plumlee Nets 33% – Brook Lopez has been ruled out for Saturday with a back injury and could miss several more games. As long as Bro-Lo is out, Plumlee’s the starter, and he’s averaging 7.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks over his last five. He also went off for 18 points, 10 rebounds and two steals on 9-of-14 shooting in Friday’s win over the Sixers, and is worth using in your fantasy lineup as long as Bro-Lo is in street clothes.

Rudy Gobert Jazz 12% - Derrick Favors is in a walking boot and could miss some time, clearing the way for Gobert to finally get some decent run. He had nine points, 11 rebounds, a steal and five blocks on Friday against the Heat, and there could be more where that came from if Favors is going to be out for a few games.

Jason Thompson Kings 8% – Thompson has been filling in for DeMarcus Cousins and is quietly averaging 11.0 points and 10.2 rebounds over his last five games. With Cousins still out due to his viral infection, Thompson looks like a safe player to start. Cousins could start practicing again next week, but that’s not guaranteed. Reggie Evans and Derrick Williams are also worth a look in Cousins’ absence, but aren’t nearly as reliable as Thompson. Once Cousins is back and rolling though, Thompson’s value will dry up quickly.

The rest: Gorgui Dieng (should be owned), Kyle O’Quinn, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Kaman, Lavoy Allen