NBA Waiver Wire: Pick-Ups and FAAB for Week 16

And so we begin the dark ages of the NBA fantasy season, the All-Star break. Depending on where your league is hosted, you are either playing a long, two-week matchup or two infuriatingly-short weekly matchups, comprising, basically, three days of action in each one. It's extra important that you remain vigilant throughout this time period, making sure you realize when games recommence after the festivities in New York and have your lineups set appropriately. But, as always, there are players who make for intriguing adds that are likely available on your waiver wire, or at least players who you should be watching intently.

Point Guard

Jordan Clarkson: (long-term add); (FAAB: $6)

The Clarkson hype-train suffered a slight bump in the road during the week, when head coach Byron Scott decided it would be prudent to run all of his starters below 30 minutes, and Clarkson put up just two points with three assists in his 23 minutes. But, aside from that, Clarkson has been very impressive. In the other four starts in his last five, he is averaging 17.3 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game, playing at least 31 minutes. His role moving forward is far from guaranteed, but with many other Lakers not likely to be with the team next season, he will surely have an opportunity to garner significant minutes the rest of the way.

Marcus Smart: (long-term add); (FAAB: $6)

The move has finally been made, seven weeks after Rajon Rondo found his way out of Boston: Marcus Smart is now the starting point guard. If you want points, you're looking in the wrong spot, as Smart is averaging 6.7 points in his three starts, but a winning fantasy basketball squad is not based on scoring alone. In those games, Smart is averaging 7.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 2.3 steals, as well as 0.7 three-pointers. He is doing this in 38 minutes per game, so it appears that playing time isn't going to be an issue. Basically, if you want a Rondo-lite type of player, Smart is going to be someone who has significant value.

Tim Frazier: (deep leagues only); (FAAB: $1)

The Sixers are having a significant depth issue in their backcourt. They've already lost Tony Wroten for the season and now are dealing with a multitude of injuries to Michael Carter-Williams. Enter Frazier, who signed a 10-day contract earlier this week and made his NBA debut Friday. In his first NBA action, Frazier had 11 assists to go with five rebounds, five points and two steals, and with MCW out again Saturday, Frazier found himself in the starting lineup for the first time in his career. Unless you are playing in a 20-team league, Frazier can be viewed strictly as a streaming option when it's confirmed MCW is out, and even then, it is a risky move, but just keep an eye on him. The Sixers have already unearthed fantasy gold from the D-League with Robert Covington, and with MCW's body failing, someone may need to step up to the plate. With literally no other options, Frazier could be that guy; just don't sacrifice any value to add him in 99 percent of leagues.

Others to consider: If George Hill is still languishing on your waiver-wire, he is a must-own player, with top-70 upside the rest of the way. His minutes are slowly increasing, but he has yet to top 30 since returning from his groin injury. However, he has now scored 20 points in back-to-back games, and on a team searching for offensive talent, Hill is going to play a major role from here on out.

Shooting Guard

Manu Ginobili: (season-long value, injury risk); (FAAB: $8)

Ginobili is an injury risk, that is true. But, if we dig a little deeper, you'll see that he has been a little more robust than you may have believed. The aging star has missed just one game in 2015, which brings his games-missed total to five for the entire season. That's not a lot of games. He also, as we know, plays limited minutes, averaging 25 minutes per game for the season. But that is not a major impediment to his fantasy value, as he's averaging 12.1 points, 1.5 three-pointers, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game this season. He's ramped up his passing lately, totaling 19 dimes in his last two games, and despite the common thoughts about his durability, you can still get decent fantasy value from Ginobili. And if he does get injured, which is entirely possible, you can send him back to where he came from – the waiver-wire.

Jarrett Jack: (must-own); (FAAB: $12)

Surely Jack is owned in all competitive leagues, I thought to myself. But apparently, upon consulting his ownership percentages on the major sites, that is not the case. Jack had the starting job before Deron Williams succumbed to a rib injury and has retained that position even with Williams back in the lineup, averaging an insane 40 minutes per night over his past three games. He's averaged a superb 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in those contests, and while Williams will have his minutes increased, Jack is a player who is adept at playing the two-guard as well, and a Jack-Williams backcourt pairing is a much more imposing duo than anything involving Bojan Bogdanovic, Alan Anderson or Sergey Karasev. Given that, I'd expect Jack to continue to get as many minutes as he can handle, even playing alongside Williams.

Others to consider:Otto Porter, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, has had an inauspicious start to his NBA career, but it now appears that he is working his way into a significant role with the Wizards. He is head coach Randy Wittman's first choice to replace either Bradley Beal or Paul Pierce should they miss time, and with Pierce's age and Beal checkered injury history, spot starts will become more commonplace as the season progresses. I'm not advocating adding Porter in most leagues, but his game is fantasy-friendly, and with the opportunity now more present, he needs to be someone that you pay attention to.

Small Forward

Evan Turner: (long-term); (FAAB: $4)

Turner is not an inspiring basketball player. His game is not one that is aesthetically pleasing. In fantasy leagues, though, he can certainly rack up stats, and that is appealing. Marcus Smart replaced Turner as the starting point guard, but that didn't displace Turner from the starting five, as he shifted over to small forward, sending Jae Crowder back to the bench. His stats have barely changed with the the move, as he is averaging 6.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 0.7 steals per game in Smart's three starts at point guard. His shooting is something to send you to the emergency room, going 14-for-51 (27 percent) in his last seven games. If you can deal with the shooting atrocities, Turner is someone who does help the rebound and assist categories, but his skill set is not going to be for every fantasy team.

