Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Week 12
Success in fantasy basketball leagues is often dictated by finding useful players on the waiver wire. With many of the most popular free agent choices already owned, owners sometimes have to look to other players who can provide some sort of fantasy production.
In Week 11, lesser-owned players like PF/C Larry Sanders, C Nikola Pekovic, SG J.J. Redick and SG/SF Gordon Hayward and all had great weeks for their respective NBA teams as well as for fantasy owners playing these players. Chances are these players are already owned in most leagues, thus owners have to look at other players on the waiver wire in Week 12.
Whether these players have recently obtained a starting role, either short-term or long-term, or have become the likely beneficiary from a teammate’s injury, valuable waiver wire pickups can sometimes be the difference between winning and losing on a weekly basis. Here’s a look at five players, one eligible at each position, who are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo! Sports fantasy basketball leagues who are worth adding for Week 12 and for future weeks.
* The following players are all owned in under 50% of Yahoo! fantasy basketball leagues. The players’ percentage owned numbers for Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball leagues and player statistics are accurate as of Saturday, January 12, 2013. MPG: Minutes Per Game, FG%: Field Goal Percentage, FT%: Free Throw Percentage, 3PTM: 3-Pointers Made, PTS: Points, REB: Rebounds, AST: Assists, ST: Steals, BLK: Blocks, TO: Turnovers.
Austin Chang is a featured columnist and fantasy sports expert at Rant Sports and you can follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.
SF/PF Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
SF/PF Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves (22% owned)
Statistics (per game averages): 18:08 MPG, .432 FG%, .743 FT%, 0.8 3PTM, 9.0 PTS, 4.3 REB, 0.4 AST, 0.4 ST, 0.5 BLK, 1.0 TO
Great performance from Week 11: January 9 against the Oklahoma City Thunder – 28 minutes, 14 points, 11 rebounds, one steal, one turnover
With Kevin Love out for the next few months, Williams should be the biggest benefactor in his absence. Having little fantasy value earlier in the season, he is currently playing some of his best basketball of the season and should be a more consistent contributor in the coming weeks.
C Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs
C Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (20% owned)
Statistics (per game averages): 21:41 MPG, .581 FG%, .748 FT%, 0.0 3PTM, 9.6 PTS, 5.2 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.7 ST, 0.8 BLK, 1.1 TO
Great performance from Week 11: January 9 against the Los Angeles Lakers – 35 minutes, 14 points (4-4 free throws), 14 rebounds, one block, one turnover
Starting for the Spurs at center over the past month, Splitter has really grown into a good fantasy option. Rebounding better since joining the starting lineup, his minutes have seen a big increase and he has been valuable for his good shooting percentages and lack of turnovers.
PG/SG Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets
PG/SG Andre Miller, Denver Nuggets (48% owned)
Statistics (per game averages): 25:37 MPG, .469 FG%, .866 FT%, 0.2 3PTM, 9.2 PTS, 2.8 REB, 5.8 AST, 0.8 ST, 0.1 BLK, 2.3 TO
Great performance from Week 11: January 9 against the Orlando Magic – 29 minutes, 18 points (2-4 free throws), four rebounds, four assists, one turnover
Despite backing up Ty Lawson, Miller continues to put up useful numbers every night. Now that he is starting to take more shot attempts and earn more assists, he is playing at a high level that is good for any team.
PF Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics
PF Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics (16% owned)
Statistics (per game averages): 19:18 MPG, .500 FG%, .780 FT%, 0.0 3PTM, 6.1 PTS, 5.9 REB, 0.8 AST, 0.4 ST, 0.5 BLK, 0.6 TO
Great performance from Week 11: January 9 against the Phoenix Suns – 34 minutes, 12 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one steal, one block
Sullinger has started to gain a larger role in the Celtics rotation. This rookie has started to emerge as a good source of points and rebounds and is someone to watch to see whether he maintains this production down the line.
SG/SF Alan Anderson, Toronto Raptors
SG/SF Alan Anderson, Toronto Raptors (14% owned)
Statistics (per game averages): 24:15 MPG, .379 FG%, .891 FT%, 2.0 3PTM, 12.1 PTS, 2.1 REB, 1.7 AST, 1.1 ST, 0.2 BLK, 1.2 TO
Great performance from Week 11: January 11 against the Charlotte Bobcats – 26 minutes, 16 points (four made 3-pointers), three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one turnover
A cheap source of scoring and 3-pointers, Anderson had a stretch at the end of December where he scored in double-digits for seven straight games. In a major role off the bench for the Raptors, he is in a nice spot where he averages about 12 points, two assists and a steal per game.
