College Basketball Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

After what was hopefully a feeding frenzy at last week's waiver wire thanks to eligibility grants, this week looks relatively quiet on the wire due to the holidays and lack of games that come with it. But it's also a week where a lot of owners can take a break, which you shouldn't! There may not be terrific game changers this week, but there are still some options to improve your roster. We're guard dominant this week.

Power Conferences

Devon Daniels, G, North Carolina State

Daniels seems to have embraced the role as the 'Pack's alpha. He pumped in 21 points last week against North Carolina and was coming off of a 12-point, eight-rebound, four-assist, four-steal outing against Campbell. He's had more 20 point games (two) than single-digits (one), and with league play set to go, you'd have to assume the rotation is trimmed and the minutes possibly go up just a tick from the current 30.2 he's getting.

Trey Murphy, G, Virginia

Murphy has only started once for the Cavaliers, but he's arguably been their most productive offensive weapon, and needs to be rostered in ACC circles. He's put up 15 points in back-to-back outings, playing an average of 29.5 minutes. There are minimal peripherals (3.2 rpg, 1.3 apg), but the Rice transfer's length has made him an important piece for UVA.

Trey McGowens, G, Nebraska

McGowens appears to be getting his footing in his new home, scoring 25 points last week in two outings, adding 10 boards and four steals. He's never been an efficient shooter, hitting 41.7 and 36.7 percent in his two years at Pitt, and just 40.0 percent presently, so he's not a great option where that can hurt. He rebounds well for a guard, is good for a steal or two nightly and should be a stable third double-digit scorer for a limited Cornhusker attack behind Teddy Allen and Dalano Banton.

Nick Ongenda, C, DePaul

The Blue Demons got their season underway this week, which should create opportunity to grab some guys who went undrafted. Ongenda seems locked into a meaningful role with Jaylen Butz out indefinitely. He's clearly raw and needs to stay out of foul trouble, but flashed with a 12-point, six-block performance before crashing Sunday against Providence. The defensive numbers and opportunity make him worth a flier where center eligible in the hopes he can find consistency.

Javon Freeman-Liberty, G, DePaul

Double-dipping on the Blue Demons thanks to their delayed start and continued rotation questions. Freeman-Liberty has played well enough to earn consistent minutes even if/when DePaul gets to full health. He played 41 minutes Sunday, and in two games has been a four-category contributor, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals.

R.J. Cole, G, Connecticut

Cole has started all of the Huskies games and played 40 minutes in an overtime loss to Creighton last week, second only to James Bouknight. That's good enough for me to consider an add, as you can't help but produce with that kind of run. He finished with only 12 points, two assists and a steal, but that was largely due to Bouknight's insane 40 points and 38.9 percent usage. Cole, a Howard transfer, is still getting acclimated to better competition and hit just 2-of-13 from the floor. Having started every game to date, however, he's got a secure role and better days figure to be ahead.

Ryan Betley, G, California

I don't know what to make of Betley to be honest, but he leads the Bears in minutes, and despite inconsistencies, he needs to be owned in Pac-12-heavy leagues at worst. He's pumped in 36 points in his last two games, but has only five double-digit scoring outings in nine games overall. He's gone for at least three boards in all but one outing and has three assists in three of his last four. It seems like a classic case of minutes equalling production.

Davion Mintz, G, Kentucky

Mintz is averaging 14.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.7 apg and 1.3 spg in three tries as a starter, hitting seven 3s in the process. The young, struggling Wildcats seemingly have no choice but to lean on his veteran ability, and Mintz probably should have been added a week ago. With Terrence Clarke being seen in a walking boot recently and playing only 16 minutes against Louisville, Mintz's role seems secure.

Cam Thomas, G, LSU

It feels as though we've sold Thomas a bit short. He hung 29 points on Nicholls State last week, but the narrative is the weak opponent, and Javonte Smart's absence. The fact is, Thomas has now scored 20+ four times in six outings and is averaging a robust 16.3 field goal attempts. I guess we'll see if he can keep this production up during league play, which begins this week against Texas A&M. He isn't doing a ton more than score, but he's doing that at such a high rate he needs to be rostered nearly universally.

Tier 2 Conferences

Sincere Carry, G, Duquesne

The assumption here is all Dukes have been dropped from Tier 2 rosters, as they haven't played since December 2. They look set to restart their season with conference play this week, and while a matchup with St. Louis is a rough way to return, Duquesne figures to be in the Atlantic 10's upper half, and there's lots of appeal across their roster. Carry should be a good source of assists and steals while not lacking in scoring. Marcus Weathers and Tavian Dunn-Martin have higher scoring ceilings, and Michael Hughes can offer blocks from the center position while being a nightly double-double threat.

Alex Barcello, G, BYU

Barcello has gotten plenty of ink in our DFS series, but he clearly needs some season-long love. I'll assume Barcello is rostered in most Tier 2 conferences, but he needs to be rostered in any format where BYU is included in the player pool. He's averaging 16.9 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds while hitting 48.6 percent of his 3-pointers.