Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
As strange as it may seem, the Washington Wizards’ Drew Gooden is becoming a fantasy force. And yes, this is 2014.
In today’s edition of “All Wired Up”, I’ll delve into the fantasy strengths of potential waiver wire gold like Gooden and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Jack.
» Drew Gooden, PF, Washington Wizards (0.4 percent owned on ESPN.com)
18 points (7-10 FG, 2-2 FT), 2 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 2 turnovers vs Kings.
Is this really happening? Is Drew Gooden playing in the NBA in 2014 and playing well? Well, the answer on both counts is a resounding yes.
After playing only 16 games for the Milwaukee Bucks last season and registering a pitiful PER of 7.7, you could be excused for thinking that the end of Drew Gooden’s 11-year career was upon us.
But when Nene went down with a knee injury in late February, the Wizards turned to the veteran power forward, signing him to a 10-day contract. He’s now been signed for the remainder of the season and it would not be a surprise to see him in the starting lineup before too long.
How can he help your fantasy team? In a number of ways, is my answer.
When he first signed on in Washington, I was watching his performances with interest, noticing that Gooden was putting up some fairly decent numbers in limited court time. I resisted adding him in leagues or writing about him, mainly because he was only on a 10-day deal. But now that he will be in the nation’s capital for the season’s duration, his form can’t ignored.
Let’s look at his last two games. Gooden has averaged 19.5 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal, while shooting 71.4 percent from the field and a perfect 100 percent from the line. Those numbers have come in only 26 minutes, which is a jump from the minute totals in the teens he was getting previously.
But even when his minutes were limited, Gooden was still producing. In the last two weeks, Gooden is Basketball Monster.com’s 58th ranked player. If you compare that to the ranking of his main competition for minutes at the four in Trevor Booker (124th) and Al Harrington (212th), you can plainly see that Gooden is performing the best out of that trio. And let’s not mention one of my favorite players — Kevin Seraphin — who has been a DNP-CD the last two games after returning from his knee injury on Friday.
As strange as it may be to click the add button on Drew Gooden in 2014, the numbers (and ball) don’t lie. Add Gooden in 12 team leagues and as a spot start guy in 10 team leagues.
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David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
»Jarrett Jack, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (30.7 percent owned)
22 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 FT), 4 three-pointers, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers vs Heat.
Disclosure: I hate Jarrett Jack as a basketball player. I hate him as a fantasy basketball player, in most circumstances.
But fantasy basketball is not about who you like or who you loathe. It’s about who has the opportunity to put up numbers and who is putting up numbers. And Jarrett Jack fits into those categories.
With Kyrie Irving sidelined at least two weeks with a bicep tendon strain (seriously, Irving seems to get the oddest injuries), Jack has been given the keys to the Cavaliers’ offense. Admittedly, that’s not like being given the keys to Ferrari — more accurately, it’s like getting the keys to your dad’s Prius. But Jack will be the team’s primary ball-handler while Irving remains sidelined.
Knowing Irving’s injury history and the Cavs’ position outside the playoff mix, it would be no surprise if Kyrie didn’t suit up again this season.
That makes Jack, along with fellow backcourt mate Dion Waiters, must-own players.
In the first full game with Irving out, against the reigning champs no less, Jack was super impressive from a fantasy perspective. He’s no longer going to be the second backcourt option, more like a 1a and 1b with Waiters.
With the fantasy playoffs most likely in full swing in your league, grabbing Jack now could be the difference between advancing or being bundled out early. Go and make the move and don’t look back.