The first week of January is in the books and slowly the attention in NBA fantasy leagues is beginning to turn to the final stretch and playoff positioning. It’s extremely important to keep an eye on the waiver wire for options that could help your overall production and we have found one player at each position that could help you out the remainder of the way. Here is a look at the top NBA waiver wire picks for this week’s fantasy basketball league action.
PG: Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Parker’s early season struggles appear to be in the rearview mirror as his production has climbed in January. The veteran point guard has averaged 15.0 points, 6.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds over his last four games despite averaging just 25.5 minutes per contest over that span. San Antonio needs Parker to perform at a high level down the final stretch as they try to chase down the Golden State Warriors at the top of the Western Conference standings so he should remain a quality option off the waiver wire.
SG: Seth Curry, Dallas Mavericks
Curry’s overall production in Dallas has been limited this season but the fact that the Mavericks have so many older, injury-prone guards could hint at a strong final stretch from him. Curry has averaged 10.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 assist over his last 10 games but he has averaged just 20.3 minutes per game over that span, which is six minutes lower than his season average. Curry is bound to play more minutes and that could lead to a spike in three-point shooting. Curry has averaged 1.6 three-point shots per game on 39.1% shooting from beyond the arc so he could be a strong waiver wire fantasy option the rest of the way.
SF: Doug McDermott, Chicago Bulls
McDermott struggled a bit when he returned from his concussion but he has heated up over the past five games averaging 11.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 three-point shots per game. McDermott has hit 52.4% of his shots and while he could use more minutes the opportunities could come from a team that really needs his three-point shooting ability. McDermott won’t dominate for your NBA fantasy team this week but he is good enough to take a chance on if you need help at the position with an understanding that the upside is there moving forward if he can earn more minutes for the Bulls.
PF: Montrezl Harrell, Houston Rockets
Harrell has cooled off since his 29-point breakout performance back in December but he is still a capable big man that can provide steady production at the power forward position. Harrell has averaged 15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks per game over his last 10 contests. Nene’s minutes have to be limited and Clint Capela is out until late January so Harrell should continue to be a quality NBA fantasy option at the power forward position.
C: Cody Zeller, Charlotte Hornets
Zeller is another player that missed some time with a concussion but has put up strong enough numbers since to warrant an opportunity on your fantasy roster. Zeller has averaged 9.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game over his last 10 contests while hitting 60% of his shots from the floor. The Hornets are relying on Zeller’s strong shooting percentage and ability to dominate on the boards so he should remain a strong NBA fantasy option at the center position moving forward.
PF: Jared Sullinger, Toronto Raptors
The Raptors have been trying to plug and play different players into the power forward spot but let’s be honest. The original play was to get Sullinger in there and hope that he finally fills the role. Although he’s still out, it’s time that NBA fantasy GM’s start thinking about adding this guy. The bottom line is that nobody on the Raptors roster has filled the role. Pascal Siakam has been a nice find but he’s not the solution this year. Lucas Nogueira is a nice experiment, but he’s better served coming off the bench. And he should probably be coming off the bench behind Patrick Patterson.
Sullinger has started taking some shots recently and looks like he might be back in the lineup at some point in February (probably later in the month). If you’re in an NBA fantasy league that has an IR spot, go get him. If not, keep him on your radar.
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