Fantasy Basketball 2014: Waiver Wire Options; Edition 20

By Adam Pfeifer on March 31, 2014

 

It’s win or go home.

Most fantasy basketball leagues are set to kick off the semifinals of the playoffs, making every decision you make even more important. And with that, making every piece of advice I provide more and more crucial, thus, haunting me as I sleep.

Kidding (I think).

This is where it gets tricky, however. Teams are resting their starters, as playoff positions have already been locked up, and there will be a few days each week where there are three games or fewer on the slate. Breathe, folks.

Note: Ownership percentages are based off ESPN leagues.

Jeremy Lin, Houston Rockets (87.5%): This is easily the highest owned player I’ve recommended, but it’s so crucial that if Lin is out there in any of your leagues at all, he absolutely needs to be scooped up. Starting point guard Patrick Beverley suffered a torn meniscus, and could very well be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. Enter Lin, who is seeing a respectable usage rate of about 23 percent with Beverley off the court. The biggest winner here is James Harden, however, who will touch the ball like 100 times per game. Anyway, Lin is a guy who can score 13-17 points, hit a few triples, contribute in assists and pick up a few steals. The Rockets are also one of the fortunate teams to play four times this week, too.

Greivis Vasquez, Toronto Raptors (39.1%): Vasquez doesn’t have a clear path to a starting job, but the Raptors did avoid a scare, as Kyle Lowry went down with an injury on Friday night, but is alright. Still, Toronto wants to limit his minutes for the playoffs, and Vasquez could be a 25-minute guy, who has really produced in a limited role this year. Over his last five games, he’s averaging a respectable 14.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, four assists and 2.2 triples, despite logging just 21.6 minutes per game during that span. The Raptors also use him in plenty two-point guard sets, so Vasquez could be a sneaky add.

Jeff Adrien, Milwaukee Bucks (1.2%): Once again, the Bucks are a complete and utter mess. Injuries are around every corner, allowing Adrien to enter the starting lineup. He’s been a solid source of rebounds, and over the last five games, he’s posted two outings with 30 minutes or more, which is significant for Bucks players. Adrien will suit up for four games this week, two of which provide solid rebounding opportunity (DET, MIA). Consider him a solid add in deeper formats, and he is clearly widely available.

Omer Asik, Houston Rockets (36.1%): With Dwight Howard sidelined for the next week to 10 days, Asik will continue to start at center for the Rockets, making him virtually a must-own for at least the short term. Hes averaging about seven boards pee game over his last five, but he wasn’t the starting center in every game during that span. Asik will be a massive source of rebounds and a solid source of points in the Rockets fast-paced offense, especially considering the Rockets face the Nets and Nuggets this week. Brooklyn is second-to-last in rebounding differential over the last 10 games, while Denver has struggled on the glass all year long, allowing the third-most total rebounds per game (53.2), as well as the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing centers (45.98).

Adam Pfeifer is a featured fantasy sports columnist for Rant Sports.

You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.