10 Fantasy Basketball Pickups for the Second Half from the Waiver Wire

Does Danny Green merit fantasy basketball consideration in the second half? His stats are trending the right way to help you the rest of the way. Find out who else joins him in the top 10 fantasy basketball pickups for the second half. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Headed into an All-Star shortened week is a good time for you as a fantasy hoops owner to take stock of your team and define what you need to do to succeed in the second half. One thing that can be a  great help to any owner the rest of the season is our daily Box Score Breakouts. Each day we look back at the NBA games from the night before and highlight some players stepping up in the box score and making themselves good options for fantasy owners. You can check out the archive (click here) and subscribe via RSS at the top of that page or to daily emails by entering your address at the bottom of this post. If you’d like to follow us on twitter @FantasyCPR the links are on the right hand side of the page.

Depending on your team’s strengths and needs going into the second half, these are some of the players to consider adding for your stretch run. If you’re looking to win a championship in fantasy basketball, you’ve got to be active, and these are some names to know as we head into the All-Star break. Percentages included are the ownership in ESPN leagues as of Saturday morning.

1. Martell Webster-Washington Wizards (19.2%)

Feb 8, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (2) and small forward Martell Webster (9) celebrate after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at the Verizon Center. The Wizards defeated the Nets 89 – 74. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA Today Sports

Webster has been a big part of the Wizards latest resurgence. He’s played 30+ minutes in each of his last seven games and hit multiple three-pointers in each one of those games. He’s averaging 3.6 three’s per game for the month of February whil scoring an averagin of 15.6 points per game and throwing in a steal, 2.0 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Webster should continue to see playing time and is a nice option on the wing for John Wall. Webster doesn’t contribute across the stat sheet, but if you need three-point shooting and scoring he’s a good second-half pickup.

2. Byron Mullens-Charlotte Bobcats (35.8%)

After missing over a month recovering from an ankle injury, Mullens has played three games for Charlotte and looks ready to contribute. He’s averaged 15.7 points including 20 last night against the Lakers as he finished with a double-double adding in 12 boards. Mullens is also picking up a block and a steal a game since his return. His minutes may be limited in the immediate future, but Mullens will get plenty of opportunities for a floundering Bobcats team. He’s a nightly double-double threat and can give you some three’s as well. His only downside is he does cost you in FG% at times, but he’s worth the hit if he produces as he has in the past.

3. Danny Green-San Antonio Spurs (16.6%)

Green’s been a nice source of three’s for his owners in the first half (2.2 per game) but has flashed the potential to be so much more in his last four games. On Wednesday, Green hit eight three-pointers on his way to a career-high 28 points in just 32 minutes. He needs to work on consistency but can give you three’s, steals, and a few rebounds and assists as long as he stays in his current role with the Spurs.

4. Nick Young- Philadelphia 76ers (29.7%)

Young had a down game on Wednesday, but had been heating it up before the clunker. In his last 10 games, he’s averaged 15 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. Young should be in the Sixer starting lineup the rest of the season since Jason Richardson is out with a knee injury so expect him to keep taking plenty of shots going forward. When the shots go in, he’s a great fantasy player to own, so if you need Young just hope he stays hot and keeps contributing to both the Sixers and his fantasy owners for the second half.

5. Andrew Nicholson-Orlando Magic (0.1%)

February 8, 2013;Cleveland, OH USA: Orlando Magic power forward Andrew Nicholson (44) and Cleveland Cavaliers small forward Luke Walton (4) go up for a rebound during the game at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USA TODAY Sports

As a rookie from St. Bonaventure, most fantasy owners don’t have Nicholson on their radar. That could easily change in the second half if he can prove himself worthy of floor time for the Magic. Orlando has been decimated by injury and plagued by poor play so if Nicholson can sustain any kind of production, he’ll get used by head coach Jacque Vaughn. He’s had double-digit scoring in three of his last four games but is coming off possibly his best game of the year last night in Cleveland. Nicholson finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and a pair of blocks. Watch his timeshare situation, but if Nicholson is on the floor he can definitely help your fantasy team if you need an athletic big man for high percentages, points, rebounds, and occasional blocks.

6. Jeff Green-Boston Celtics (19.8%)

As the Celtics enter the post-Rondo part of their season, Green is stepping up his scoring a bit averaging 14 points over his last seven games. Thursday night he had 19 to go with a block, assist, and three rebounds. Depending on his role for Boston, he can be useful for points to be sure but also occasional rebounds and blocks numbers.

7. Randy Foye-Utah Jazz (35.6%)

A notoriously streaky shooter and scorer, Foye has been hot as of late with eight games of double-digit scoring in a row. He’s averaged 16.6 points and over three three-pointers in his last five games. He also has averaged over four assists in his last five games as well. Foye may lose time when Mo Williams returns, but that’s not impending yet, so feel free to ride the hot streak from Foye for as long as it lasts if you need three’s, points, and assists.

8. Marreesse Speights- Cleveland Cavaliers (23.7%)

One of the most under-the-radar trades of the season was the Cavs acquiring of Speights from the Grizzlies. Since arriving in Cleveland, Speights has at least 10 points in all seven games he’s played in. In his four games in February he’s scored and average of 16.8 points while adding 8.3 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game. Speights is a double-double thread every time he’s on the floor and should continue to serve as backup for the young frontcourt Cleveland starts. If you need points and boards, there’s not many available that will do better than Speights.

9. Lance Stephenson-Indiana Pacers (8.8%)

Feb 06, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Lance Stephenson (1) shoots under pressure from Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes (00) during the third quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. The Pacers defeated the Sixers 88-69. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

He’s played big minutes all year for Indiana, but recently Stephenson has started scoring at a much more fantasy-friendly pace. Stephensen’s role could be in for a dramatic change when Danny Granger returns as he most likely would move to the bench and become one of the top toptions on the Pacers second unit. He’s averaged 12.2 points, 4.0 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals over the last five games and his scoring should only tick up with Granger returns. He’s worth watching to see how he and his role develop over the next few months.

10. Harrison Barnes-Golden State Warriors (17.6%)

This final pick is a bit of a “gut call.” Barnes has increased the amount of shots he’s taking with the eturn of Andrew Bogut. However his numbers have remained inconsistent. He’s put up 21 and 19 points in his last four games along with a seven and a six point game. He added four assists and seven rebounds last night, but his peripheral numbers come and go as well. If he continues to get playing time, I think Barnes will be useful by the end of the fantasy hoops season. He’s still up-and-down at this point in his young career, but he’s showing flashes of some serious talent which could make Golden State an even more serious contender the rest of this season and moving forward into next.