Matt Barnes has been red-hot over the past two weeks, offering upside in many categories (Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)
Most waiver wires are going to be pretty bare at this point in the fantasy basketball season, so rather than simply settling for the “best available player”, owners will need to make their team’s individual needs more of a priority.
The Los Angeles Clippers’ Matt Barnes and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Caron Butler are just a couple “category specialists” who can provide a boost in specific categories (i.e. steals, 3-pointers, blocks) and are readily available among most leagues’ waiver wires:
Do It All:
Matt Barnes, SF, Los Angeles Clippers (2.8 percent owned on ESPN.com):
Barnes began the season in a rut. He missed 19 of the Clippers’ first 27 games with calf and eye injuries and then took a little while to find a role in coach Doc Rivers‘ rotation.
Even though he is the superior player, Barnes was coming off the bench in favor of Jared Dudley (don’t ask me why). Barnes must love the month of February, though, because he has really turned it on since hitting rock bottom during a three-game stretch from Jan. 27-30 where he averaged 2.3 points on 3-0f-19 shooting (15.7 percent) from the floor.
In 11 February games, Barnes averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.8 3-pointers. He scored 14 points with six boards and four triples in Saturday’s game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 10-year vet has started 19 games for the Clips this season, but has really picked up the pace over his last five, averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and and absurd 3.2 treys. Dudley has become non-existent in the offense (17.6 mpg over last five), completely relinquishing the majority of the small forward minutes to Barnes. Fantasy owners shouldn’t be too worried about the addition of Danny Granger, as he will have a difficult time adjusting to the pace of the Clippers’ offense.
Matt Barnes has always been a player who could contribute in multiple categories and is 35th on Basketball Monster.com’s player ranker over the past two weeks. Because of that (and his growing favor with Rivers), the former UCLA Bruin is a worth an add in leagues of 12 teams or more.
Owners in need of steals should look no further than the Wolves’ Corey Brewer (Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Steals:
Corey Brewer, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves (20.3 percent owned):
The return of Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic to the T’Wolves’ lineup will likely have an effect on a handful of players, but Corey Brewer is not one of them.
Fantasy owners can’t expect Brewer to replicate the 14.6 points he was putting up in the seven games Martin was sidelined, but one category he’s always been able to produce in is steals.
For the season, Brewer is averaging 1.7 steals per game. That number shot up to 2.0 steals while Martin was out, but owners can expect him to hover around the 1.5-steals mark the rest of the season.
Owners who were worried about the former Florida Gators’ star losing playing time with Martin back in the fold, certainly got a breath of fresh air on Saturday. While Martin soaked up 34 minutes in the Wolves’ win over the Sacramento Kings, Brewer also got 34 minutes of court time.
The Wolves’ have very few useful wings on the their bench, making Brewer indispensable to them. If you’re an owner in need of steals, 10-14 points and a 3-pointer or two a game, Brewer’s your man.
Caron Butler is now in OKC and has a chance to make a difference if you are in need of 3-pointers (Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
3-Pointers:
Caron Butler, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (6.2 percent owned):
Beyond Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder are pretty much a wasteland of fantasy potential.
Caron Butler was supposed to merely be a bench asset during the playoffs, but an injury to Thabo Sefolosha could thrust the Thunder’s newest addition into a larger role over the next few weeks.
Sefolosha suffered a calf strain in Friday’s game vs. the Memphis Grizzlies and will be out for 4-to-6 weeks. Sefolosha had been averaging 26.4 minutes per game, and Butler could be a big beneficiary of those extra minutes.
Butler has clearly lost a step since his heyday with the Washington Wizards, but he’s still very capable of knocking down 3-pointers at a reasonable clip. With the Milwaukee Bucks this season, the 12th-year pro averaged 1.7 triples in just 24.1 minutes per game. That translates to 2.3 treys per 36 minutes.
Butler, a two-time All-Star, has shown flashes of brilliance this season, with individual games of 38 and 30 points. He makes a fine addition to fantasy teams in leagues of 14 teams or more looking for help in 3-pointers and some scoring.
The Birdman swatteth… (Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports)
Blocks:
Chris Andersen, PF, Miami Heat (1.4 percent owned):
“The Birdman” has taken flight in Miami, and fantasy owners in need of blocks should be giving him a long look.
Chris Andersen defines the word “specialist” when it comes to his fantasy basketball appeal. The 35-year-old has averaged a paltry 5.5 points throughout his 11-year career, but that’s not what makes him valuable. It’s his defense, and for fantasy owners, his 1.5 career blocks, that make him worth adding.
During the 2013-14 season, his second in Miami, Andersen is averaging 19.2 minutes, the most he’s played since the ’09-10 season with the Denver Nuggets (22.3 mpg). He’s making the best of that time, swatting 1.2 shots per contest for the Heat.
The last six games have been especially good for The Birdman, as he’s blocked 10 shots in 20.8 minutes. He even averaged 6.0 points and 5.0 boards in those contests. He’s also a player who’s not going to hurt you in field goal percentage, making 66.5 percent of his shots this season.
Andersen is strictly a roto league add, but for those owners looking to leapfrog someone in the standings, picking him up while he’s hot could net you a nice chunk of blocks.
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