It’s about the halfway point of the NBA regular season, which means that our very own fantasy basketball leagues are smack-dab in the heat of their respective campaigns as well.
[sc:NBA250 ]By now, you should have a good idea of where your team stands. In the event that you’re in need of an upgrade for a key position, or are looking for a solid streamer to exploit this week’s schedule, worry not; we’ve got the five best players – one for each position – who should still be floating around the free agency pool.
Let’s now run down this week’s top waiver wire pickups to boost your fantasy lineups. And while you’re at it, check out our complete preview and sleeper picks for the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs right after this to be on top of all the exciting NFL postseason betting action as well.
[sc:NBAArticles ]The Top Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups of the Week
Point Guard
Shane Larkin (Brooklyn Nets)
[sc:NBA240banner ]Let’s face it: the Brooklyn Nets are a total wasteland right now. Making things worst for the team is the fact that starting point guard Jarrett Jack is out for the season (torn ACL). For us fantasy owners, that means another player gets to fill Jack’s void and put up some good minutes and numbers. In this case, that would be Shane Larkin.
The playing time is already there for Larkin (27 minutes per game), but the numbers haven’t been exceptional yet, as he’s averaging just a 7-3-3 line on 41 percent shooting for the season. Then again, the Nets just underwent a coaching change, which could work out for the better for him in the long run.
Also, Brooklyn has a four-game slate this week, so at least Larkin is a solid streamer option if you’re just looking to maximize your output for this week.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
Speaking of bad teams, just how far have the Phoenix Suns fallen from grace this season? Anyway, similar to Larkin’s situation, Devin Booker has made the most of the absence of Eric Bledsoe in Phoenix’s lineup.
Over the past five games, Booker has managed to score in double-digits in all those contests, and has averaged 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 three’s and 1.4 steals while shooting 44 percent from the floor. And that’s not the best part yet; he’s also averaging a whopping 34 minutes per contest this season, so the rookie out of Kentucky is being given a lot of opportunities to hone his game and possibly give you some nice stats in the process.
Small Forward
Marco Belinelli (Sacramento Kings)
Slim pickings coming from the SF position this week, as even our pick for this slot – Marco Belinelli of the Sacramento Kings – is really a natural shooting guard with small-forward eligibility throughout most leagues.
Belinelli’s been on fire over the last six games, averaging 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, three assists and a 3-pointer during that stretch while registering no less than 25 minutes per contest. With that being said, the elderly Italian should be picked up now while he’s still hot, and before fellow European Omri Casspi returns to the lineup from his sore back to slowly eat up the former’s well-earned playing time.
Power Forward
Larry Nance Jr. (Los Angeles Lakers)
Rookie Larry Nance Jr. still has a long way to go to catch his pops in the stat sheets and the adulation of basketball fans (let alone disgruntled Laker fans), but he’s been starting games over Julius Randle of late, and he’s been making the most of those chances.
With an average of 23 minutes in the last six games as Los Angeles’ starting forward, Nance is scoring nearly 10 points and hauling-in nine boards per contest with a solid 62-percent clip from the field.
However, head coach Byron Scott may ultimately become his undoing if Scott so chooses to give more playing time to Randle, especially with Nance’s production dipping a bit over the last three contests. Nevertheless, the future is bright for the 23-year-old, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another Laker right now that has been as consistent as Nance since the start of the new year.
Center
Jusuf Nurkic (Denver Nuggets)
With all the turmoil in the front court rotation of the Denver Nuggets, it seems as if 21-year-old Jusuf Nurkic is emerging as the team’s go-to guy in the post apart from Kenneth Faried. The second-year player from Bosnia only had one game (out of just five appearances so far this season) of over 20 minutes in playing time, but got a double-double and five blocks for his effort then in a win over the Wolves on January 6.
Nurkic’s minutes will likely increase sooner than later given his current output, and he’s already averaging 10 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and a steal per 25 minutes of action. Grab him while you still can, as around 50 to 60 percent of fantasy leagues right now have him picked-up from the wire already, because as you know, quality centers are so hard to come by these days… right?
Looking for more than just fantasy basketball action? Why not create a betting account now to to cash in from any or all of the NBA regular season games with your stellar predictions just as well?
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