Matt Barnes is primed to command a larger offensive role moving forward

Week 17, the first week after the Nov 18 trade deadline, has turned out to be a little underwhelming regarding the potential that many owners hoped to see as a result of teams scrambling to make last second improvements to their playoff hopes. While there were a few trades that could prove to be fortuitous for some currently unowned players, no sleeping giants appear to have been awoken as of yet. Still, there are enough options out there to satisfy most needs, and this week that’s especially true if those needs happen to be of the backcourt variety.

We’ve gone a bit guard-heavy this time around as the big man selection is somewhat lacking, but if you are in need of rebounding or blocks, rest assured we haven’t left you hanging. So, with that, we present our top-five waiver wire pickups, and for more information on the trade deadline transactions and their implications, be sure to check out our “Trade Deadline: Winners and Losers” article.

Ownership totals are in ESPN leagues.

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Norris Cole (PG – NOP) – 46.9%
The Pelicans failed to make a move before the trade deadline passed, and Tyreke Evans is officially out for the rest of the season. Those are both good things for Cole, and he should be owned in most leagues. He’s still a little inconsistent and can have issues turning the ball over from time to time, but Cole should hold onto his starting spot for the rest of the year as coach Alvin Gentry couldn’t be happier with Jrue Holiday’s current position coming off the bench.

Cole is also starting to show improvement on the year as his average scoring, assists, steals, three-pointers and field goal shooting have all increased over the last month without requiring more playing time. That means his game has become more efficient, and should hold mid-to-low end status as a guard option in standard leagues, and that value should remain steady throughout the regular season.

Brandon Jennings (PG – ORL) – 31.6%
As a Piston, Jennings’ upside was dependent on injuries to others ahead of him on the depth chart. Stuck behind Reggie Jackson, as was discussed in this week’s “Buy/Sell” article, proved to be too high of a hurdle for him to overcome. While in Detroit, Jennings averaged just 6.8 points (37.3% FG, 31.2% 3PT, 71.1% FT), two rebounds, three assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.5 steals, one 3-pointer and one turnover in 18.1 minutes.

Obviously, that production won’t cut it for owners, but with more playing time, he could very quickly return to relevancy. Per 36 minutes, Jennings is averaging 13.6 points, 6.1 assists, four rebounds, one steal, 0.2 blocks, 2.1 threes and 1.9 turnovers. One should also realize that with more consistent court time, his shooting percentages could also improve and end up closer to his career averages of about 40 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the line.

He’s never been an overly accurate shooter, but a minor bump in efficiency would likely lead to a corresponding increase in offensive production. It remains to be seen what his exact role will be in Orlando, but if he can manage to carve out time in the upper 20s, then he’ll be worth owning in most leagues. It’s certainly a risk worth taking if you have a player on your team worth dropping, and could use another guard.

Archie Goodwin (SG/PG – PHX) – 42.8%
Already a near must-own guy in Week 16, Goodwin’s short-term value just received another boost after the Suns traded Markieff Morris to the Wizards for Kris Humphries and DeJuan Blair, neither of whom will hurt Goodwin’s value. He’s as close to a “must-add” as possible right now, and if you do pick him up, the third-year guard will be worth a start as long as Brandon Knight remains sidelined.

Knight is nearing a return, and while there’s no guarantee it will mean the end of Goodwin, many are speculating that he will get pushed to the bench for a Knight/Devin Booker tandem. Regardless of what happens in the future, now is the time to ride Goodwin.

Matt Barnes (SF – MEM)– 16.2%
The Grizzlies now have one of the most interesting lineups in recent memory, and by interesting, I mean psychologically unstable. First, there’s Tony Allen, who’s racked up charges of aggravated battery, assault and rioting over the years. Next is Barnes, who won’t be outdone as he has with a recent suspension for an off-court “altercation” with Derek Fisher, a 2010 domestic violence charge and 2012 caught-on-tape incident with police.

The madness doesn’t stop there, though, because Zach Randolph served a seven-game suspension in 2014 for punching Steven Adams, and that doesn’t even cover a plethora of other past charges “Z-Bo” has accumulated. Still not finished, Lance Stephenson earned a 2008 sexual assault charge, a 2010 assault charge and has displayed some seriously odd behavior, including the LeBron James ear-blowing…defense?

Finally, there’s Chris “Birdman” Anderson, whose 2006 suspension after failing an NBA drug test (for an undisclosed substance) now seems like a relatively mild offense. That’s a lot of…personality…and it remains to be seen whether or not any team chemistry is even possible. Mike Conley and Randolph will continue to be the best of the bunch, but of the remaining players with fantasy potential, Barnes could prove to be the best option.

One could also make a case for Mario Chalmers (possibly Stephenson too), but with Jeff Green now gone and Marc Gasol out (foot), Barnes should get the start. His scoring has been consistently inconsistent, but with their current lineup, he should be asked to carry a larger offensive role, which should help to make him more reliable.

Also, on any given night, Barnes can record useful numbers in categories such as rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and, most notably, three-pointers. So, if you’re in need of the latter, he makes for an above-average pickup, and if not, he’s still worth considering.

Tyson Chandler (C – PHX) – 42.4%
While there were plenty of frontcourt players involved in trades just before the deadline (as made evident by our final “Buy/Sell” article), the current waiver-wire depth at both the power forward and center positions is rather thin. There are plenty of enticing backcourt options, but when it comes to big men, you’ll have to settle for specialists rather than regular starters. One such player, and possibly the least volatile of your options, is Chandler.

Many thought he should have been dealt before the trade deadline, as his current contract warrants more production than he can provide, but he remains a Sun. Because of that, and because Phoenix didn’t trade for any big rebounders, Chandler only has Alex Len to share minutes with. This could end up being a problem for Chandler, as a Phoenix team with no hopes to make the playoffs will likely turn their attention to developing younger talent.

In the meantime, however, Chandler, even while logging 25 or fewer minutes per game, is a reliable source for rebounds and should be added if you find yourself in need. So far in February, the aging center has averaged 9.2 rebounds over five games and recorded double-digit rebounds in eight of his last 12 contests (two of which were consecutive 20-plus nights).

You’re going to have a hard time finding better boards on the wire. and given that he is always capable of adding at least 10 points and one block, Chandler makes for a relatively nice spot play. If he does start losing more time to Len, then you can simply swap the players and focus on the younger of the two talents. Neither is going to blow you away for the rest of the season, but both players are at least worth monitoring.

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George Haw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from George, check out his archive and follow him @georgeWarfieldH.