Austin Rivers (PG/SG, HOU): Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 16 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add In 12-Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 5% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Houston is trying to find help everywhere these days. Austin Rivers just happens to be another guy providing it, and not just in small amounts. It always amazes me how players that get a lot of minutes of playing time are rostered and owned in just a few leagues here and there. Rivers' fits that profile, with just a 5% share of ownership in Yahoo leagues currently.

That is weird, mostly because Rivers is playing 24 mpg on the year and almost 27 since Jan. 8. In that 11-game span Rivers has averaged 10.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 spg and started a couple of games. His usage rate (14.8%) is so low that reaching those marks is nice to see and he's also become a killer from long range: Rivers has scored 2+ three-pointers in his last six games, 3+ in three of those, and a season-high 5 on Jan. 29 against Portland.

Rivers' scoring averages have not been bouncy at all, with the lowest of lows and the highest of highs making for a mid-level average. Far from it. In the last six games Rivers has scored between 9 and 21 points in every match while hitting field goals at a massive 58.5% clip on 9.8 fga per game. Call me crazy, but this combination of minutes and stats screams "pick me up now" to me, no matter the league.