With a handful of teams set to play four games this week, there are several options worth considering on the waiver wire if you need some help at the guard position. Here is a look at the four best guard options available on the waiver wire for this week.
O.J. Mayo
Milwaukee Bucks
Mayo made his first start of the season at point guard on Saturday night and recorded 17 points, five assists, three rebounds and a steal in 35 minutes of action. If he isn’t owned yet in your league, there is a good chance he will be very soon. The Bucks are without Jerryd Bayless, Greivis Vasquez and Tyler Ennis because of injury and that means Mayo is slated to play big minutes. Milwaukee has four games this week including three at home. While Mayo’s window for production might be limited by how long Bayless and Vasquez are out, he is definitely worth picking up right now for a boost at the guard position this week.
Kent Bazemore
Atlanta Hawks
Bazemore’s injury cost him his starting spot in Atlanta’s lineup with Thabo Sefolosha stepping up big time when he was out. That’s ensured that Bazemore comes off the bench now that he is back. However, Bazemore has still averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 three-point shots and 1.0 assist over the past week of action. That type of production is pretty good for a guard that can be found on the waiver wire.
The Hawks know what they have in Sefolosha, who is more of a one-dimensional defensive stopper who tends to lose confidence with his shot. Bazemore is a 26-year-old in his fourth year with far more upside, so expect his minutes to go up.
The Hawks play only three games this week but Bazemore is the type of guard worth picking up and stashing anyway with a chance that he could push his way back in to Atlanta’s starting five at some point.
T.J. McConnell
Philadelphia 76ers
Tony Wroten is back but it looks like McConnell is still going to start next to Isaiah Canaan for the 76ers this week and that makes him worth considering in deeper leagues. He did have a dud against San Antonio, scoring just two points while playing only 18 minutes, but before that, McConnell had averaged 8.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the past week. McConnell was limited to 18 minutes in that last game but the 76ers were blown out in record-setting fashion, so don’t read into it too much. While Wroten’s return could potentially impact his production it’s worth taking a shot on him to keep it up as a waiver wire pickup that could potentially contribute across the board with Philadelphia set to play four games this week. He’s contributed a healthy 5.8 assists per game this season.
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Cory Joseph
Toronto Raptors
Kyle Lowry has been a beast for the Raptors of late but Joseph has quietly put up some decent numbers as well with averages of 11.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals over the past week of action. Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are clearly Toronto’s top two backcourt options but Joseph has slid into the primary backup spot and is seeing plenty of minutes. He started the year fairly quietly as he played averaged just 23.3 minutes per game through his first seven contests. However, things have ramped up for him recently as he’s averaging 30.5 minutes per game in December and has played at least 30 minutes of action in five of his last six games. The challenge is that he doesn’t do a whole lot across the board with minimal contributions in rebounds, assists and threes, but you have to like the 1.3 steals he’s giving you this month. If he’s playing around 30 minutes, he should be owned.
