It is hard to believe that it is already week 16 of the fantasy basketball season. Here are some quality waiver wire pick ups for the week. As always, ownership is based on ESPN rankings.
Caris LeVert, SG/SF, Brooklyn Nets 44% owned: LeVert is back and while he will be on a minutes restriction, the versatile wing player is worth picking up. LeVert is currently averaging 16.0 per game in ESPN fantasy and 31 points per game in Draft Kings DFS. LeVert won’t be available long.
Kevin Love, PF, Cleveland Cavaliers 86% owned: Love is back but he is also on a minutes restriction. The Cavs have been out of playoff contention for a while so it will be interesting to see how they handle Love moving forward. Love is still owned in 86% of ESPN leagues but that number could drop and when it does, you might want to swoop in and grab Love for the stretch run.
Dwight Powell, C, Dallas Mavericks 38% owned: Powell was already a solid fantasy contributor and DeAndre Jordan traded to the Knicks, he become even more valuable. Powell is averaging 8.6 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Those numbers should go up moving forward. If you need a quality big, Powell is a worthy addition. He is available in 62% of ESPN leagues.
Jeff Green, SF, Washington Wizards 23% owned: With Otto Porter gone, the Wizards will rely more on Green until newly acquired forwards Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker get acclimated. Green is averaging 22.4 fantasy points per game in the Wizards last five games. That could change however with Portis and Parker now in the mix.
Marcus Smart, PG/SG, Boston Celtics 21% owned: Smart continues to struggle shooting the ball but the cross category production is good enough that Smart is worth owning. He is only owned in 21% percent of ESPN leagues so Smart should be available.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Los Angeles Clippers 18% owned: Alexander will now have a chance to carry more of the load offensively. At 6-6, Alexander has the size and the handle to create match up problems for opposing guards. Alexander