Whether you coasted down the stretch or needed a late run just to get in, the fantasy playoffs have arrived and that means doing everything it takes to win. The waiver wire still has some very worthy candidates available in case you need to fill a specific hole.
Here is a look at five players that are still hanging around with the free agents in most fantasy leagues and can give your team a boost:
Alexey Shved (PG) – New York Knicks
The revolving door in the starting five of the league’s worst team has rendered a fantasy worthy pickup at the point guard position in Shved, who has been one of the best Knicks over the past couple of weeks. Shved has averaged 16.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.2 3-point shots per game while shooting 42% from the field, so while he plays on a horrible team he is getting every chance to shine and taking advantage. The main difference has been minutes played. So far this month, he’s averaging a healthy 28.8, which means he has a greater opportunity to be productive. Jose Calderon could very well come back and cut in to some of his production but the Knicks already know what they have in him. Shved is 26 and, with just two years of NBA experience, he could be a piece they evaluate for the future. That means he might get minutes the rest of the way.
Jordan Clarkson (PG) – Los Angeles Lakers
Clarkson might be at risk of losing minutes to Jeremy Lin but he has averaged 14.2 points, five rebounds and five assists over his last five games and that type of production can’t be ignored. As a starter this season, he has averaged 14.0 points per game, 4.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals. He might not maintain those numbers the remainder of the way because head coach Byron Scott has inexplicably stated that Lin will start the team’s final 10 games – for some reason. Hopefully management can step in and keep Lin on the bench to give an extended look to this growing 22 year old.
Tony Snell (SG) – Chicago Bulls
Snell has filled in nicely for Jimmy Butler over the past week with 21, 10 and 17 points and 10 3-pont shots over a three-game stretch and he had 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists while also hitting two 3-point shots on Sunday. The fact that he’s averaging close to 38 minutes per game helps his upside as well as the fact that he can fill in a number of different categories across the board thanks in part to his 3-point shooting. Even when Butler is back, expect Snell to continue to get some burn as Derrick Rose is also out of the lineup.
Danilo Gallinari (SF) – Denver Nuggets
Gallinari is one player that has the potential to go off every single night and while he has been inconsistent all year, two games last week proved what he is capable of when he averaged 23.5 points and six rebounds in back-to-back games. Factor in that he still fills a number of categories on his down nights (8.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 STL off the bench), and the reality is Gallinari is a smart pickup with high upside and limited downside. One thing you’ll have to keep an eye on is the Nuggets rotations as there appears to be some friction with the team veterans and new head coach Melvin Hunt. Galinari, Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson were inexplicably benched/rested on Monday and the players weren’t happy about it.
Zaza Pachulia (C) – Milwaukee Bucks
Andrea Bargnani is worth picking up if you are interested in points and not much else but the real big man worth taking a long look at is Pachulia, who has averaged 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds over his past three games. Pachulia might not stuff the stat sheet with blocks but he provides both points and rebounds on a consistent basis and that might be more valuable than someone like Bargnani. Pachulia has seen his minutes increase this month, which is obviously key. After averaging just 20.1 minutes in February, he’s getting 23.9 in March.