Al-Farouq Aminu: (deeper leagues, streaming option); (FAAB: $1)

I can almost guarantee that Aminu is available in your standard league, such is the non-headline grabbing way he plays the game. But, if we look at what he's done in a limited bench role, you definitely have to keep an eye on him. In his last eight games, playing only 23 minutes, Aminu is averaging 2.1 steals and 1.9 blocks, to go with 5.5 rebounds. This is why Aminu is an awesome streaming option. If you need those defensive numbers, adding him becomes a very intriguing possibility. Given that Dallas uses him as a starter when Dirk Nowitzki sits, he could soon garner himself standard-league value, but for now, use him for his defensive stats.

Others to consider: The Raptors have been tinkering with their wing position for a good portion of the season. Terrence Ross was the man for a while, and now it is Greivis Vasquez manning the starting spot. But a guy you need to pay attention to is James Johnson. Recently recovered from a hamstring strain, Johnson is the most fantasy-relevant of the trio if given the minutes, as, like Aminu, he has the ability to completely fill up the defensive columns in the box score. For the season, Johnson's per-36 numbers are: 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks, and he is shooting 60 percent from the field. If the Raptors were to go with Johnson at the three, I'd be considering him in almost every league I'm in, as getting that combination of numbers from the small forward position is virtually impossible. Watch this space.

Power Forward

Carlos Boozer: (deeper leagues, some standard league value); (FAAB: $2)

Is Carlos Boozer the most ridiculed player in the NBA, outside of Josh Smith? He would go close, but from a purely fantasy perspective, the veteran has been something that fantasy owners should cherish: consistent. He's not consistently great, but consistently average, and that is okay. Removed from his starter's role months ago, Boozer's numbers have remained relatively consistent. In his last three games, he is averaging 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals on a very impressive 53 percent from the field and 82 from the line. Looking at his season averages, the free-throw shooting is elevated, as is his scoring (up from 12.7 for the season), but the boards and field-goal percentage are right on the money, and those sort of numbers have value in deeper 12-team leagues. Boozer has now scored in double-digits in six of his last seven games, and despite the occasional blip, you can rely on him to give you his averages most nights. The Lakers are a mess, and with no young player threatening to take his minutes, his role should remain consistent from the season and can be an asset to a lot of fantasy squads. Just don't discount him because his name is Carlos Boozer.

Patrick Patterson: (flier add); (FAAB: $3)

We've seen 2-Pat go through a hot streak once already this season, but when he does get it going, he remains fairly consistent at that level. The Raptors' front-court is far from stable, with Dwane Casey seemingly limiting Jonas Valanciunas and Amir Johnson's minutes for no discernible reason, allowing Patterson to get his share of court-time, especially when he gets hot. In his last eight games, Patterson is averaging 11.1 points, 1.6 three-pointers, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, and if your team is looking for a deep threat from the power forward position, Patterson is a solid option. He's even more solid if Casey decides he wants to run with him in a full-time role over Johnson.

Others to consider: At this point, you're probably sick of me writing about Robert Covington, but he needs to be owned everywhere, as does Donatas Motiejunas and Josh Smith, assuming you are in a head-to-head league. Until he gets injured, Nene is a guy who is providing borderline standard league value lately as well, but his long-term reliability is very low.

Center

Robin Lopez: (all leagues); (FAAB: $7)

Lopez is back from his hand injury, ahead of schedule, but he hasn't been added in every league, as he should be. Unlike his brother Brook, who is also a must-own player, Lopez is not polished offensively, but he provides the grunt stats like rebounds, blocks and a great field-goal percentage to boot. In his two games back, Lopez averaged 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks on 53 percent shooting, and though his 40-percent free-throw percentage doesn't look ideal, he is a 77-percent shooter over the season. It's not often you can add a starting center off the wire, but with his ownership sitting below 75 percent, he is available in more places than it would seem likely.

Gorgui Dieng: (long-term add, flier); (FAAB: $6)

With Nikola Pekovic back, the Timberwolves made the baffling, to me at least, move to send Dieng back to the bench. Even with that questionable move, Dieng has been productive, more so than Pekovic, because he has the ability to contribute in more than just two categories. Fantasy hoops is not just about points and boards, areas where Pekovic excels, and Dieng provides value in the other categories as well. In his last eight games, Dieng is averaging 9.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, and with Pekovic being mentioned to be resting one half of back-to-back sets, you will get significant value from the second-year big man. That's not even factoring in the likelihood that Pekovic will go down for an extended period of time, something which always appears likely. If Peko somehow stays healthy, Dieng will have muted value, that is undeniable, but I'd be adding him and holding until it becomes no longer viable.

Others to consider:Hassan Whiteside is actually owned in fewer leagues than Robin Lopez. I'm assuming if you read this column you are wise to Whiteside, and if he was available on your wire, you would've scooped up a top-25 type player weeks ago.