FANTASY FURNACE

With All-Star weekend approaching, here are four waiver wire pickups readily available for you to consider. This ‘lull’ is the perfect time to ‘get one up’ on some of the other team managers in your leagues…

1. JORDAN CRAWFORD-PG-SG-Wizards- The Nick Young backup has been on a tear over the past five games. Crawford has averaged 21.2 points a game to go along with 1.8 threes, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He also has made 17 of 19 from the free throw line. Expect Crawford to be showcased a little more after the break as the Wizards aren’t going anywhere this season and he’s shown what he can do with the extra minutes he’s been getting. The 1st round pick of the Nets (boy could they use him now…) in the 2010 draft is available in 75% of most leagues.

#15 Guard Jordan Crawford goes up for a layup. He has become a scoring machine as of late. Photo: wozofawes.com

2. ISAIAH THOMAS-PG-Kings- Admittedly, Isaiah (‘I was never a Piston’) Thomas has been one of the most added players in fantasy leagues for the past 2-3 days. With Evans moving to the 2 and Thornton to the 3, Thomas has started at PG over the past four games and it has paid off. His averages during the last five are encouraging; 18.4 points, 6 assists, 4 boards, 1.8 threes, and he’s nailed 15 of 17 free throws. Remarkably, this exciting young talent is still available in over half of most leagues, but won’t be for long. He’s a must add!

PG Isaiah Thomas is our Must Add for the week in all leagues. Photo: 206hoops.net

3. KENNETH FARIED-PF-Nuggets- Decimated with injuries, Faried has taken full advantage of Nene’s absence and put up some serviceable numbers in the 23:30 minutes he has been averaging in the last five games (not including Wednesday); 10.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1 steal. Nene, according to coach George Karl, “might not get back to playing even 30 minutes a game this year.” As it is, Nene has already missed almost 1/3 of the season with injuries so Faried should continue to start and still get some nice minutes after Nene returns, probably after the break. Faried, as you might expect, is still available in 85% of most leagues & should be picked up in deeper leagues.

4. WILSON CHANDLER-PF-Nuggets?- Remember him? Most fantasy owners haven’t as he is only owned in about 20-25% of most leagues; 23% in Yahoo! leagues. Chandler is due to sign within the next 7-10 days and although he will probably end up with the Nuggets, he visited the Raptors Tuesday where he would instantly become one of their main scoring options. His main choice is Denver where he averaged 12.5 points, 5 boards, 1.2 blocks, and 1.2 threes in 31 minutes per game with them last year. Given all of Denver’s injuries, you can only expect those numbers to rise.

#21 Wilson Chandler is close to signing a new contract; most likely with the Nuggets again. Photo: zimbio.com

Good luck to all the team managers in the second half of the season…