Christmas has come and gone, the new year is almost upon us, and we’re about halfway through the season. Time continues to roll on by, so don’t let yourself ease up too much. One of the most common complaints about fantasy basketball, when compared to football, is how few breaks there are throughout the season.
With so many games going on each week, it’s far too easy for fantasy owners to either give up after a slow start or become complacent after an early season winning streak. Make sure to keep the prize in mind and continue to do the work, regardless of how confident you feel about your team. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at our top waiver-wire targets for this week.
Ownership percentages are for ESPN leagues as of December 28.
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Ish Smith (PG – DET) 14.5%
With Reggie Jackson (ankle) now out for six to eight weeks, Ish Smith should step right into the starting point guard role and be fantasy relevant while doing so. He’s not going to wow you with production, but Smith will provide a decent number of assists and is also capable of putting up double-digit points to go along with a few rebounds here and there. The speedy veteran doesn’t have much competition on the depth chart, so as long as Jackson is out, Smith should prove to be a solid bench/role player in most 10-12 team fantasy leagues.
Isaiah Canaan (PG – PHO) 10.2%
Another backup point guard currently experiencing more work than usual, Isaiah Canaan has been averaging 25.1 minutes in the six games since being picked up by the Suns. When he was first signed by Phoenix, there were more minutes to go around with Devin Booker out, but now that their leading scorer has returned, Canaan’s court time may take a hit. That hit, however, may not last if he’s able to continue his vertical journey up the depth chart and eventually supplant Tyler Ulis as the new starting play caller.
There’s honestly not much here at the moment, but for owners able to sit on a player for a couple of weeks, Canaan’s fantasy outlook should become clearer soon. If he is able to hold onto 25 or more minutes per game, Canaan can provide useful assist and scoring numbers for 12-team or deeper leagues.
Austin Rivers (SG/PG – LAC) 42.1%
Austin Rivers is averaging career numbers across the board thanks to an injury-plagued Clippers team handing him nearly 33 minutes per game this season. Before coming back down to reality Tuesday against Sacramento, Rivers had recorded back-to-back 30 point games and scored in double-digits in eight of his past nine games. The two 30-point performances were both career highs (36 and 38 points, respectively), so while it would have been nice to see such impressive momentum continue, it wasn’t likely.
That follow up flop of just eight points in 26 minutes shouldn’t, however, be seen as any cause for concern as shooters are going to have their off nights, and Rivers is no exception. Owners should expect him to get back on track for his next game and continue to hold down a starting job (or at least the playing time) for the rest of the season.
Josh Richardson (SG/SF – MIA) 41.1%
After a slow start to the season, Josh Richardson has finally hit his stride. In his 13 games this month, the three-year pro is averaging an impressive 17.8 points (55% FG, 47.5% 3PT and 87.1% FT), 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.2 made three-pointers in 34.8 minutes. That stretch coincides with the time that Hassan Whiteside (knee) was out, so with his recent return, Richardson may see a slight drop in his scoring and possibly playing time, but neither should be of much consequence.
Richardson provides solid scoring at an efficient rate to go along with useful peripheral production in just about every other category worth recording. He really should be owned in all leagues 10-teams or deeper, so if he’s still on your waiver wire, make the move now because he won’t be there for long.
Trey Lyles (PF – DEN) 18.9%
December has been a surprisingly strong month for Trey Lyles, as he’s averaged 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 27.3 minutes per game (14 total games). He’s scored 10 or more points in seven straight games, the last of which he put up 23 to go along with 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
With Paul Millsap out for the foreseeable future and Kenneth Faried collecting healthy DNPs, Lyles has plenty of on-court opportunities available to him, and he’s making the most of them. After two underwhelming seasons in Utah to start his career, it looks like a change of scenery may have been just what the 22-year-old Canadian needed.
Now in Denver, things are looking up, and head coach Michael Malone is paying attention. After their recent win against Utah, Malone described Lyles as someone who “can play the three, four, or five [position] . . . put the ball on the floor, finish, and . . . make plays for other people” (per MileHighSports.com).
It’s important to maintain perspective and realize that Lyles probably won’t maintain this pace forever, but he seems to be doing enough to cement his spot in the second team, and as long as Millsap is out, owners should expect his playing time to remain in the mid to upper 20’s (if not higher) moving forward. For owners in need of scoring and/or rebounding, Lyles should be added now while he’s hot.
George Haw is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from George, check out his archive and follow him @georgeWarfieldH.