Archie Goodwin continues to benefit from Brandon Knight’s injury
There are many different strategies when it comes to how you manage your fantasy team, but the most successful ones rarely change. The moving pieces within those strategies, however, are in constant flux, as new NBA powers rise and fall throughout the season.By now, most of us are aware of the inverse relationship between a team’s record and its fantasy waiver wire strength. When an organization has no chance of making the playoffs, the only thing left to do is focus on next year, and that means shifting attention from veteran production to new potential. Probably the clearest support for this theory lies with the Philadelphia 76ers. They’ve been awful for years, and, as a result, have been waiver wire gold for quite some time now. There may now be, however, a new kid on the unpopular block, and he goes by Phoenix. The Suns are doing their best to join the conversation of who’s the worse team, and just like the 76ers, their waiver wire talent seems to grow with every loss. Phoenix and Philadelphia, of course, aren’t the only teams one should look at when searching for new additions, so, with that said let’s take a look at everything the wire currently has to offer.
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By now, most of us are aware of the inverse relationship between a team’s record and its fantasy waiver wire strength. When an organization has no chance of making the playoffs, the only thing left to do is focus on next year, and that means shifting attention from veteran production to new potential. Probably the clearest support for this theory lies with the Philadelphia 76ers. They’ve been awful for years, and, as a result, have been waiver wire gold for quite some time now.There may now be, however, a new kid on the unpopular block, and he goes by Phoenix. The Suns are doing their best to join the conversation of who’s the worse team, and just like the 76ers, their waiver wire talent seems to grow with every loss. Phoenix and Philadelphia, of course, aren’t the only teams one should look at when searching for new additions, so, with that said let’s take a look at everything the wire currently has to offer.
There may now be, however, a new kid on the unpopular block, and he goes by Phoenix. The Suns are doing their best to join the conversation of who’s the worse team, and just like the 76ers, their waiver wire talent seems to grow with every loss. Phoenix and Philadelphia, of course, aren’t the only teams one should look at when searching for new additions. With that said let’s take a look at everything the wire currently has to offer.
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Ownership totals are in ESPN leagues as of January 27.
Marcus Smart – PG – New Orleans Pelicans – 41.6%
Let’s just start off by immediately putting this selection into perspective. Boston head coach Brad Stevens is not a fantasy friendly kind of guy. Of course, no one expects any coach or player to worry about fantasy sports–their concerns lie in the real world, and we should all be OK with that–however, when it comes to fantasy basketball, one should be wary of players who wear green. Of the Celtics players who are likely to see significant playing time on any given night, only Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Avery Bradley can be trusted to produce day in and day out. Other guys, like Amir Johnson, Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner and Marcus Smart have had their moments, but few have lasted longer than a couple of weeks, at most.
With that said, Smart now finds himself in one of those moments. Over his last two games (against Washington and then Philadelphia) Smart has averaged 14.5 points (50% FG), 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.5 threes in 30.5 minutes. Even with the minute sample size, the numbers are still encouraging, especially his field goal percentage. Averaging 28 minutes per game over the month of January and 27 minutes on the season, Smart has never been in danger of losing much playing time, but he has had a hard time being consistent (as mentioned earlier). However, the young Celt is more than capable of producing in just about every category other than blocks, so, when he does find himself on a hot streak, Smart is more than worth adding until he cools off. He’s a better value in category scoring, because of his well-rounded game, than he is in points scoring, but even in the latter, Smart is currently a low-end option in deeper leagues.
Archie Goodwin – SG – Phoenix Suns – 25.8%
The Phoenix Suns are the new Philadelphia 76ers. Alright, maybe that’s a little too harsh, but they are pretty bad. In fact, the Suns have lost their only two matchups against the woeful 76ers and are on their way to playing the lottery. With Eric Bledsoe out for the season (knee), and Brandon Knight still sidelined (groin) there’s little hope of a Phoenix turnaround. Therefore, it only makes sense for coach Jeff Hornacek to focus more on developing young talent than worrying too much about winning the next game.
Enter Mr. Goodwin, a third-year 21-year-old out of Kentucky who’s stayed relatively quiet up until now. After the Bledsoe injury, Devin Booker, another promising young talent, was given the opportunity to start at point guard. He, however, failed to impress and has since been moved to the No. 2 spot to make room for Goodwin.
