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In our weekly look at the waiver wire in fantasy basketball, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried gives us some in-depth NBA analysis about which forwards and centers to target off the waiver wire and which forwards and centers to continue scouting. RotoBaller covers the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups each week, so stay tuned!
Waiver Wire Pickups at the Forward and Center Position
Waiver Wire Must Add Forwards and Centers
Harrison Barnes: After missing a few games to start the season, Barnes is back to his role as do it all player for Marc Jackson in Golden State. With Andre Iguodala out with a hamstring injury, Barnes has played over 42 minutes a game in the past week. In that time he has managed 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists a game. For a team with a top 10 offense, any player who gets 42 minutes a game will be a must own in all leagues. The hope is that Barnes can return to the form he showed in last year’s playoffs, which saw him average 16.1 points and 6.4 rebounds a game on 48% shooting. Even when Iguodala is ready to return, there should be plenty of minutes to go around for Barnes.
Terrence Jones: Since replacing Omer Asik in the Rockets' starting lineup, Jones has been one of the better forwards in the league. He has managed to hit double figures in scoring in six straight, while blocking 10 shots and grabbing 44 rebounds in that time. The former Kentucky Wildcat has always been a talented power forward but never quite found a solid role on the Rockets. With Houston looking for a forward to compliment Dwight Howard, Jones has taken control of that role and does not appear likely to give it up anytime soon. He is averaging a solid 30 minutes a game, which if holds will make him a solid play in all formats as he does nothing to hurt your team.
Andray Blatche: Blatche has always been a talented player - just see his back to back years in 2009-2011 in which he averaged 18.2 and 17.8 points a game respectively. This year in Brooklyn, the injury to Brook Lopez has opened up huge minutes for Blatche. With the Nets struggling to score, Jason Kidd has gone to Blatche for low post scoring, and he has responded with seven straight double figure scoring games. He also provides a nice amount of steals for a big man, as he has at least 1 steal in 11 of his last 12 games. With Lopez likely out for at least another few games, Blatche should be owned and started in all leagues. Be sure to check what the minute distribution is when Lopez returns, because if Blatche continues to play well, he may find a spot in the rotation even when Lopez comes back.
Waiver Wire Forwards and Centers to Keep an Eye On
Derrick Williams: The former number two overall pick, Williams has been an absolute bust in Minnesota. With this trade to Sacramento, it will be interesting to see if Mike Malone finds a spot in the rotation for the multi-dimensional forward. If he can manage to get 30 minutes a game, Williams can provide solid scoring and rebounding numbers.
Samuel Dalembert: The often overlooked veteran center, Dalembert always seems to provide fantasy value at random times throughout the season. Last week he had a three game stretch in which he had 32 points, 36 rebounds and 9 blocks. Although he cooled off this week, Dallas is void of any other defensive bigs and Dalembert should continue to see a respectable amount of court time.
Come back next week as RotoBaller will continue to look at the best fantasy basketball waiver wire pickups for you to own and scout.
