With the NBA All-Star weekend scheduled for this week it could make things tricky for fantasy basketball leagues with some playing a one-week format and others playing a two-week format. It’s clear that you can definitely help your chances of winning in all leagues by monitoring the waiver wire with the opportunity to add at least one or two options on this list depending on your needs. Here is a look at the best NBA waiver wire options for this week.
PG: Brandon Jennings, New York Knicks
Jennings started alongside Derrick Rose on Friday night but he finished with just six points on 2-of-10 shooting so there could be changes coming again this week. However, Rose has managed to stay relatively healthy this season but that could change in the near future, which would make Jennings that much more valuable. Jennings has averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals over his last 10 games so it’s easy to imagine what his numbers would look like if Rose eventually did go down with an injury.
The Knicks are a team that has been rumored to be making some moves at the upcoming trade deadline. If someone like Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose is shipped off, that could pave the way for Jennings to play an even bigger role down the stretch of the season. He’s a decent buy-low candidate in NBA fantasy that you may want to invest in this week.
SG: Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
Crawford has benefited from a thumb injury to Chris Paul as he has averaged 20.0 points, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.6 three-point shots over his last five games. The Clippers need to lean on Crawford even more with Paul out of the lineup and that is excellent news for anybody that can get their hands on the veteran sixth man this week.
The Clippers enter the week on a two-game winning streak but life without Paul has been challenging for them. They’re now the fifth seed in the Western Conference and wouldn’t even have home-court advantage in the first round if the NBA playoffs were to start today. Surprisingly, the Utah Jazz have surpassed them. The Clips are just 4-6 in their last 10 games.
SF: Matt Barnes, Sacramento Kings
Injuries to Rudy Gay, Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi have opened the door for Barnes and while he struggled in Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks he has averaged 11.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 three-point shots over his last five games. Barnes is playing around 32 minutes a night for the Kings right now and as long as he continues to play substantial minutes he should remain a solid waiver wire option.
The Kings could be making some moves at the trade deadline, which makes this situation a bit tenuous. Barnes could be on his way out or the Kings could ship off some other players and open up some room for him to play more. The Kings have played well recently, though, and Barnes has been a part of that. Nobody is quite sure what to expect from the Kings front office but at any rate, Barnes has been playing well of late.
PF: Alex Len, Phoenix Suns
Len started at the center position on Saturday night and finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and one block in 20 minutes of action before he fouled out. An injury to Tyson Chandler could help Len earn more minutes this week. Len has averaged 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game this season but while he has struggled with consistency he could surprise this week with more minutes and an opportunity to prove his worth. Len doesn’t have great long-term value, though, as it’s solely tied to Chandler’s injury.
C: Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte Hornets
Cody Zeller is dealing with an injury so Kaminsky should have no problem getting more opportunities this week. Kaminsky started for Charlotte on Saturday and he registered 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and three three-point shots. Kaminsky has averaged 16.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 combined blocks and steals per game over his last five contests so make sure you grab him off of the waiver wire before somebody else does in your fantasy basketball league.
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