While his more comfortable position is as a shooting guard, Goodwin has taken the challenge of playing an unfamiliar position in the NBA and run with it. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, he’s averaged 23.3 points (50% FG, 79.2% FT), 4.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 threes, 1.7 steals and 1.0 block in 36.3 minutes – numbers that far exceed what Booker was able to do as play-caller. For now, Goodwin is worth a pickup in all leagues, regardless of size or scoring type, and should be started in most, while he’s still hot.It remains to be seen if he can keep it up after Knight returns (date still unknown), but, if he can, there’s a good chance the Suns will find a way to keep him on the court (possibly moving him to a more natural shooting guard role). Add Goodwin now and you’ll be immediately rewarded. Keep him around for a while, and you might find yourself with one of the year’s better late-season grabs.
It remains to be seen if he can keep it up after Knight returns (date still unknown), but, if he can, there’s a good chance the Suns will find a way to keep him on the court (possibly moving him to a more natural shooting guard role). Add Goodwin now and you’ll be immediately rewarded. Keep him around for a while, and you might find yourself with one of the year’s better late-season grabs.
Joe Johnson – SF/SG – Brooklyn Nets – 50.9%
There aren’t many small forwards available in most leagues worth picking up at the moment, but Johnson’s ownership rate is close enough to mention here. Owned in just over 50 percent of leagues, Johnson is currently averaging 13.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 steals and 2.1 threes in 33.6 minutes over the month of January. As a shooter, Johnson is going to specialize in knocking down threes, but unlike other players who assume the same role on their respective teams, Johnson can produce useful stats in every category except blocks.
He’s going to get you valuable three-pointers, sure, but over the past month he’s been doing it while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. A distance specialist who can boost your team’s field goal percentage while providing consistently useful rebounds and assists should be a hot commodity. As is often the case with the deep threat club, however, Johnson is also capable of putting up a dud here and there, which can explain why he’s so often unowned. That risk will always be there, but there’s no rule that states you must keep him on your roster for any extended period. If you’re in need of threes but can’t afford to hedge on percentages, Johnson is your man.
Willie Cauley-Stein – C/PF – Sacramento Kings – 34.1%
Field goal percentage, rebounds, blocks and steals – those are a few of his favorite things. Willie Cauley-Stein has come into his own lately, as, over his last five games, the rookie big man is averaging 10.2 points (57.9% FG), 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.6 steals and 0.8 assists in 32.2 minutes. With production like that, there’s no reason WCS should be available in two-thirds of all leagues, especially when he can help you out in field goal percentage – a category that can so quickly ruin a fantasy owner’s night.
He’s currently playing like a veteran big, so it’s easy to forget that this is his rookie year, but with DeMarcus Cousins by his side, things are looking up. Having possibly the best center in the league next to him, Cauley-Stein has been able to take advantage of his place in the shadows. As long as he can sustain his current pace, and coach George Karl continues to utilize a bigger lineup, WCS will not only continue to produce, but he will likely do so at an ever improving rate. Cauley-Stein is an excellent pickup in standard leagues, and a must add in those with a little more depth.
Alex Len – C – Phoenix Suns – 24%
After returning from injury (hand sprain), Len has come on strong, much like he did early in the season. With injuries to other Phoenix players and the fact that the Suns are currently fighting the Timberwolves for 14th place in the Western Conference, Len has seen heavy usage over his last three games. During that time, he’s averaged 15.0 points (50% FG, 90% FT), 10.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.33 blocks, 0.67 steals and 2.0 turnovers in 34.7 minutes.
If you happen to be in an eight-category league, that kind of production demands ownership, and if you’re playing nine or more categories, Len’s current streak is still too good to ignore. Even if some of his recent success is dependent on an injured John Leuer missing time, with the Suns’ season all but over, there’s a chance that Len could continue to see his high usage rate regardless of how healthy his teammates are. If that turns out to be the case, you could be looking at one heck of a grab for those in need of front court stats, but either way, he’s worth a pickup now.
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George Haw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from George, check out his archive and follow him@georgeWarfieldH.
